STEPHENVILLE – Family Weekend always brings a strong showing to Memorial Stadium, and the best Family Weekend crowd in Tarleton State history enjoyed a Texan Football Victory on Saturday.
No. 16 Tarleton State (4-1, 1-0 UAC) improved to 4-1 for the third straight year with its 36-33 win against Southeastern Louisiana (1-4, 0-0 SLC) in Stephenville. The Texans won in front of a Family Weekend record crown, as 22,312 fans were on hand to witness Tarleton’s first game at Memorial Stadium in over a month.
The Texans and Lions played neck-and-neck throughout the contest, and Tarleton State clawed out a narrow victory for the second straight year in this meeting, the first two matchups in series history. This was Tarleton’s final non-conference regular season game of the year, as the Texans finished the slate 3-0 against Southland Conference teams. Tarleton has won seven straight non-conference games against non-FBS opponents dating back to 2022, and 13 of their last 14 dating back to 2021.
The Texans have won eight of their last nine games.
Tarleton WR Darius Cooper had his best game of the season with nine receptions for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The reigning FCS National Offensive Player of the Week Kayvon Britten raced for 173 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries (6.2 YPC). Victor Gabalis completed 15-of-26 for 203 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Defensively, Blake Smith ended the game with an interception as the Lions faced a 4th and 10 their own 47-yard line with 1:05 to play. Ty Rawls helped Tarleton change the game in the third quarter with a forced fumble and fumble recovery three plays after Tarleton retook the lead, which the Texans then followed up with a touchdown on the next play to go up 29-19. Rawls also had seven tackles and a TFL. Bam Smith finished with a team-high nine tackles and two quarterback hurries, and Donta Stuart added seven tackles.
It was a true nailbiter, back-and-forth contest throughout on Saturday. The first quarter ended without a score, with the first five drives combined ending in punts. The Texans got things going from there, stringing together a 12-play, 90-yard drive that ended in a Britten 2-yard rushing touchdown, his sixth TD of the season.
The Lions answered with their own long drive, a 12-play, 75-yard march that ended on a fake field goal rushing touchdown by Justin Dumas to make it 7-7. Tarleton turned it over two plays later, and the Lions took advantage with an Antonio Martin Jr. 3-yard touchdown rush. The Lions missed the extra point to make it 13-7 SLU.
The Texans settled down and responded with a 75-yard scoring drive to take the lead back. Gabalis capped it with a 27-yard touchdown to Cody Jackson with 47 seconds remaining in the half.
SLU moved quickly down the field to take the lead into the locker room, booting a 20-yarder through as the first half clock expired. The Lions led 16-14 at the break.
Southeastern Louisiana started its offensive footing in the second half with a field goal to go up 19-14 before Tarleton started to take control back. The Texans retook the lead after a 9-play, 83-yard drive, which Derrel Kelley III bulldozed his way through on for an 11-yard touchdown. Tarleton State succeeded on its two-point conversion, Gabalis to Benjamin Omayebu, to make it 22-19. Rawls then forced the turnover, and Gabalis found Cooper for their first of two scoring connections, this one from 23 yards out to put Tarleton ahead 29-19.
SLU’s running back Martin broke free for a 57-yard touchdown run to stop the bleeding for SLU. Tarleton took a 29-26 lead into the fourth quarter that was quickly erased by Martin’s third touchdown rush of the game, this one from two yards out to put the Lions up 33-29.
Down four, the Texans marched down to take the lead for good, covering 75 yards on 11 plays, ending on a 4-yard Cooper touchdown catch from Gabalis.
Tarleton’s defense held firm on SLU’s final two drives, as the Texans forced a three-and-out and forced the turnover to end the game.
Martin finished with the big game for SLU, recording 206 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries (6.4 YPC). Southeastern Louisiana quarterback Eli Sawyer completed 17-of-27 for 155 yards and an interception. KK Reno had a team-high 11 tackles for the Lions.
Tarleton State will hit the road for a single game, with only conference play remaining in the regular season for the Texans. Tarleton will play at Southern Utah on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. CT.
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