The Mountaineers are headed to the playoffs! The day after the Mountaineers ended their season with a resounding 37-7 win over Colorado Mesa, the NCAA Selection Show announced which teams made the 28-team, tournament-style, single-elimination playoffs.
Western not only made the cut but got a number two seed in its region and will host the 8-3 Central Washington Wildcats this Saturday at the Mountaineer Bowl at 1 pm. It will be the first playoff game at the new stadium since construction was completed.
If Western advances to the second round, it would mean another home game on November 30th.
CSU Pueblo got a first-round bye as the number-one seed in the same regional bracket. Should Western advance to the final four, the Mountaineers could face a rematch with the only team it lost to this season.
The Mountaineers game against Central Washington is a rematch that has been a year in the making. In the first round of last year’s playoffs, the Wildcats eliminated the Mountaineers in overtime, 16-13, in the then-unfinished Mountaineer Bowl.
As the Mountaineers gear up for the game, the team is determined to turn last year’s heartache into triumph and win their first-ever playoff game. Western is led by four first-team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference players in quarterback Drew Nash, offensive lineman Stevie Byron, inside linebacker Kendall Lightfoot and defensive end Ricky Freymond, who was also the conference defensive player of the year. Western coach Jas Bains was also named the RMAC coach of the year for the second straight season.
A home-turf advantage may be just what the Mountaineers need to continue to advance in the postseason. Their win over Mesa in the final regular season game will help with the momentum moving into the postseason.
The first 300 students and 100 faculty members will be admitted for free, courtesy of President Brad Baca.
Other tickets are on sale now, information and the link to buy is on gomountaineers.com under hometown ticketing. Students and kids tickets are $5, general admission is $15 and seniors are $10. There is also chair-back seating available for $20. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN Plus, you can find the link on gomountaineers.com as well.