SAN ANGELO, Texas – The rain would not yield on Saturday as the No. RV Texas A&M-Kingsville football program dropped a 30-14 decision to Angelo State at LeGrand Stadium in a contest that was punctuated by mistakes from both teams.

"Credit goes to Angelo State," said head coach Daren Wilkinson. "They found ways to make plays in the elements and we didn't. Unfortunately we did the opposite and we gave them plays.

"We did not play well in the elements, from our kicking game between the punting and dropped snaps, to the way we handled the ball on offense. In a game like this, with the rain coming down and everything is wet, the team that makes the fewest mistakes is going to win the ball game."

The Javelinas (1-2, 0-2 LSC) took an early lead over the Rams (2-1, 1-0 LSC) thanks to a blocked punt, but couldn't recapture the magic down the stretch en route to the 30-14 final.

Freshman Keshon Rowe (Katy, Texas) was the Hog who broke through the Ram defense and got a hand on the ball following the first drive of the game. A mad scramble ensued as both ASU and TAMUK had an opportunity to cover the loose ball, but it was redshirt-senior Jacob Armstrong (Victoria, Texas) who ended up on it in the end zone for a 7-0 Javelina lead in the first minute of the game.

The Rams responded quickly to regain the lead, first at the 10:59 mark when Connor Flanigan booted a 25-yard field goal for the first ASU points and followed up with a 30-yard pass from Payne Sullins to Keke Chism to put the Hogs in a 10-7 deficit at the 3:18 mark of the quarter.

Senior Sean Landez (Mission, Texas) sparked the next Javelina score as he returned an ASU punt for 39 yards to the Rams' 37-yardline, and the Blue and Gold capitalized on a 22-yard connection from junior transfer Koy Detmer Jr. (Somerset, Texas) to classmate Tyler Wilson (Bay City, Texas) just four plays later for a 14-10 TAMUK lead at 8:03 in the second frame.

Unfortunately, it would be the last lead for the Hogs as Angelo State converted a seven-play, 39-yard drive with 33 seconds remaining in the opening half. Spencer Gilbert capped the scoring drive with a five-yard rush to put the hosts up 17-14.

An untimely interception from Detmer Jr. on the ensuing drive would go in as points for ASU as Donavyn Jackson won the jump ball and gave possession to the Rams with 19 seconds remaining in the quarter. Flanigan would convert the turnover into a 35-yard field goal to put the Hogs in a 20-14 hole going into the break.

Angelo State added another touchdown in the third quarter following a botched TAMUK punt attempt and added a final 27-yard field goal in the fourth on the heels of a turnover on downs to set the box score at 30-14 with 6:12 to play in the game.

Senior Luis Lopez (San Diego, Texas) led the rushing attack with 43 yards on 11 carries, while redshirt-junior Devin Milburn (Galveston, Texas) caught four passes for 66 yards to go with Wilson's two catches for 31 yards and a score.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Hogs recorded seven tackles for loss with junior Caleb Valentine (Fulshear, Texas) putting away 1.5 of his own for a loss of three yards. Valentine was right behind redshirt-senior Devonte Williams (Houston, Texas) who added two of his own alongside nine tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Redshirt-sophomore Tre'Michael Tutt (Channel View, Texas) led the way with 10 tackles, 2.5 for loss, and was bested only by classmate Jalen Harrison (Crosby, Texas) who had 11 tackles, one for loss.

"Our defense played extremely hard given the circumstances," added Wilkinson. "They were put in some tough situations on our half of the field and we aren't going to win games like that.

"On the positive side, our guys played with effort. We fought and we battled but we need to learn to not make those costly mistakes and those mistakes are easily fixable."

The Javelinas return home next weekend for their first of four straight home games at Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium. TAMUK will host Eastern New Mexico in its LSC home opener for Hispanic Heritage Weekend sponsored by IBC Bank.

To keep up-to-date with Javelina football, follow the program on Facebook at /JavelinaFootball or on Twitter @JavelinaFB

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