MONMOUTH, Ore. --- All signs pointed toward West Texas A&M gaining momentum as Western Oregon's 14-0 lead now sat precariously at 14-9 to start the fourth quarter.
Big Mo came back to the Wolves on just one pass.
Kainoa Jones staring down a pass rusher hit
Damon Hickok in stride for a 63-yard touchdown pass to start the fourth quarter to give WOU the cushion it needed to beat the Buffs 24-16 Saturday in its home opener at McArthur Field.
WOU is now 2-0 in Lone Star Conference play and 2-2 overall while the Buffs - who had played three consecutive ranked teams prior to Saturday - moved to 1-2 in LSC action and 1-4 overall.
On the touchdown pass - Jones was hits squarely in the upper chest just as he let the pass go for the Wolves, yet was able to throw the ball 40 yards down field to hit the senior Hickok in stride and the Portland native did the rest, fighting off the defensive back and sprinting into the end zone.
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The Wolves added a
Keaton Emmett 27-yards field goal to make it 24-9 as the Buffs scored a touchdown with one second left in the game to make the final 24-16.
WOU's defense was stifling - particularly in the first half as it allowed just 55 yards in the opening two quarters as the Wolves outgained WTAMUÂ 344-273, even more impressive considering the Buffs ran 74 plays (3.7 yards per play) compared to 48 for the Wolves (7.2 yards per play).
All-conference lineacker
Malcolm Liufau led the WOU defense with 10 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and a sack.
Andrew Simpson had eight tackles and a pair of pass breakups while
Daron Ulrich Jr. also added eight tackles.
Offensively,
Dominique Loggins just missed rushing for 100 yards - going for 99 and adding a touchdown on 13 carries. Jones finisehd 7-for-11 passing for 100 yards and a score while to go along with 36 yards rushing while
Jordan McCarty was 4-for-6 for 76 yards while rushing for 20 yards and a touchdown. Hickok had a team-high five catches for 98 yards and a score while
Keyvaun Eady had three catches for 74 yards as the two accounted for all but four of the Wolves' receiving yards.
WOU heads to the Land of Enchantment next week to take on Western New Mexico.
