# 2013 West Texas A&M Buffaloes football team

The 2013 West Texas A&M Buffaloes football team represented West Texas A&M University in the 2013 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC). The Buffaloes were led by first-year head coach Mike Nesbitt. The team played its home games at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in Canyon, Texas. The Buffaloes finished the season with an overall record of 11–3 with a LSC record of 4–2, finishing third in the conference.
The team received a bid to the NCAA Division II Playoffs as the sixth seed in Super Region 4, losing to Grand Valley State 28–35 in the quarterfinals; to date, this is the last season the Buffaloes have made the Division II playoffs. For the 2013 season, Nesbitt served under the interim tag before being named the Buffaloes' full-time head coach following the season.
Senior quarterback Dustin Vaughan broke the program record for passing yards and passing touchdowns. Vaughan was one of three finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy. Vaughn would ultimately finish second in voting.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

On August 22, just weeks before the team's opening game, the university announced that head coach Don Carthel had been fired. According to the press release, Carthel was dismissed for misleading university officials about buying tickets for two players on the football team and instructed the players to lie about where the tickets came from.
Mike Nesbitt, who had been originally hired as assistant head coach and offensive line coach, was named the Buffaloes' interim head coach. Nesbitt had previously served as the Buffaloes' quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

## Preseason
### LSC media poll

The LSC media poll was released on July 29, 2013. The Buffaloes were predicted to finish first in the conference.
LSC media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | West Texas A&M | 141 (16) |
| 2 | Midwestern State | 124 (3) |
| 3 | Tarleton State | 99 (1) |
| 4 | Texas A&M–Kingsville | 82 (1) |
| 5 | Angelo State | 69 |
| 6 | Eastern New Mexico | 39 |
| 7 | Texas A&M–Commerce | 34 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 7 | 2:00 p.m. | at Western State (CO)* | No. 3 | Mountaineer BowlGunnison, CO | W 48–21 | 752 |
| September 12 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. No. 18 Chadron State* | No. 4 | AT&T StadiumArlington, TX (LSC Football Festival) | W 34–31 | 3,093 |
| September 21 | 6:00 p.m. | Texas A&M–Commerce | No. 4 | Kimbrough Memorial StadiumCanyon, TX (East Texas vs. West Texas) | W 62–28 | 11,126 |
| September 28 | 7:00 p.m. | at Texas A&M–Kingsville | No. 4 | Javelina StadiumKingsville, TX | W 69–7 | 11,500 |
| October 5 | 3:00 p.m. | Central State* | No. 4 | Kimbrough Memorial StadiumCanyon, TX | W 72–0 | 13,876 |
| October 12 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 21 Tarleton State | No. 4 | Memorial StadiumStephenville, TX | L 27–31 | 8,147 |
| October 19 | 6:00 p.m. | Angelo State | No. 17 | Kimbrough Memorial StadiumCanyon, TX | W 34–30 | 5,487 |
| October 26 | 2:00 p.m. | at McMurry* | No. 16 | Wilford Moore StadiumAbilene, TX | W 90–57 | 2,134 |
| November 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Eastern New Mexico | No. 15 | Kimbrough Memorial StadiumCanyon, TX (Wagon Wheel) | L 38–39 | 7,167 |
| November 9 | 6:00 p.m. | West Georgia* | | Kimbrough Memorial StadiumCanyon, TX | W 63–23 | 6,178 |
| November 16 | 1:00 p.m. | at Midwestern State | No. 25 | Memorial StadiumWichita Falls, TX | W 19–12 | 8,123 |
| November 23 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 10 Indianapolis* | No. 19 | Key StadiumIndianapolis, IN (NCAA Division II First Round) | W 27–14 | 3,106 |
| November 30 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 7 Ohio Dominican* | No. 19 | Panther StadiumColumbus, OH (NCAA Division II Second Round) | W 34–27 | 783 |
| December 7 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 22 Grand Valley State | No. 19 | Lubbers StadiumAllendale, MI (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal) | L 28–35 | 4,296 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Final |
| AFCA | 3 (1) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 (1) | 17 | 16 | 15 | RV | 25 | 19 | 11 |

## Game summaries
### At Western State (CO)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Buffaloes | 17 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 48 |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 21 |
| Statistics | WTAMU | WSCU |
| First downs | 30 | 14 |
| Total yards | 562 | 267 |
| Rushing yards | 88 | 18 |
| Passing yards | 474 | 249 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 31:39 | 28:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 37/57, 470 yards, 6 TD |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Geremy Alridge | 11 rushes, 50 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Torrence Allen | 12 receptions, 206 yards, 2 TD |
| Western State | Passing | Brett Arrivey | 22/33, 177 yards, 2 TD |
| Western State | Rushing | Arius Norris | 4 rushes, 13 yards |
| Western State | Receiving | Travis Haney | 7 receptions, 113 yards, TD |

### Vs. No. 18 Chadron State (LSC Football Festival)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Eagles | 21 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
| No. 4 Buffaloes | 3 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 34 |
| Statistics | CSC | WTAMU |
| First downs | 25 | 23 |
| Total yards | 464 | 462 |
| Rushing yards | 242 | 109 |
| Passing yards | 222 | 353 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:49 | 26:11 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Chadron State | Passing | John McLain | 28/40, 222 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Chadron State | Rushing | Glen Clinton | 24 rushes, 143 yards, TD |
| Chadron State | Receiving | Chapman Ham | 8 receptions, 61 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 29/41, 353 yards, TD |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Aaron Harris | 17 rushes, 103 yards, 2 TD |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Torrence Allen | 8 receptions, 124 yards |

### Texas A&M–Commerce

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| No. 4 Buffaloes | 21 | 3 | 14 | 24 | 62 |
| Statistics | TAMUC | WTAMU |
| First downs | 23 | 31 |
| Total yards | 331 | 590 |
| Rushing yards | 64 | 82 |
| Passing yards | 267 | 508 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 26:09 | 33:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Tyrik Rollison | 15/29, 258 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Aaron Fields | 4 rushes, 31 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Vernon Johnson | 3 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TD |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 36/62, 508 yards, 4 TD |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Geremy Alridge | 4 rushes, 44 yards, TD |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Anthony Johnson | 9 receptions, 181 yards, TD |

### At Texas A&M–Kingsville

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Buffaloes | 7 | 24 | 35 | 3 | 69 |
| Javelinas | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Statistics | WTAMU | TAMUK |
| First downs | 25 | 14 |
| Total yards | 419 | 188 |
| Rushing yards | 118 | 96 |
| Passing yards | 301 | 92 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 26:51 | 33:09 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 25/33, 227 yards, TD |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Jamison Sterns | 6 rushes, 44 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Jace Jackson | 6 receptions, 72 yards |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Passing | Aaron Bueno | 13/23, 92 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Rushing | Cornelius Shackelford | 14 rushes, 47 yards |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Receiving | C. J. Griggs | 2 receptions, 24 yards |

### Central State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Marauders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 4 Buffaloes | 20 | 24 | 7 | 21 | 72 |
| Statistics | CSU | WTAMU |
| First downs | 17 | 32 |
| Total yards | 305 | 663 |
| Rushing yards | 126 | 169 |
| Passing yards | 179 | 494 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 36:08 | 23:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Central State | Passing | Michael Wilson | 16/32, 124 yards, INT |
| Central State | Rushing | Michael Wilson | 15 rushes, 52 yards |
| Central State | Receiving | Zach Thomas | 6 receptions, 59 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 33/41, 438 yards, 7 TD |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Aaron Harris | 6 rushes, 82 yards, TD |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Anthony Johnson | 8 receptions, 114 yards, TD |

### At No. 21 Tarleton State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Buffaloes | 13 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| No. 21 Texans | 3 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 31 |
| Statistics | WTAMU | TSU |
| First downs | 22 | 30 |
| Total yards | 360 | 560 |
| Rushing yards | 105 | 133 |
| Passing yards | 255 | 427 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 32:05 | 27:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 25/43, 255 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Aaron Harris | 17 rushes, 66 yards, TD |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Torrence Allen | 5 receptions, 74 yards |
| Tarleton State | Passing | Jake Fenske | 25/42, 388 yards, 3 TD |
| Tarleton State | Rushing | Zach Henshaw | 22 rushes, 107 yards |
| Tarleton State | Receiving | Le'Nard Meyers | 8 receptions, 168 yards, 2 TD |

### Angelo State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rams | 7 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 30 |
| No. 17 Buffaloes | 7 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 34 |
| Statistics | ASU | WTAMU |
| First downs | 27 | 25 |
| Total yards | 554 | 519 |
| Rushing yards | 256 | 48 |
| Passing yards | 298 | 471 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 35:41 | 24:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Angelo State | Passing | Kyle Washington | 22/36, 298 yards, TD |
| Angelo State | Rushing | Kyle Washington | 11 rushes, 106 yards, TD |
| Angelo State | Receiving | Joey Knight | 9 receptions, 106 yards, TD |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 32/58, 471 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Geremy Alridge | 10 rushes, 39 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Torrence Allen | 12 receptions, 199 yards, 2 TD |

### At McMurry

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 16 Buffaloes | 24 | 28 | 31 | 7 | 90 |
| War Hawks | 14 | 14 | 21 | 8 | 57 |
| Statistics | WTAMU | MCM |
| First downs | 28 | 40 |
| Total yards | 693 | 708 |
| Rushing yards | 241 | 300 |
| Passing yards | 452 | 408 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 27:29 | 32:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 27/40, 452 yards, 6 TD, INT |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Aaron Harris | 11 rushes, 136 yards, TD |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Anthony Johnson | 5 receptions, 97 yards, TD |
| McMurry | Passing | Gabe Rodriguez | 28/46, 344 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT |
| McMurry | Rushing | Paxton Grayer | 12 rushes, 159 yards, 2 TD |
| McMurry | Receiving | Greg Livingston | 8 receptions, 129 yards, 2 TD |

### Eastern New Mexico

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Greyhounds | 0 | 17 | 7 | 15 | 39 |
| No. 15 Buffaloes | 14 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 38 |
| Statistics | ENMU | WTAMU |
| First downs | 24 | 23 |
| Total yards | 380 | 484 |
| Rushing yards | 232 | 12 |
| Passing yards | 148 | 472 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:02 | 26:58 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern New Mexico | Passing | Jeremy Buurma | 8/16, 148 yards, TD |
| Eastern New Mexico | Rushing | Christian Long | 27 rushes, 121 yards, 3 TD |
| Eastern New Mexico | Receiving | Ricky Milks | 2 receptions, 49 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 38/57, 472 yards, 5 TD, INT |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Geremy Alridge | 2 rushes, 19 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Torrence Allen | 11 receptions, 158 yards, 2 TD |

### West Georgia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolves | 0 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 23 |
| Buffaloes | 7 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 63 |
| Statistics | UWG | WTAMU |
| First downs | 25 | 25 |
| Total yards | 435 | 546 |
| Rushing yards | 290 | 167 |
| Passing yards | 145 | 379 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 35:11 | 24:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| West Georgia | Passing | Austin Trainor | 4/9, 83 yards |
| West Georgia | Rushing | Quan Jones | 19 rushes, 97 yards, 2 TD |
| West Georgia | Receiving | Malcolm Johnson | 1 reception, 56 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 29/41, 370 yards, 6 TD |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Aaron Harris | 16 rushes, 145 yards, 2 TD |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Torrence Allen | 5 receptions, 97 yards, TD |

### At Midwestern State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 25 Buffaloes | 3 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 19 |
| Mustangs | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Statistics | WTAMU | MSU |
| First downs | 22 | 14 |
| Total yards | 315 | 284 |
| Rushing yards | 65 | 123 |
| Passing yards | 250 | 161 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:57 | 29:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 23/46, 250 yards, 2 INT |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Aaron Harris | 13 rushes, 38 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Torrence Allen | 7 receptions, 94 yards |
| Midwestern State | Passing | Jake Glover | 10/18, 116 yards, INT |
| Midwestern State | Rushing | Keidrick Jackson | 25 rushes, 132 yards, TD |
| Midwestern State | Receiving | Mark Strange | 7 receptions, 117 yards |

### At No. 10 Indianapolis (NCAA Division II First Round)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Buffaloes | 7 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
| No. 10 Greyhounds | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Statistics | WTAMU | INDY |
| First downs | 28 | 17 |
| Total yards | 435 | 312 |
| Rushing yards | 115 | 122 |
| Passing yards | 320 | 190 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 34:15 | 25:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 37/47, 320 yards, 3 TD |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Aaron Harris | 13 rushes, 59 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Torrence Allen | 15 receptions, 146 yards, TD |
| Indianapolis | Passing | Connor Barthel | 19/37, 190 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Indianapolis | Rushing | Klay Fiechter | 16 rushes, 67 yards |
| Indianapolis | Receiving | Greg Johnson | 5 receptions, 64 yards |

### At No. 7 Ohio Dominican (NCAA Division II Second Round)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Buffaloes | 0 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 34 |
| No. 7 Panthers | 7 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 27 |
| Statistics | WTAMU | ODU |
| First downs | 30 | 24 |
| Total yards | 530 | 392 |
| Rushing yards | 114 | 143 |
| Passing yards | 416 | 249 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 37:12 | 22:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 39/52, 416 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Geremy Alridge | 18 rushes, 76 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Torrence Allen | 11 receptions, 145 yards, TD |
| Ohio Dominican | Passing | Mark Miller | 20/33, 249 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Ohio Dominican | Rushing | Brandon Schoen | 14 rushes, 65 yards |
| Ohio Dominican | Receiving | Nate Weeks | 6 receptions, 103 yards |

### At No. 4 Grand Valley State (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Buffaloes | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| No. 4 Lakers | 7 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 35 |
| Statistics | WTAMU | GV |
| First downs | 23 | 22 |
| Total yards | 434 | 295 |
| Rushing yards | 37 | 76 |
| Passing yards | 397 | 219 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:03 | 26:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Dustin Vaughan | 36/56, 397 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Aaron Harris | 16 rushes, 46 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Anthony Johnson | 11 receptions, 165 yards, 2 TD |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Heath Parling | 16/32, 219 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | Chris Robinson | 16 rushes, 48 yards |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Kirk Spencer | 4 receptions, 77 yards, TD |