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INDIANAPOLIS – Hosting a first-round playoff game for a second straight season, the third-seeded UIndy football team faltered, 27-14, against No. 6-seed West Texas A&M Saturday afternoon at Key Stadium. The Greyhounds (10-2) held the prolific Buffalo offense well below its scoring average of 50 points per game, but WT's senior quarterback Dustin Vaughan threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns to snap the Hounds' 12-game home winning streak.
 
In his final game in a Greyhound uniform, senior running back Klay Fiechter amassed a game-high 199 all-purpose yards. He finished his collegiate career as the school's all-time leading rusher with 3,809 yards.
 
The opponents traded first-quarter TDs, with UIndy getting on the board on the game's opening possession. With their drive threatening to stall, the Hounds went for it on 4th & 1 at the Buffalo 17-yard line. The call worked to perfection, as Connor Barthel found a wide-open Joe Bell, who used a one-handed grab to make the catch in the end zone.
 
After tying it 7-7, the high-powered WT offense continued to click as the visitors scored the half's final 17 points. Vaughan threw a pair of 20-plus-yard touchdowns, followed by a 26-yard field goal from Sergio Castillo to make it 17-7 at halftime. It marked the first double-digit deficit for UIndy in nine weeks.
 
WT received the ball to start the second half and proceeded to drain more than half of the third-quarter clock. The marathon 17-play, 75-yard drive ended in a short field goal to up the lead to 20-7.
 
The Greyhounds bounced back on their ensuing possession with a 90-yard scoring march, punctuated by a 35-yard strike to Reece Horn that cut it to six. Horn appeared covered, but the 6-3 Carmel, Ind., native seemingly snatched the ball right out of the hands of the defensive back and took it the rest of the way for his seventh TD of the year.
 
West Texas came right back to deliver what proved to be the game's final score. The action was set up by Dwight Morrison's 63-yard kickoff return, giving the already-dangerous Buffs' offense a short field. WT cashed in with a 12-yard TD pass to Jace Jackson to make it a two-score game.
 
UIndy's best chance in the fourth quarter ended on a turnover on downs. The Hounds racked up 62 yards on 13 plays until facing a 4th-&-2 situation on the WT 24.  Fiechter's number was called, and initially it looked as though he got the first down. A measurement showed otherwise, however, allowing the Buffs to take over and ultimately win the game.
 
Defensively, three Greyhounds finished with double-digit tackles, with linebackers Todd Hacker and Jake Grossnickle recording 12 apiece. Vince Maida and Sam Daggy each had a sack, while Jarrett Ban had 10 tackles and two pass break-ups.
 
 
Notes:  The Hounds forced four fumbles on the day, all of which were recovered by West Texas … UIndy's senior class amassed 33 wins, setting a school record for most victories in a four-year period.