ODESSA, Texas - Behind five field goals from redshirt freshman Gilbert Garza (Weslaco, Texas) and a quartet of sacks from senior Jacob Clarkson (Houston, Texas), the Texas A&M-Kingsville football program picked up a decisive 29-22 win over UT Permian Basin on Saturday at Ratliff Stadium in the Lone Star Conference matchup.
MIKE SALINAS POSTGAME INTERVIEW | GILBERT GARZA POSTGAME INTERVIEW
With the win, the Javelinas (5-4, 3-3 LSC) will finish the 2021 campaign with at least a .500 record for the first time since 2016, snapping a two-game losing streak to the Falcons (5-4, 3-3 LSC) in the process.
Garza booted the first of his field goals early in the first quarter, connecting on a 40-yard attempt at the 10:20 mark to start the scoring in the contest for his fourth field goal of at least 40 yards in 2021. He added a 32-yard try with 3:23 remaining in the opening frame to double up the lead before UTPB got a 31-yard attempt from Michael Mayfield early in the second to cut the deficit in half.
Senior Ryan Martinez (Kingsville, Texas) posted the game's first touchdown on a reverse-run midway through the second quarter as he took the heave from redshirt sophomore Christian Anderson (Cypress, Texas) and sprinted 11 yards for the score, the second rushing touchdown of his career in the Blue and Gold.
The Hogs padded their lead in the final minutes of the first half, first on a 13-yard strike from junior Wade Freeman (Richmond, Texas) who found redshirt senior Ty Chisum (Eagle Pass, Texas) in the back of the end zone at the 2:05 mark for a 20-3 lead.
The Falcons added a 38-yard try from Mayfield with 24 seconds remaining in the quarter, while the ensuing kickoff saw freshman Jason Gaines (Austin, Texas) take the ball 53 yards deep into UTPB territory to set up Garza's third field goal from 27 yards out as time expired.
The last time a Javelina placekicker booted three field goals in a game came in the 2018 season when Julio De La Garza connected for three in a 35-31 road loss to West Texas A&M on November 3.
Meanwhile, Clarkson picked up his first sack of the game on the opening drive for the hosts as he knocked the ball free from Clayton Roberts before the 13-minute mark while redshirt sophomore Cameron Cauthen (Mont Belvieu, Texas) landed on the loose ball for the visitors.
Garza's fourth field goal came on the opening drive of the second half for the Javelinas, this one from 36 yards out, while UTPB finally found the end zone at 5:36 on the clock on a 31-yard connection from Suddin Sapien to Jordan Smart to set the score at 26-13.
Garza's final field goal try of the game came late in the final frame as he connected for a new season-long of 47 yards with 3:12 left in the contest to complete his perfect 5-for-5 day. Coupled with his two successful point-after tries, Garza was responsible for 17 of the Hogs' 29 points that broke the 36-year-old program record of 16 originally set by Walter Rule on November 2, 1985, in a 22-19 win over A&M-Commerce, then known as East Texas State.
The five field goals also tied the program mark set by Rule in the same game, who finished with five field goals in six attempts.
The Falcons added another touchdown pass from Sapien to Smart in the final minutes of the game, a 10-yard pass with 1:18 remaining that cut the Blue and Gold's cushion to 29-19 following a failed two-point attempt.
UTPB landed on the ball on the ensuing onside kick and marched down the field for a 17-yard field goal from Carson Roberts, which was summarily made for a 29-22 score, but the following onside kick ended in the hands of the kick return team as the Javelinas held on for the win.
Clarkson picked up his last three sacks in the fourth quarter to push his total to four on the day. He finished with eight total tackles, five for loss, as he became the first Javelina since Alex Kuyinu in 2016 to finish a game with four sacks. The program sack record was originally set back in the 1988 season when future NFL Hall of Famer John Randle collected five in a 32-7 win over West Texas A&M on October 22.
Kuyinu tallied his four-sack game on October 22 in the 2016 season in a 21-17 win over Tarleton. Clarkson's five tackles for loss are also the most by a Hog defender since Caleb Valentine finished with five in the 37-34 win over Western New Mexico on October 27, 2018.
On the offensive side of the ball, Freeman finished with 218 yards on 13 completions without an interception, picking up his second consecutive game with over 200 passing yards. Chisum led all TAMUK receivers with 88 yards on four catches to go with his one score.
Senior Amonte Bowen (Donna, Texas) led the ground game with 57 rushing yards on seven carries.
The Javelinas return to Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium next week for their annual Senior Day as they host Angelo State on Saturday, November 13, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT at Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium.
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