No. 10 UT PERMIAN BASIN at No. 15 WESTERN COLORADO
1 p.m., Sat., Nov. 29 | MOFO Field at Mountaineer Bowl at the Rady Family Sports Complex | Gunnison, Colo.
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2025 Statistics: Western Colorado | UT Permian Basin

GUNNISON, Colo.  With both teams pulling off mild upsets of higher ranked teams one week ago, the second round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs brings together a pair of recently joined foes, as 10th-ranked University of Texas Permian Basin comes to the heights of the Mountaineer Bowl on Saturday for a matchup with No. 15 Western Colorado.

HISTORY

• The Mountaineers and Falcons met for the first time in 2022 when UTPB earned a 34-31 overtime victory on its home turf.
• Western came out on top, 35-27, in the 2023 meeting in the Mountaineer Bowl.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

• Western (10-2) opened with eight wins before dropping consecutive games on final-play field goals. The Mountaineer bounced back in the regular season finale with a 42-28 home victory over Colorado Mesa University, then took down host and fifth-ranked Central Washington University, 27-20, in Ellensburg, Wash., in the first round of the DII playoffs.
• The Falcons opened their season with five wins before they, too, dropped two in a row, falling at home to then-No. 13 Central Washington (27-14) and next at Western Oregon University (31-28). UTPB has since won five straight, including a 37-24 win over host and No. 4 Colorado State Pueblo in the opening round of the playoffs.

COMPARISONS OF THE OFFENSES

• Both teams rely on the arms – and legs – of their triggermen, quarterbacks Drew Nash and Kanon Gibson.
• Gibson leads a Falcons offense that averages 469 yards per game, sixth best in DII, while Nash's Mountaineers average 419 YPG, 31st in DII.
• Similar in rushing statistics – Western at 153 yards on the ground per game and UTPB at 140 YPG – the Mountaineer ground attack is led by running back Quinn Bailey's 528 yards and 8 touchdowns along with Nash's 11 TDs rushing and 510 yards total.
• Running back Kory Harris has gained 596 yards across 12 games, and scored 9 rushing TDs, while Gibson has scored 10 times and has totaled 425 yards on the ground.
• While Nash is fourth in the country with 32 touchdown passes, 20th nationally in passing efficiency (157.6) and 19th in DII in passing yards (2,833), the Mountaineer offense has just a bit more balance as it averages 266 yards through the air.
• Gibson's passing attack with the Falcons averages 330 yards a game, with Gibson 11th in passing touchdowns (28) and seventh in passing yards (3,324).
• The comparisons between the two field generals doesn't stop with just rushing and passing totals, as Nash ranks second nationally in points responsible for per game (23.5) and third in total points responsible for (258), while Gibson is seventh in points per game (19.0) and seventh in total points responsible for (228).
• The leading receivers for the teams are Caden Measner with 53 receptions, 8 touchdowns and 702 receiving yards for Western, and Traylen Suel for UTPB with 51 receptions, 7 touchdowns and 631 receiving yards.

THE STRENGTH OF THEIR DEFENSES

• Western's scoring defense ranks eighth national allowing 17 points per game, with UTPB ranked 18th allowing just 18 points per game.
• Separated by just a few yards, the Falcons defense is averaging just 304 yards of total offense from their opponents, while Western's defense is allowing only 317 yards per game.
• The Mountaineers' rush defense stands out in the comparison, averaging just 99 yards rushing to opponents each game, fifteenth nationally, compared to the Falcons' 136 yards allowed on the ground.
• Conversely, UTPB allows only 167 yards through the air, compared to the Mountaineers surrendering 218 yards per game.
• Western is used to getting into the backfields of its opponents. Averaging 8.6 tackles for loss per game and 3.0 sacks per game, the Mountaineers rank third and 17th nationally, respectively, in those statistical categories.
• Linebacker Ian Loomis hit the century mark in total tackles at the Central Washington game, with fellow inside linebacker Kade Musser ringing up 69 tackles while outside linebackers Cameron Cooper and Kaden Stewart add in 73 and 56 tackles, respectively, to highlight the linebacking corps' affect in games.
• The Falcons' Tristan Exline is the one to watch from his linebacker's spot for UTPB. His 115 tackles more than doubles the next member of his defense, McKyle So'oto's 50 stops.
• Western's Cooper and defensive end Drew Johnson lead the team in TFLs with 14.0 each, with Johnson leading the Mountaineers in sacks (6) but by the narrowest of margins over Cooper, Loomis and Musser who each have five sacks on the year.
• Exline has been a force in opposite backfields, with 18.5 TFLs and 4.5 sacks.

WHAT IT MIGHT COME DOWN TO

• Western wants a balanced attack, utilizing Nash's ability to use his arm, scramble when necessary, and take off on read-options while managing the clock. Bailey, a freshman, seems to be picking up steam with each game, and his vison and bursts have been a growing problem for opposing defenses.
• UTPB will counter with Gibson's arm and similar scrambles and designed runs, while looking for protection from his line to scope out Suel, TJ McKenzie and others in patterns downfield.
• The determining factor may just end up being Western's pass defense – including the line's and the linebackers' ability to get into the Falcons backfield – and UTPB's ability for its own defense to find a way to limit the Mountaineers' methodical offense.

UP NEXT
The winner of Saturday's game will travel to either top-ranked Harding (Ark.) University or to Pittsburg (Kan.) State for the quarterfinal round of the DII playoffs.