Buffaloes Gain 735 Yards in Routing East Central, 52-21

Harris passes for 605 yards, Four TDs as Buffs set single-game mark

CANYON, Texas – The 19th-ranked West Texas A&M closed out the 2010 regular season by amassing a school single-game record 735 yards total offense in whipping East Central, 52-21, Saturday afternoon at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in Canyon, Texas.

The Buffaloes improve to 8-3 overall, 8-2 LSC, while ECU closes out their season at 5-6, 5-5 LSC.  WTAMU, seeded fifth in Super Region 4, will now await the NCAA Division II playoff bracket to be announced Sunday afternoon to see where they will play next week.

Those 735 yards tops the previous WT single-game mark of 721, set on Nov. 22, 2008, in a playoff game between the Buffs and Abilene Christian.

WT quarterback and Harlon Hill Award candidate Taylor Harris (Sr-3L, Whitesboro, Texas) enjoyed a career day, completing 43 of 65 passes for 572 yards, all single-game career highs. He also tied a career high with five touchdown passes and did not throw an interception

“We wanted to play well to position and prepare us for next week’s playoff game, wherever that may be,” said WT head coach Don Carthel.  “We executed very well, offensively, and I thought our defensive unit played very well, too.  We gave up some yards in the second half, but overall, I thought this was a very solid effort to close out the regular season.”

At one point in first half, the Buffaloes scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions, taking a 28-0 halftime lead.

WT’ Tyson Williams caught 12 passes for 203 yards, while Stephen Burton made 14 receptions for 132 yards and two TDs.  Jay Tillman had a pair of touchdown receptions, while Brittan Golden had one TD catch.  All in all, the Buffs passed for 605 yards on the day.

Defensively, WT defensive end Simi Kuli registered five solo and six total tackles, including three tackles for minus-10 yards and one forced fumble, while teammate Shad Baichtal logged five tackles, including two behind the line and one quarterback sack.

ECU’s Markell Walker had a game-high 13 stops, while Austin Daniels contributed 12 tackles.

ECU’s Tyler Canderzee passed for 207 yards and two TDs, with Cleotha Euwins catching four passes for 94 yards and two TDs.

The Buffaloes will now await their playoff fate, with the NCAA Division II Playoff bracket being announced Sunday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m. CST.