# 2022 UT Permian Basin Falcons football team

The 2022 UT Permian Basin Falcons football team represented the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) in the 2022 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC). The team played its home games at Astound Broadband Stadium in Midland, Texas while Ratliff Stadium in Odessa hosted two home games. The Falcons were led by seventh-year head coach Justin Carrigan. On November 28, Carrigan announced that he would be stepping down as the program's head coach. The following day it was announced he would be stepping into an administrative role, being named the university's deputy athletic director.
The 2022 season marked the first season in program history where the program was fully funded with 36 scholarships. The Falcons previously only had 12 scholarships available per season from 2016 to 2021.

## Preseason
### LSC media poll

LSC media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Angelo State | 257 (15) |
| 2 | Midwestern State | 236 (9) |
| 3 | Central Washington | 207 |
| 4 | West Texas A&M | 198 (1) |
| 5 | UT Permian Basin | 150 (2) |
| 6 | Texas A&M–Kingsville | 143 |
| 7 | Western Oregon | 108 |
| 8 | Eastern New Mexico | 97 |
| 9 | Western New Mexico | 57 |
| 10 | Simon Fraser | 32 |
    Source:

## Schedule

The Falcons' 2022 schedule consisted of six home games and five away games. The team hosted LSC foes Angelo State, Simon Fraser, Midwestern State, and Western New Mexico and traveled to Western Oregon, West Texas A&M, Texas A&M–Kingsville, Eastern New Mexico, and Central Washington.
The Falcons hosted non-conference foes Southwest Baptist from the Great Lakes Valley Conference and Western Colorado from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Southwest Baptist* | Astound Broadband StadiumMidland, TX | L 17–41 | 4,561 |
| September 10 | 6:00 p.m. | Western Colorado* | Astound Broadband StadiumMidland, TX | W 34–31 $^{2OT}$ | 3,278 |
| September 17 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 5 Angelo State | Astound Broadband StadiumMidland, TX | L 21–34 | 3,287 |
| September 24 | 4:30 p.m. | at Western Oregon | McArthur FieldMonmouth, OR | W 27–24 | 1,189 |
| October 1 | 7:00 p.m. | at West Texas A&M | Buffalo StadiumCanyon, TX | L 27–28 | 9,414 |
| October 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Simon Fraser | Ratliff StadiumOdessa, TX | W 31–24 $^{OT}$ | 3,742 |
| October 15 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 20 Texas A&M–Kingsville | Javelina StadiumKingsville, TX | L 10–13 | 9,136 |
| October 22 | 6:00 p.m. | Midwestern State | Astound Broadband StadiumMidland, TX | L 23–24 | 3,561 |
| October 29 | 2:00 p.m. | at Eastern New Mexico | Greyhound StadiumPortales, NM | W 24–21 | 1,422 |
| November 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Western New Mexico | Ratliff StadiumOdessa, TX | W 37–14 | 3,268 |
| November 12 | 1:00 p.m. | at Central Washington | Tomlinson StadiumEllensburg, WA | L 14–49 | 4,872 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### Southwest Baptist

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bearcats | 17 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 41 |
| Falcons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
at Astound Broadband Stadium, Midland, Texas
* Date: September 3
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 83 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,561
* Referee: Jason Hickey
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SWB | TPB |
| First downs | 31 | 13 |
| Total yards | 462 | 181 |
| Rushing yards | 249 | 17 |
| Passing yards | 213 | 164 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 42:05 | 17:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southwest Baptist | Passing | Cooper Callis | 16/25, 179 yards, 2 TD |
| Southwest Baptist | Rushing | Abel Carter | 22 rushes, 173 yards, 3 TD |
| Southwest Baptist | Receiving | Curtis Cuillard | 5 receptions, 64 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Dylan Graham | 16/31, 164 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Nathan Tilford | 7 rushes, 15 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Gunnar Abseck | 5 receptions, 66 yards |

### Western Colorado

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Mountaineers | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
| Falcons | 0 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
at Astound Broadband Stadium, Midland, Texas
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 89 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,278
* Referee: James Minor
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | WCU | TPB |
| First downs | 20 | 15 |
| Total yards | 226 | 261 |
| Rushing yards | 38 | 76 |
| Passing yards | 188 | 185 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 35:57 | 24:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Colorado | Passing | Luke Nethercot | 18/34, 160 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Western Colorado | Rushing | Luke Nethercot | 16 rushes, 28 yards, TD |
| Western Colorado | Receiving | Kai Emmsley | 6 receptions, 49 yards, 2 TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Dylan Graham | 17/38, 185 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Kory Harris | 21 rushes, 78 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Marcus Molina | 2 receptions, 44 yards |

### No. 5 Angelo State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Rams | 14 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 34 |
| Falcons | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
at Astound Broadband Stadium, Midland, Texas
* Date: September 17
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 90 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,287
* Referee: Tony Acosta
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ASU | TPB |
| First downs | 25 | 13 |
| Total yards | 436 | 258 |
| Rushing yards | 111 | 12 |
| Passing yards | 325 | 246 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 37:59 | 22:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Angelo State | Passing | Zach Bronkhorst | 22/42, 325 yards, 2 TD |
| Angelo State | Rushing | Nate Omayebu III | 26 rushes, 130 yards, TD |
| Angelo State | Receiving | Kyle Bradford | 4 receptions, 78 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Jordan Barton | 10/19, 246 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Kory Harris | 17 rushes, 47 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | MJ Link | 5 receptions, 191 yards, 2 TD |

### At Western Oregon

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
| Wolves | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at McArthur Field, Monmouth, Oregon
* Date: September 24
* Game time: 4:30 p.m. CDT/2:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 1,189
* Referee: Andy Dunklin
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TPB | WOU |
| First downs | 20 | 28 |
| Total yards | 288 | 554 |
| Rushing yards | 50 | 187 |
| Passing yards | 238 | 367 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 23:54 | 30:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Dylan Graham | 34/52, 238 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Kory Harris | 9 rushes, 25 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Gunnar Abseck | 9 receptions, 50 yards, TD |
| Western Oregon | Passing | Gannon Winker | 20/43, 367 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Western Oregon | Rushing | Omari Land | 24 rushes, 127 yards |
| Western Oregon | Receiving | Damon Hickok | 5 receptions, 134 yards, TD |

### At West Texas A&M

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 27 |
| Buffaloes | 9 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 28 |
at Buffalo Stadium, Canyon, Texas
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 83 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 9,414
* Referee: Randy Adams
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TPB | WT |
| First downs | 21 | 27 |
| Total yards | 419 | 503 |
| Rushing yards | 107 | 232 |
| Passing yards | 312 | 271 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 27:18 | 32:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Dylan Graham | 33/46, 306 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Antonio Malone | 11 rushes, 58 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | MJ Link | 12 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Nick Gerber | 27/43, 271 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Nick Gerber | 14 rushes, 105 yards, TD |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Noah Bogardus | 11 receptions, 195 yards |

### Simon Fraser

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Red Leafs | 0 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 24 |
| Falcons | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
at Ratliff Stadium, Odessa, Texas
* Date: October 8
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 3,742
* Referee: Joe Greer
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SFU | TPB |
| First downs | 19 | 25 |
| Total yards | 417 | 462 |
| Rushing yards | 21 | 150 |
| Passing yards | 396 | 312 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:53 | 26:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Simon Fraser | Passing | Justin Seiber | 23/39, 396 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Simon Fraser | Rushing | Mason Glover | 8 rushes, 17 yards |
| Simon Fraser | Receiving | Ethan Beselt | 8 receptions, 223 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Dylan Graham | 28/40, 301 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Antonio Malone | 21 rushes, 110 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | MJ Link | 8 receptions, 141 yards, TD |

### At No. 20 Texas A&M–Kingsville

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 20 Javelinas | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
at Javelina Stadium, Kingsville, Texas
* Date: October 15
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 9,136
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TPB | AMK |
| First downs | 13 | 18 |
| Total yards | 209 | 269 |
| Rushing yards | 30 | 104 |
| Passing yards | 179 | 165 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 24:30 | 35:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Dylan Graham | 16/30, 179 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Caden Cox | 18 rushes, 51 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | MJ Link | 5 receptions, 71 yards |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Passing | Jacob Cavazos | 18/30, 165 yards, TD, INT |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Rushing | Christian Anderson | 19 rushes, 73 yards |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Receiving | Jason Gaines | 4 receptions, 57 yards |

### Midwestern State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 0 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 24 |
| Falcons | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
at Astound Broadband Stadium, Midland, Texas
* Date: October 22
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 3,561
* Referee: Dwayne Martin
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MSU | TPB |
| First downs | 24 | 19 |
| Total yards | 377 | 284 |
| Rushing yards | 173 | 187 |
| Passing yards | 204 | 97 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 25:15 | 34:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Midwestern State | Passing | Dillon Sterling-Cole | 22/37, 204 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Midwestern State | Rushing | Devin Cross | 20 rushes, 100 yards |
| Midwestern State | Receiving | Ja'Marzeyea Arvie | 6 receptions, 83 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Dylan Graham | 14/25, 97 yards, 2 TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Taj Crenshaw | 13 rushes, 100 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Timothy Wiggins | 3 receptions, 45 yards, TD |

### At Eastern New Mexico

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 6 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 24 |
| Greyhounds | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
at Greyhound Stadium, Portales, New Mexico
* Date: October 29
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,422
* Referee: Rex Rose
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TPB | ENM |
| First downs | 25 | 24 |
| Total yards | 475 | 368 |
| Rushing yards | 137 | 166 |
| Passing yards | 338 | 202 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 26:15 | 33:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Dylan Graham | 25/50, 338 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Taj Crenshaw | 13 rushes, 66 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | MJ Link | 7 receptions, 129 yards, 2 TD |
| Eastern New Mexico | Passing | Kason Martin | 12/30, 202 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Eastern New Mexico | Rushing | Isaiah Tate | 26 rushes, 93 yards |
| Eastern New Mexico | Receiving | Bryzai White | 3 receptions, 77 yards, TD |

### Western New Mexico

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mustangs | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Falcons | 0 | 23 | 14 | 0 | 37 |
at Ratliff Stadium, Odessa, Texas
* Date: November 5
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 3,268
* Referee: Kyle Fuehrer
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | WNM | TPB |
| First downs | 13 | 32 |
| Total yards | 223 | 485 |
| Rushing yards | 68 | 351 |
| Passing yards | 155 | 134 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 24:42 | 35:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western New Mexico | Passing | Grant Patterson | 6/20, 102 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Western New Mexico | Rushing | Grant Patterson | 10 rushes, 29 yards, TD |
| Western New Mexico | Receiving | David Telles | 6 receptions, 72 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Gabe Herrera | 8/19, 83 yards, INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Nathan Tilford | 14 rushes, 108 yards, 2 TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Gunnar Abseck | 4 receptions, 50 yards |

### At Central Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Wildcats | 14 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 49 |
at Tomlinson Stadium, Ellensburg, Washington
* Date: November 12
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST/11:00 a.m. PST
* Game weather: Clear, 42 °F (6 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,872
* Referee: Tim Gloudeman
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TPB | CWU |
| First downs | 17 | 28 |
| Total yards | 309 | 502 |
| Rushing yards | 178 | 323 |
| Passing yards | 131 | 179 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 25:37 | 34:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | MJ Link | 9/23, 83 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | MJ Link | 12 rushes, 103 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Gunnar Abseck | 6 receptions, 55 yards |
| Central Washington | Passing | JJ Lemming | 14/23, 179 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Central Washington | Rushing | Cameron Daniels | 25 rushes, 222 yards, 2 TD |
| Central Washington | Receiving | Marcus Cook | 6 receptions, 108 yards |

## Statistics
### Scoring
#### Scores against non-conference opponents

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Opponents | 17 | 17 | 31 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 72 |
| UT Permian Basin | 3 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 51 |

#### Scores against the Lone Star Conference

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Opponents | 54 | 85 | 32 | 60 | 0 | 231 |
| UT Permian Basin | 34 | 95 | 58 | 20 | 7 | 214 |

#### Scores against all opponents

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Opponents | 71 | 102 | 63 | 60 | 7 | 0 | 303 |
| UT Permian Basin | 37 | 105 | 64 | 42 | 14 | 3 | 265 |