Football | 10/6/2017 8:48:00 AM

Goodwell, Okla.—Coach Gaskamp and the Panhandle Football team is coming off a bye-week to face Wayland Baptist on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. The Aggies will travel to Plainview, Texas to face the Pioneers for their third CSFL game of the season.

The team spent last week's bye getting healthy and rested, but the Aggies are more than ready to get back on the field. After the victory over Bacone on Sept. 16 in Muskogee, the Aggies are looking to leave Plainview with another road win under their belt.

Coach Gaskamp has the team focusing on being physical offensively and keeping the existing advantageous balance on both sides of the ball. All three of the team's tailbacks are healthy going into this week, and with all three leading in rushing yards for the Aggies, the running game will be sure to benefit from the adept athletes. Coach Gaskamp is keen to get two of his most talented receivers back on the field as well. Juniors Nick West and Kameron Taylor both possess an 'X factor' fervently prevalent in the game. Starting QB for the Aggies, D.J. Scott has shown vast advancement over the last three weeks and will look to continue his skillful lead at the helm against Wayland Baptist. Also making a reappearance this week is sophomore kicker Sterling Claphan, who will return after an injury kept him on the sidelines last week.

Wayland Baptist is no stranger to the Aggies, who hold a three-win streak over the Pioneers in their past meetings. However, Wayland Baptist turned heads as the No. 3 ranked team in the pre-season coach's poll, and Coach Gaskamp notes that they are a much-improved team who shows substantial mental fortitude in their ability to overtake teams in the fourth quarter to edge out a win. The Pioneers too, retain a great lead at starting QB, and if healthy this week, the Aggies will need to push the intensity to contain him and force plays in the pocket.

Coach Gaskamp is eager to impel his team to keep pace with the league and take home another CSFL win this week. A success on the road is a true testament to a teams' perseverance and focus and will be a true benchmark game for the Aggies. The Aggies may be heading into a hostile crowd as they face the Pioneers, but the conquest for triumph will propel the team forward as fans hope that Panhandle pride will prevail.

Though the Aggies are miles from home, fans can join the Aggie Wagon caravan and tailgate at the Wayland Baptist campus in Plainview. The caravan will be leaving from the Noble Center parking lot at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, and will set up at the Panhandle tent on the Wayland Baptist visitors lot. Fans can enjoy complimentary pre-game walking tacos and can pick up noisemakers and poms while supplies last. Please contact Sports Information Director, Justine Gaskamp at jgaskamp@opsu.edu for more information on the caravan and tailgate. Campus and community fans who cannot attend can follow along on opsuaggies.com, where live streaming and stats of the game will be available.

Panhandle Cross Country will also be in Canyon, Texas, on Saturday at 9 a.m. so fans can stop on the way to Wayland to cheer on the Aggie Cross Country team as they compete at the West Texas A&M Buffalo Stampede.