WICHITA FALLS, Texas  Seventh-ranked Western Colorado scored three times in the opening quarter, eventually finishing with a 38-13 win over host Midwestern State in a non-conference matchup Saturday night at the Mustangs' Memorial Field.

Mountaineer quarterback Drew Nash took part in four of the five Western touchdowns, while the defense registered six sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, and held MSU to minus yards on the ground.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. MSU, 38-13
Records: Western 2-0, MSU 0-2
Location: Memorial Field, Wichita Falls, Texas

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Special teams spearheaded the quick start for the Mountaineers. Logan White blocked MSU's opening punt, setting Western up at the host's 21-yard line, a short drive that culminated in a 1-yard TD dive by Nash.
• On MSU's next possession, a bad snap on the fourth-down punt gave Western the ball at the MSU 5, from where Isaiah Jones pounded the ball in after two carries for a 14-0 lead.
• The Mustangs finally succeeded on a punt following a three-and-out, but Western went 55 yards in nine plays, the drive ending with a 3-yard scoring pass from Nash to Caden Measner.
• The Mountaineers scored twice in the third quarter, Nash hooking up with Kai Goetze down the middle for a 40-yard TD pass then adding a 46-yard scoring toss to Ramon Ruiz on the next series.

NUMBERS THAT MATTERED

• Nash threw for 243 yards and three touchdowns while adding 19 yards on the ground with one touchdown.
• Ten different players caught a pass during the game, paced by Measner's six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.
• The Mountaineer rushing game finished with 122 yards. Jones posted a game-high 56 yards and his first-quarter TD rush.
• Six defenders registered one sack in the game as Ian Loomis, Ricky Freymond, Will Geiman, Drew Johnson, Mikey Smith and White had six of the defense's 12.5 TFLs. Freymond would also add an interception, stopping an MSU drive in its Red Zone.
• The Mountaineers rang up 373 total yards of offense in the win, against 293 total yards put up by the Mustangs, who had minus-9 yards on the ground.
• Despite the quick, short touchdown drives in the opening quarter, Western still won the time of possession battle, holding onto the ball for 34 minutes, 20 seconds compared to the 25:40 that MSU owned possession.
• The win over MSU was Western's eighth consecutive victory over a Lone Star Conference opponent.

UP NEXT

• Western travels to Alamosa, Colorado, for its next game, taking on host Adams State (0-2) in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
• The Mountaineers have won the past four Colorado Classics against the Grizzlies, including last season's 38-0 home win by Western.