Box Score

Season Stats

CANYON, Texas  – In a back-and-forth affair throughout, the No. 16 Tarleton State Texans used a late scoring drive, the second touchdown on the ground from Cody Burtscher, for a 31-27 win over No. 22 West Texas A&M Saturday evening at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in each team's first Lone Star Conference game of the season.  With the loss, the Buffs fell to 0-2 on the year, while Tarleton State improved to 1-0. 
 
"I'm really pleased with our effort and competitiveness tonight," head coach Mike Nesbitt said.  "We didn't make enough plays to win the game, but we had some great improvement and growth tonight all over the field." 
 
In a huge improvement offensively for the Buffs from last week, WT junior quarterback Preston Rabb, making his second career start, went 21 of 34 with an interception and one touchdown on a career-high 249 yards passing, while senior running back Venric Mark tallied 88 yards on the ground and had two punt returns for 35 yards and four kick returns for 90 yards.  Senior wide receiver Anthony Johnson had nine catches for 138 yards and a touchdown.  As a team, the Buffs had 137 yards rushing and 249 passing for a total of 386.
 
Tarleton State tallied 497 total yards with 298 rushing and 199 passing.  The Texans were led on the ground by quarterback Collin Strahan who tallied 124 yards on 21 carries and a score, while Burtscher had 44 yards on six carries and two scores.  Strahan went 16 of 22 for 123 yards passing, while Clifton Rhodes III had five catches for 83 yards.
 
Defensively, the Buffs were led by 17 tackles from sophomore Patric Youngman, while redshirt freshman Carter James had another impressive defensive performance with 13 tackles, including a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss for 13 yards.  Senior Marcus Pierce-Brewster had 11 tackles. TSU was led by 14 tackles from Marc Martinez and an interception. 
 
Both teams traded punts on their opening possessions of the game.  WT took the ball at 7:16 left in the first on its own 22 and Rabb completed a nice pass to junior Jarrian Rhone for a first down.  Mark had a pair of rushes for two first downs and senior Jeremy Watson tallied 14 yards on an receiver reverse setting the Buffs up with a first down at the TSU 46.  After the drive stalled at the TSU 31, sophomore Connor Hollabaugh hit his third field goal of the season from a career-long 48 yards for a 3-0 lead with 3:33 left in the first quarter.
 
TSU came right back as new quarterback Eric Mathews, a transfer from the University of Memphis, marched the Texans down the field highlighted by a 47-yard catch and run from Clifton Rhodes III to the WT 11 on a 3^rd and 6 from the TSU 42.  On the ensuing snap, Mathews tried for a touchdown pass, but WT junior defensive back Ethan Morriss intercepted the pass in the end zone. 
 
WT then had its best drive of the game to that point as it went 15 plays for 77 yards taking 6:34 off the second quarter clock.  WT marched to the TSU 25, but came up short on 3^rd and 2.  Hollabaugh came in for the kick, but TSU was off sides on 4^th and 2 giving the Buffs a first down.  Rabb had his pass on second and goal from the two intercepted by Marc Martinez in the end zone keeping the score 3-0.
 
The Texans quickly moved down the field on their next possession as two nice runs from Zach Henshaw and a big pass from Mathews to Tyler Right for 29 yards put the ball at the WT 13.  Mathews raced outside on the keeper for the 13-yard touchdown run and a 7-3 TSU lead with 8:48 left in the half.
 
The Buffs came right back once again as Rabb and Mark highlighted the drive with steady passing and rushing.  Two big passes from Rabb to junior Geremy Alridge-Mitchell and senior Anthony Johnson put the ball at the TSU 14.  Alridge-Mitchell scored from one yard out for the touchdown and a 10-7 WT lead.  It marked the first touchdown of the season for the Buffs. 
 
Tarleton State was turned away on its first attempt in the final five minutes of the half punting, but a 3-and-out by the Buffs gave the ball back to the Texans with 1:56 left.  Starting quarterback Collin Strahan tallied 41 yards on the ground on the drive on five carries as he returned to the game following an injury to Mathews on his touchdown score earlier in the quarter.  Blake Barnes kicked a 34-yard field goal to tie the game at 10 heading into half.
 
Tarleton State took the opening drive of the second half and went three-and-out as did WT on its first possession.  TSU took the ball back and drove 67 yards in 4:01 as Strahan scored from 10 yards out for a 17-10 lead. 
 
WT had a 48-yard kickoff return from Mark as kicker Barnes made the touchdown saving tackle.  With good field position, Rabb and the Buffs used a couple of nice runs from Alridge-Mitchell and the Buffs' first touchdown pass of the season as Rabb hooked up with Johnson for a 1-yard score and a 17-17 game.  Johnson earlier in the drive had a great 38-yard catch and run setting WT up on the TSU 1.
 
After a TSU punt, Mark returned it 40 yards setting the Buffs up once again in good field position.  A roughing the passer penalty put the Buffs at TSU's 18 and Hollabaugh then kicked a 36-yard field goal for a WT 20-17 lead with 2:44 left in the third.
 
TSU scored a go ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but the Buffs had the answer once again as Mark ran for 29 yards on the drive and Alridge-Mitchell scored his second touchdown of the game from 11-yards out for a 27-24 lead with 13:35 left.
 
Short passes from TSU moved the Texans within WT territory and then began the ground game moving inside the 20 with 11:40 left.  Burtscher scored his second rushing touchdown of the half for a 31-27 Tarleton State lead with 10:22 left and a 31-27 Texan lead.
 
The Buffs marched back down the field and almost had a disaster as Rabb's pass almost was intercepted by Chase Varnado at the TSU 28, but the pass was called incomplete with 6:01 left.  Damien Ward came up with a huge sack knocking the Buffs out of field goal range as they had to punt.  Junior punter Elliot Moore pinned the Texans deep at their own five.
 
Strahan got out of a jam in the end zone with a great catch by Bubba Tandy for 21 yards as he looked as if he were going to be sacked for a safety.  The Texans continued to use the ground game and Henshaw went outside on a big 3^rd and 6 from the WT 31 for a first down with 2:27 left.  The Texans continued on the ground and got another big first down on a Strahan keeper to end the clock for the win.
 
The Buffs return to action next Saturday afternoon at the Lone Star Football Festival as they battle Shorter University (2-0) at 1 p.m. in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  Fans can purchase tickets for the game at www.gobuffsgo.com.