WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS – The #7 Texas A&M-Kingsville football team traveled to #22 Midwestern State on Saturday and tried to end a four-year losing streak at Memorial Stadium, but the Mustangs extended the streak to five straight games by winning the Lone Star Conference matchup, 38-7. (box score)
The Mustangs (6-2, 4-2) put on an offensive clinic through the first three quarters and then ran out the clock in the fourth quarter. They gained 375 yards through the first three quarters and quarterback Zack Eskridge completed his first 18 passes of the game. They held an advantage in all aspects of the game as they gained more yards rushing and passing and converted a higher percentage of third downs than the Hoggies.
MSU got on the board first when they took advantage of a Billy Garza (Brownsville/Porter HS) fumble. The drive covered 42 yards and eight plays and culminated in a Jose Martinez 21-yard field goal with 9:33 left in the first quarter.
The Mustangs tacked on seven more points late in the first quarter. After being pinned at their own 7-yard line, they methodically drove 93 yards in 12 plays. Neal Carr ran wide right and beat the Hoggie defense to the end zone to score from 7 yards out with 2:16 left in the quarter.
The Mustangs continued their first half dominance when they scored again early in the second quarter. First, Eskridge hit Andy Tanner for a 35-yard gain down to the 16-yard line. Three plays later Eskridge hit David Little with a crossing pass and he scored from 15 yards out to make it 17-0.
On their next possession, the Javelinas (7-1, 5-1) finally put together a solid drive. A 38-yard pass from Garza to Ryan Lincoln (Bastrop/Bastrop HS) gave the team a first-and-goal at the 10. On the next play Connell Davis (Gregory/Gregory-Portland HS) scored, but the play was called back due to a penalty. The Javelinas moved the ball to the 1-yard line and faced a fourth-and-goal. They were stopped, but a MSU penalty kept the drive alive. Davis then bulled his way into the end zone with 7:26 left in the half.
The Mustangs capped off a near perfect first half with a 15-play, 84-yard drive that took 7:05 on the clock. They scored on a 3-yard run by Carr with 17 ticks left in the half to make it a 24-7 ballgame heading into the break. Eskridge finished the first half a perfect 16-for-16 for 138 yards and a touchdown.
After the two teams traded punts to start the second half, the Mustangs were set up with great field position at the Javelina 30-yard line. A 15-yard pass to Sheldon Galloway gave the Mustangs a first down at the 15-yard line. Eskridge scored on a third down 14-yard run to make it 31-7 with 9:32 left in the third quarter.
A blocked punt set the Mustangs up with another short field at the Javelina 10-yard line. On third down, Eskridge connected with Jared Freeman for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 5:49 left in the third.
The Javelinas drove into the red zone twice in the second half, but each time they turned the ball over on downs.
One of the lone bright spots for the Javelinas was junior running back Fred Winborn (N. Hollywood, CA/Grant HS). He led the team with 108 yards rushing on 11 carries, the second time he has gone over 100 yards this year and the first 100-yard rusher the Mustangs have allowed.
The loss snapped an eight game winning streak for the Hoggies and an eight game road winning streak. Junior safety DeIra Glover (Hempstead/Hempstead HS) led the defense with a career high 14 tackles.
Eskridge was the star of the game for the Mustangs as he went 24-for-25 for 245 yards and two touchdowns through the air and he also rushed for another score. BeeJay Mathis gained 100 yards on 22 carries while Carr added 62 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Galloway led all receivers with nine receptions for 75 yards while Tanner chipped in with 81 yards receiving. They gained 457 yards of total offense and limited the Javelinas to a season low 286 yards. The Mustangs blocked two punts on the night to raise their season total to 10 blocked kicks.
The Javelinas are back in action next Saturday at home against Eastern New Mexico on Homecoming.
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