Nov. 15, 2007

West Texas A&M Football Notes in PDF Format

Setting the Scene
The real season for the No. 4 West Texas A&M football team begins this Saturday at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium as the Buffs start their quest for a National title by hosting the Washburn Ichabods in the first round of the NCAA-II playoffs.

The Buffs are coming off the most successful regular season in school history, which saw them post the first perfect regular season since 1918, downing four ranked opponents along the way, and capturing their third consecutive Lone Star Conference Championship. The No. 4 ranking in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25, their highest since the 1986 season when they climbed to as high as second in the Dunkel Rating Poll. The AFCA poll this week also places Washburn in the Top 25, checking in at 25th.

A Look at the Southwest Region
For the third straight season, West Texas A&M is among 24 schools that begin the march toward Florence, Ala., and the 2007 NCAA-II Football National Championship.

The Buffs, who finished off a perfect 11-0 run through their regular season schedule with a 39-14 victory over No. 13 Tarleton State last Saturday, enter the playoff field as the No. 3 seed in the Southwest Region. The sixth-seeded Ichabods out of the MIAA, meanwhile, enter the postseason with a 8-3 overall record.

Chadron State (11-0; 8-0 RMAC) and Northwest Missouri State (9-1; 9-0 MIAA) enter the postseason as the Southwest Region's No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, and the winner of the WT-Washburn contest will travel to Maryville, Mo., to battle Northwest Missouri State in the regional semifinals on Nov. 24.

In the other Southwest Region quarterfinal match-up, No. 4 seed Abilene Christian (9-2; 8-1 LSC) will play host to Mesa State (10-1; 7-1 RMAC) out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, with the winner moving on to face Chadron State.

Saturday, Nov. 17
No. 5 seed Mesa State at No. 4 seed Abilene Christian, Noon
No. 6 seed Washburn at No. 3 seed West Texas A&M, 1 p.m.

Saturday Nov. 24
Winner Mesa State/Abilene Christian at No. 1 seed Chadron State
Winner Washburn/West Texas A&M at No. 2 seed Northwest Missouri State

Saturday, Nov. 17
Regional Championship Game

Ticket Information
Tickets for the playoff game go on sale on Tuesday and can be purchased at any Panhandle Ticket outlets or on campus at the First United Bank Center. Additionally, $5 general admission east side tickets are available at any Amarillo Toot-n-Totum location prior to game day.

Reserved: $20 (all ages)
General Admission: $10 (all ages)
East Side General Admission: $5 (available at Amarillo Toot-n-Totum locations only)
Youth/Student General Admission: $3 (High School age and under or with student ID)

For Tickets call: (806) 651-4424

Series History
Saturday's match-up will be the first ever meeting between the Icabads and the Buffaloes on the football field.