No. 14 Texas A&M-Kingsville 16, No. 1 Northwest Missouri State 7

MARYVILLE, MO. – A fantastic defensive effort keyed a Texas A&M-Kingsville victory over defending national champion Northwest Missouri State on Thursday night, 16-7 at Mel Tjeerdsma Field.

The Javelinas (1-0) played a stifling brand of football as they limited the #1 Bearcats (0-1) to just 189 yards of total offense.  Matt Romig spearheaded the unit with a career high three sacks, including one with less than 25 seconds left in the game to secure the victory.  Overall, the Hoggies had seven sacks on the night and forced one turnover. 

On offense, it was Nate Poppell making good on his first career start.  He went 26-for-38 for 258 yards and a touchdown.  He connected with seven different receivers in the game, including running back Fred Winborn on a beautiful 26-yard scoring pass in the second quarter.  Poppell’s 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down in the third quarter gave the team a 16-7 lead that they would not relinquish.

The Javelinas travel to Lone Star Conference rival East Central University on September 11 for a 6 o’clock kickoff.

No. 2 Grand Valley State 34, No. 8 West Texas A&M 31

Allendale, Mich. – Four turnovers simply proved too costly as #8-ranked West Texas A&M fell to #2-ranked Grand Valley State, 34-31, Thursday night in a nationally-televised contest from Lubbers Stadium in Allendale, Mich.

The game saw the Buffaloes take a 24-16 lead into the fourth quarter, only to have GVSU score 18 unanswered points in the final stanza to take the win.

The contest, the season-opener for both teams, saw WTAMU drop to 0-1 on the year, while GVSU improves to 1-0.

“We knew coming into this game that it would be a war, said WT head coach Don Carthel.  “But, we also knew we could play against a team as good as what Grand Valley State is.

“Hopefully, when we get the disappointment of losing out of our heads, we’ll recognize that we can play with, and beat, any team in the country.  But, we will also realize that we can’t turn the ball over four times and expect to win a ballgame.

“After the first couple of possessions, our offensive line did a great job of picking up their blitzes,” Carthel said.  “We moved the ball well, and our defense stepped up, especially deep in our own territory.

For the game, WT outgained the Lakers, 567-475 yards but GVSU maintained possession 33:00 to 27:00 for the Buffs.

Taylor Harris completed 37-of-53 passes for 421 yards and two TDs, while being intercepted four times.  Tyson Williams led all receivers with a career-high 14 receptions for 182 yards.  Brittan Golden had 103 receiving yards on seven catches.  Tommy Hampton picked up 99 rushing yards and one TD while Thompson contributed 59 yards and a TD.  Thompson also had one receiving score.

GVSU’s Kyle McMahon completed 17-of-32 passes for 295 yards and two TDs.  Jovanne August had three receptions for 107 yards and a TD, while Justin Sherrod had seven catches for 77 yards.  Sherrod also had a team-high 73 yards rushing and one TD, while McMahon rushed for 61 yards and one TD.

“We’ll put this game behind us and concentrate on getting ready for Southwestern Oklahoma State next week,” Carthel said.

Next week finds the Buffs traveling to Weatherford, Okla., where they will face Southwestern Oklahoma State, Saturday, Sept. 11.  Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CDT.

Northeastern State 31, Tarleton State 23

STEPHENVILLE – For the first time since the 2002 season, the Northeastern State RiverHawks won their first game of the year to spoil the Tarleton Texans’ home opener, 31-23.

The RiverHawks scored the first 14 points of the game with two field goals of 44 and 29 yards by Drew Patton.  The second field goal was set up by an interception by the visitors.  Trey McVay then hit Daryn Alves for a 14-yard pass with 2:31 left in the first half to give the visitors the 14-point advantage.

Tarleton scored on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Nick Stephens to Devon Gray with 26 seconds left in the half to give cut the lead to seven heading into the break.

The RiverHawks added to their lead with a one-yard run just 1:21 into the second half to make it 24-7. However, the Texans scored the next 10 points.  Jeken Frye caught a 48-yard pass from Stephens before Wiest had a 39-yard field goal to make it 24-16 with 7:02 on the clock.

On the ensuing kickoff, Nate Robinson returned the ball 95 yards to the end zone.  Patton’s kick made it 31-16 after 16 seconds ran off the clock.

Tarleton’s Frye then caught a 60-yard pass from Aaron Doyle to score the Texans’ final points.  Wiest kicked the point after to give the game its final total, 31-23.

Tarleton gained 463 yards, including 328 through the air and 135 on the ground while holding the RiverHawks to just 287 total yards, including 94 on the ground and 193 yards passing.

Stephens threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns and was 19-of-40.  Most of the missed throws were actually dropped passes by the Texan wide receivers.  Frye led the Texans in receiving with 11 receptions for 215 yards and both receiving touchdowns for Tarleton’s fourth-best receiving game all-time. Evan Robertson ran the ball 16 times for 76 yards.

Kenny Davis was 12-of-26 for 180 yards for NSU while McVay had three catches for 89 yards and a score.  Prince McKinney had 12 carries for 55 yards to lead the visitors.

The Texans will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 11 at Central Oklahoma at 6 p.m. in Edmond, Okla.  NSU will host Abilene Christian at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 in Tahlequah, Okla.

No. 17 Midwestern State 52, New Mexico Highlands 6

LAS VEGAS, N.M. - Marcus Mathis rushed for a career-high 131 yards to lead No. 17 Midwestern State to a 52-6 win over New Mexico Highlands Thursday night at Perkins Stadium. 

His 70-yard scoring dash on the first play of the game touched a 28-point first quarterback deluge as Zack Eskridge scampered for a 30-yard touchdown before the Mustangs converted a pair a pair of scores into points to put away the game early. 

Midwestern amassed 581 total yards including 352 on the ground as Eskridge, who has held to fewer than 200 passing yards for the first time since 2008, ran for 67 yards and scores on both of his carries while back Brandon Kelsey completed 11-of-13 passes for 73 yards and accounted for 45 yards and a TD on the ground. 

Eskridge finished the game completing 10 of his 15 passing attempts for 152 yards and two touchdowns. The Mustangs limited the Cowboys to 176 total yards including 53 rushing yards. 

Midwestern State takes on Eastern New Mexico next Saturday in Blackwater Draw. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (Central Time).