PORTALES, N.M. – The Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas claimed victory on Saturday night, defeating Eastern New Mexico on the road, 35-14.
The Javelinas (5-2, LSC 3-2) were led by senior running back Christian Anderson, who rushed for 137 yards on eight carries, scoring three touchdowns during the night. The offense gained 343 yards in total in the win.
"We faced a lot of adversity this week with injuries, but I am so proud of our guys for the way we responded tonight," said head coach Michael Salinas. "We played sound and disciplined football...we felt like it was time for Christian, and he responded with a fantastic game."
TAMUK entered the game with its fourth starting quarterback of the season, as freshman Teague Sedtal got the start after Wade Freeman III was unable to play due to medical reasons.
In his first start, Sedtal completed 9 of 15 passes for 92 yards, including one massive 30-yard touchdown pass at the end of the first half.
Defensively, the Javelinas held a Greyhound offense that averaged over 30 points per game to under half of that. Ezrah Thibodeaux led the team with 13 total tackles, with the defense collecting nine tackles for a loss and two sacks as a unit.
"Coach Bisch and our defensive staff did an outstanding job preparing our guys for this one," said Salinas. "The triple option is not an easy offense to prepare for, but we did a good job overall in maintaining our assignments and executing."
The loss drops ENMU to 3-5 on the season and 2-5 in LSC play.
How it happened:
The Javelinas struck first late in the opening quarter as Roger Hagan found the end zone on a 12-yard rush, capping off a six-play, 49-yard drive to put TAMUK up 7-0.
Three possessions later, ENMU struck back with a 56-yard sweep to the left side, evening the score at seven with 13:19 on the clock in the second quarter.
TAMUK responded quickly with a methodical, 8-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by running back Christian Anderson, who broke through the line, cruising to a 17-yard touchdown run, regaining the lead.
The Blue and Gold defense stood tall on the next two Hound possessions, forcing a three-and-out and a turnover on downs before Teague Sedtal got his first touchdown of his collegiate career.
The Deer Park, Texas native closed out the half with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Eli Martinez with 22 seconds left to extend its lead to two scores. The touchdown followed another meticulous drive that saw TAMUK go 88 yards on 11 plays.
The Javs kept their momentum going in the second half as the defense forced its 15th turnover of the season when Khalid Walker stripped the ENMU running back and recovered the ball for TAMUK.
The next play, Christian Anderson ripped off a 42-yard run up the middle to the ENMU-4 before finishing the job with a touchdown run up the middle, putting the Hogs up 28-7 with 10:27 remaining in the third quarter.
ENMU scored on its ensuing possession on a penalty-aided drive, scoring from two yards out on a run to finish a 19-play drive, pulling the score to 28-14.
TAMUK found a quick answer once again in Christian Anderson, as on the second play of the ensuing drive, the Cypress, Texas native broke free on an off-tackle run, going 71 yards to the end zone for the third time in the game, going up 35-14 with 1:58 remaining in the third.
The Javelina defense stood tall on its next possession, forcing a turnover on downs as Dailon Gants and Xavier Henderson combined for a sack, giving the Hogs the ball early in the fourth.
No more points were scored for the remainder of the fourth, as the "Junkyard Hog" defense shut out the Hounds in the fourth, securing the 35-14 win.
Up next:
TAMUK is now preparing to return home to face Central Washington on Saturday, Oct. 28 for Senior and Richard Ritchie Night.
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