KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville football program had a late opportunity slip away in a hard-fought 35-23 loss to West Texas A&M on Saturday at Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium in Lone Star Conference action.
The Javelinas (4-4, 2-3 LSC) were one possession away from taking the lead before the Buffs (5-4, 4-2 LSC) shut the door in the closing minutes for the decision.
The Hogs wasted little time getting on the scoreboard after they deferred the coin toss to the second half and recorded a safety on the first play from scrimmage as senior Dailon Gants (Beaumont, Texas) put a stop to the pass from Nick Gerber to Brandon Blair in the WT end zone for the early 2-0 lead with just 13 seconds gone in the contest.
The Buffs responded with three straight touchdowns, first on a Jordan Johnson rush for two yards midway through the opening frame followed by a Gerber rush for six yards later on at the 2:10 mark. WT extended its lead to 21-2 with a Gerber 30-yard pass to Noah Bogardus early in the second before the hosts tacked on a 27-yard field goal from redshirt freshman Gilbert Garza (Weslaco, Texas) in the closing seconds of the half.
TAMUK took the opening possession of the third quarter right down the field as redshirt sophomore Christian Anderson (Cypress, Texas) capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive with a one-yard bull rush that cut the lead to 21-12 with 10:06 left in the third. Garza added a 37-yard boot before time expired in the stanza to set the score at 21-15 heading into the fourth.
The Buffs ended their scoring drought at the start of the final frame after Gerber found Jarrod Compton for 32 yards that put the deficit back at two scores for the Blue and Gold with 28-15 showing on the scoreboard and 14:54 left on the clock.
TAMUK had an opportunity to get back in the game as junior Wade Freeman (Richmond, Texas) connected with redshirt senior Ryan Martinez (Kingsville, Texas) on a five-yard strike and a broken point-after try saw redshirt freshman Jacob Cavazos (Weslaco, Texas) convert the two-point play for a 28-23 score with 3:25 remaining in the contest.
The ensuing onside kick fell into the hands of the Buffs and one final score came across from Jordan Johnson to set the final score at 35-23 as the last Javelina drive ended on an unceremonious interception.
The Hogs head out on the road next week as they face UT Permian Basin on Saturday, November 6, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. CT in Odessa, Texas.
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