STEPHENVILLE – Down early, Tarleton State got the ball to its best players, and did it often to come back and win its FCS Playoffs debut.
The No. 13 Texans (10-3) cruised at the end to a 43-29 victory in the first round of the FCS Playoffs over Drake (8-3) at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville on Saturday. Tarleton, who made the playoffs in its first season eligible, won its first NCAA Division I playoff game, and improved to 3-2 in playoff games since 2018. Tarleton is now 3-1 all-time in home playoff games in its NCAA era.
The Texans also added to their already-record-breaking D1 single-season wins mark, now with 10. This is the fourth time head coach Todd Whitten has led the Purple and White to double-digit wins in a season.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-3 lead on Saturday, but Tarleton blanked them 19-0 in the second quarter, which turned into 26 unanswered points for a 29-14 Texan lead in the third. After Drake got within a touchdown at the end of the third, the Texans scored two touchdowns in the fourth, their final with just over two minutes to play to lead 43-21. Drake scored with 45 seconds remaining, but failed to get the onside kick and Tarleton ran out the clock.
The Texans had four rushing touchdowns on the day, two from their Walter Payton Award Finalist, and two from their sixth-year senior who hadn’t scored in his first 51 career games. Kayvon Britten scored from six yards out in the second quarter and from a yard out in the third, finishing with 146 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries (5.0 YPC). Tight end Kyle Weber played a pair of plays at full back, and got the ball twice, scoring his first career touchdowns from a yard out in the second and three yards out in the fourth. Britten eclipsed 3,000 career rushing yards in his two seasons at Tarleton State, becoming the fifth player in program history to reach the milestone.
Wide receiver Darius Cooper wowed the crowd once again with some incredible catches, finishing with 190 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions. He had a 49-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter to cap off the 29 unanswered points. Cooper also eclipsed the 3,000-yard career mark, already the career receiving yard record holder in program history. At 26 career receiving touchdowns, Cooper has now tied Devin Guinn (2006-09) for third in the category in program history.
Quarterback Victor Gabalis completed 26-of-36 for 337 yards and two touchdowns, connecting on the other score with Cody Jackson from 18 yards out in the second quarter. Jackson recorded five catches, 61 yards and a TD, while Benjamin Omayebu added 73 yards on eight receptions.
Defensively, the Texans earned two takeaways, an interception apiece from Dabari Hawkins and Jeremiah Postell. Hawkins earned his third pick of the season in the second quarter, and Postell earned his first at the collegiate level. Ty Rawls and Blake Smith had a tied-team-high six tackles apiece.
Tarleton outgained Drake in total yardage 490-356, including a 153-70 advantage in the running game, plus won the turnover battle 2-1. The Texans also were not penalized in the game, compared to five committed by the Bulldogs.
Drake had the hot start, forcing a four-play turnover on downs by Tarleton State at the TSU 23-yard line just over four minutes into the game. Blake Ellingson scored from two yards out to make it a 7-0 Drake lead. Tarleton then drove to the Drake 14-yard line, getting on the board on a 31-yard Corbin Poston field goal. Tarleton held Drake in check on the next drive, but the Bulldogs’ punt hit a Texan, giving Drake the ball at the TSU 26-yard line. That resulted in a 9-yard touchdown by Taj Hughes from Luke Bailey to boost Drake up 14-3.
Tarleton owned the second quarter, starting with a 6-yard Britten TD scamper. The Texans’ two-point conversion was denied, making it a 14-9 game. The Texans struck again with 2:50 remaining, an 18-yard Gabalis-to-Jackson touchdown. They missed the extra point, leading 15-14. They capped off the frame with their third touchdown in the quarter, a 1-yard Weber rush with 13 seconds left. Tarleton led at the break 22-14.
In the third quarter, the Texans jumped up two scores with a 1-yard Britten rushing touchdown at the 4:29 mark. Drake responded on its next drive, with Bailey finding Hughes for a 10-yard touchdown to make it a Tarleton 29-21 lead.
Cooper scored his 49-yard touchdown with 10:49 remaining to put the Texans back up two scores. Postell picked off Bailey on the Bulldogs’ next drive, then Tarleton bled over five minutes off the clock and sealed the deal with Weber’s 3-yard touchdown run with 2:26 left. Drake drove 75 yards and scored an 8-yard touchdown (Brandon Langdok from Bailey) with 45 seconds left. Rawls recovered the onside kick to lift Tarleton to its first D1 playoff win.
The Texans have advanced to the second round of the FCS Playoffs, where they will match up with the No. 4 seed South Dakota Coyotes in Vermillion, South Dakota, on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m. CT. Tickets for the game in the DakotaDome start at $15 for youth and $30 for adults, and can be purchased here.
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