By Nick Eatman

Heading into the 2009 season, the West Texas A&M football team had lost just five games in the previous three years.

   By week six, the Buffaloes had lost five games and were sitting at 1-5 and any chance to extend the school's five-year streak of post-season trips appeared all but over.

   But aided by the return of senior tailback Keithon Flemming, and the strength of veteran teams who have won many big games down the stretch, WTAMU quickly righted the ship in Canyon.

   The Buffaloes won five straight games to finish the season 6-5 and earn a share of the LSC South title. However, while the early-season struggles kept WTAMU out of the NCAA Regional, the season was not over after they topped Tarleton State, 49-35 with a 600-yard offensive explosion.

   That's because the Buffaloes was selected as the Lone Star Conference representative to play in the inaugural Lower Kanza Bowl. The game pits the teams with the best conference record from both the LSC and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) that were not selected for the playoffs.

   WTAMU will play Nebraska-Omaha on Dec. 5 in Topeka, Kan., at the Hummer Sports Park at 1 p.m. (CST).

   "There's three bowl games in Division II and it's the first year for this one," WTAMU head coach Don Carthel said. "It'll be fun to represent our conference against the MIAA. We need to see if we can represent the conference in a good fashion."

   If the Buffaloes can continue their late-season success, representing the conference well shouldn't be a problem.

   But the season certainly didn't start off well, with WTAMU losing three straight games to open the year, falling to perennial Division II powers Grand Valley State, Central Oklahoma and Central Washington. But Carthel said his team never lost hope, especially knowing that Flemming, who suffered a dislocated elbow in the final preseason scrimmage, would be returning for the second half of the season. 

   "Well, you just never know. We had a lot of confidence and we were playing good, just not quite able to finish games," Carthel said. "Getting Keithon back helped a bunch, but probably the biggest thing was our core of receivers started making plays. They were all new and it took them a while to get on the same page as our quarterback."

   That quarterback - Taylor Harris -  also played well down the stretch, including an impressive outing against Tarleton in the regular-season finale. Harris completed 20-of-23 passes for 536 yards in the Buffaloes' win.

   But the real story of the turnaround involved Flemming, who put together spectacular numbers, despite missing half of the season. Flemming rushed for 438 yards and 11 touchdowns, while catching 35 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns - all in five games.

   It was also enough to earn Flemming the LSC South Co-Offensive Player of the Year award.

   "When you get a marquee player back on the field, it raises everyone's confidence level. It gives everyone more confidence and a little more swagger in their step," said Carthel, who said he was very excited for his seniors when he learned they would play in this bowl games. "It's a great tribute to them and their grit they showed throughout those hard times. We always had good practices and attitude stayed good. But we were struggling to win games there earlier in the year."

   More than anything, an extra game gives college programs extra practice time, especially for the younger players that haven't seen much or any action this year.

   "Well that's how we've looked at it - more practice," Carthel said. "We've had longer practices, and we'll keep our young freshmen out there and work a lot with them. They'll basically go through the same practice as the varsity guys just went through. We're kind of doubling the load on the coaches, but we're getting some quality time for all of our freshmen."

   But these few weeks aren't only about the future. The Buffaloes are certainly focused on UNO, a team they've never faced. 

    "Basically what we look at it, they're really comparable to Northwest Missouri, a team we know a lot about and have a lot of respect for," Carthel said. "They're a big physical team with good tight end. They have a more conservative passing style to what we're used to seeing in our conference. They have a ball-control offense. And on defense, they're just going to be very physical at every position. It will be hard for us to establish the running game, but it will be important for us to establish the running game.

    "They're a good team. But we're excited to go up there and play them."

   And after a 1-5 start that is now a 6-5 record and a five-game winning streak, the Buffaloes would likely be excited to play anyone, at this point.