KINGSVILLE, Texas (Football) – A misty Saturday evening pit the Javelinas against West Texas A&M University (3-4, 2-3 LSC) and the defense came out in full force, nearly upending the Buffs before WT rushed its way to a 24-14 victory over Texas A&M University-Kingsville (1-7, 0-5 LSC) at Javelina Stadium.
DeMarcus Spurlock finished with 12 tackles and one tackle for a loss and senior
AA Vaaulu added a team-high 13 stops, and a sack. Senior running back
Shawn Vasquez rushed for 93 yards on 11 carries and
Jordan Thomas added 39 yards on two carries.
"We have to do a better job of executing our gameplan," said head coach
Daren Wilkinson. "We cannot play the way we played tonight at Midwestern State next week."
The run game was in full effect in the opening quarter, with the Javelinas rushing for 100 yards on 13 carries in the first 15 minutes of Saturday's affair. Vasquez led all players with 69 yards on the ground on five attempts, Pitre added 26, J. Thomas collected 14 and
Trey Mitchell – the game's starting quarterback – rushed for a touchdown. After one, WT led 14-7.
West Texas A&M struck first on a pick-six by John Sheehy with 9:46 left. The 65-yard interception return gave WT a 7-0 lead after the team missed a 54-yard field goal attempt. The Javelinas answered back with a 75-yard drive on 10 plays that was capped off by Mitchell's three-yard run with 6:06 remaining. The Buffs scored with just over a minute left.
After the Javelinas recovered a punt,
Stevie Joe Dorman, who entered the game in the first quarter, found senior
Chris Cooper for a four-yard connection for the tight end's first career touchdown, tying the game at 14-14.
At the half, the score remained tied at 14. Vasquez rushed for 91 yards on eight carries and Dorman's lone completion was the four-yard touchdown grab by Cooper.
DeMarcus Spurlock registered a game-high seven tackles in the opening half and senior
AA Vaaulu collected six tackles.
Brandon Jones added five tackles, 1.5 for a loss.
Braedon Robinson and Vaaulu teamed up for a sack.
A defensive battle took place in the third quarter, but West Texas was able to keep possession for most of the third quarter, scoring on a 15-play, 83-yard drive to take a 21-14 lead with 2:35 left in the frame.
The Buffs tacked on a field goal in the fourth to take a 10-point lead with 2:35 remaining in the ballgame.
Dorman finished 6-of-16 with 33 yards and a touchdown and
Myles Carr went 3-of-7.
For the Buffs, Ethan Brinkley went 12-of-21 for 121 yards and one touchdown and Geremy Alridge-Mitchell rushed for 159 yards and one touchdown. Devon Paye added 16 carries for 80 yards and Brinkley finished with 51.
The Javelinas will search for their first LSC victory next week at Midwestern State University.
For full coverage of Texas A&M-Kingsville football, please follow @JavelinaFB on Twitter and Instagram, like the official Facebook page of Javelina athletics (/JavelinaFootball), and subscribe to the JavelinaAthletics YouTube channel.
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