GOODWELL, Okla. (Football) – How many times do you head to a stadium and see an offensive lineman celebrating a touchdown, two safeties, a pick-six, an onside kick recovered by the kicker and the punter throwing a 24 yard spiral for a first down on fourth down? If you made the long trek to Carl Wooten Field at No Man's Land Stadium, you saw all of those things as Texas A&M University (8-3, 6-3 LSC) went deep into its playbook to earn its sixth consecutive victory, a 53-39 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State University (2-9, 1-8 LSC) Saturday afternoon.
 
With the win, the Javelinas clinched at least a share of third place in the Lone Star Conference after being selected to finish sixth in the preseason poll. The win streak is the longest since 2010.
 
Points came in bunches for the Hogs but the Aggies stormed back in the fourth to make it a close one before A&M-Kingsville put the closing touches on its best season since 2010.
 
"We played extremely well through the first three quarters, but needed to close out the game strong and didn't," said head coach Daren Wilkinson.
 
Quick Hits
The 30 passing touchdowns in 2016 (29 by Myles Carr after his three touchdown performance) are the most in a single season in program history. The previous mark was 27 back in 2008.
 
With the Devonte Williams interception for a touchdown, the Javelinas are one pick-six away from tying the most interception returns for a TD in a single season (six in 1998).
 
The 43.0 team sacks are tied for the third most in a single season and most since 1998. The 39 QB hurries are the second most, just five away from tying the record set in 2011.
 
The offensive line was dynamic all afternoon and dominated the battle up front, protecting Carr to the tune of zero sacks allowed in the win.
 
Stehly Reden led all Hogs with five catches for 90 yards and a touchdown and now has a team-high eight touchdowns in his first season in Kingsville. Nick Pelrean rushed for 103 yards on just 12 carries and added two scores to up his season total to nine. Greg Pitre and Michael O'Neal added touchdowns as did Roe Posada on a four-yard reception from Carr.
 
So Much Fun… and Trickery
The Javelina sideline was all smiles through three quarters as O'Neal rushed for four yards and a score after recovering a fumble, Julio De la Garza recovered his own onside kick, Tristan Hernandez threw a 24 yard completion to Devonte Williams on a 4th down play, Williams returned a 70-yard interception for a TD and Carr went 16-24 with 190 passing yards and three touchdowns.
 
Team Leaders
Passing – Myles Carr (16-24, 190 yards, 3 TDs, 0 sacks)
Rushing – Nick Pelrean (12 carries for 103 yards, 2 TDs)
Receiving – Stehly Reden (5 catches for 90 yards, 1 TD)
Tackles – Forrest Jones (8 total stops, 1 forced fumble)
Sacks – DeMarcus Spurlock (2.0 for 9 yards)
Interceptions – Devonte Williams (1 for 70 yards, TD) and Joe Crowe (1 for 6 yards)
 
First Quarter
On the second drive of the game for the Javelina offense, the Hogs were able to score on just four plays as Pelrean, who rushed for 22 yards before the penalty, put up the game's first points at 9:16 on a 12 yard carry into the end zone.
 
Panhandle followed with a field goal, but Pelrean returned the kickoff 42 yards to give the Hogs great field position.
 
Minutes later, Forrest Jones forced a fumble after a six yard loss by the Aggies. The fumble was recovered by Joe Crowe as the Javelinas took over from the H31 with 3:50 remaining in the opening stanza.
 
Anthony Autry began the drive with a 19 yard rush and Pitre did the rest, finding the end zone on his third carry of the drive to extend the lead to 14-3.
 
OPSU ended the first with trickery of its own as receiver Eddie Thomas IV tossed a 67 yard touchdown to cut the A&M-Kingsville lead to 14-10 with 10 seconds remaining in the quarter.
 
Second Quarter
Defense stepped up big in the second after Hernandez's punt pinned the Aggies inside the 20. Back-to-back sacks by Quentin Parks and then the duo of Braedon Robinson and Confidence Okpoko led to a safety, giving the Hogs two points and forcing an Oklahoma Panhandle State punt. As the offense returned to the field, the Javelinas added seven to take a 23-10 lead as the drive that included a 22 yard rush by Pitre and 19 yard reception for the Hutto, Texas native, ended with a pass from Carr to Aundra Long for a yard and a four-yard fumble recovery for a TD by O'Neal.
 
The points continued to pile up as the Javelina defense returned an interception 70 yards (Devonte Williams), giving TAMUK a 30-10 lead with 4:51 remaining in the first half. On the play, Tre Oliver rushed into the backfield to hit quarterback Shane Truelove and hustled down the field to make a block in the 10 for Williams.
 
Despite doing it earlier this season, De la Garza caught everyone off guard by attempting an onside kick after the score and recovering his own kick, putting the Hogs in great position for another scoring opportunity. Carr found Reden for 32 yards before connecting with the tight end again, this time for 12 yards and a score as Kingsville took a 37-10 cushion. OPSU was able to score once more in the first half but trailed heading into the locker room, 37-17.
 
Third Quarter
The special teams unit picked up its second safety of the game, blocking another punt, this time by Kuziah Ferebee. Moments later, on a 4^th-and-9, Hernandez faked a punt and put on his best Carr imitation, tossing a 24 yard pass to Devonte Williams to move the chains. The 12-play drive ultimately ended in a TD for Posada from Carr.
 
The offense returned on the grass with 4:31 left in the third after Crowe's interception, and Pelrean found the end zone for the second time Saturday with a 47 yard rush, giving Kingsville a 53-17 lead with 2:12 remaining.
 
Fourth Quarter
The Aggies scored 22 unanswered points but the deficit was too much to overcome as A&M-Kingsville clinched its sixth consecutive victory, 53-39.
 
DeMarcus Spurlock registered 2.0 sacks and Forrest Jones led the Hogs with eight tackles.
 
Despite losing just three games by a combined score of five points, the Javelinas will unfortunately be on the outside looking in during tomorrow's NCAA South Central Regional Selection Show. However, there is a potential for game No. 12 as two bowl games – the Live United Texarkana Bowl and Heart of Texas Bowl – have recently selected LSC programs. Both games are scheduled for Dec. 3. Should the Javelinas receive an invite, fans can read full information on JavelinaAthletics.com.
 
Social Media
Fans are also encouraged to interact with @JavelinaSports by following Texas A&M-Kingsville football on Twitter, @JavelinaFB, and @JavelinaFB on Instagram, liking the official Facebook page of Javelina football (/JavelinaFootball) and subscribing to the JavelinaAthletics YouTube channel.