Midland- Texas A&M-Kingsville staved off a comeback attempt from University of Texas - Permian Basin to take down the reigning Lone Star Conference champions, 20-14, Saturday at Astound Broadband Stadium.

The Javelinas (2-1, 1-0 LSC) had their backs to their endzone late in the fourth quarter, but a tremendous interception by Khalen Leonard would stifle the Falcons comeback and seal the win for the Javelinas. 

"Our guys played extremely hard and we had a lot of adversity throughout the game, but they battled back. They stayed the course and they stayed together, " said Head Coach Michael Salinas. "Really proud of all three phases and the coaching staff. They responded in a really good manner and kept swinging."

Right out of the gate, the Javelinas sensed the urgency of their first conference game. They scored on their three first drives, which included a number of deep completions and chunk plays. The first of which was a 28-yard strike from Teague Sedtal to CJ Thompson for the first touchdown of the game. Sedtal would then connect with Eli Martinez for a 34-yard completion before taking it himself for a touchdown.

After taking a 17-0 lead, the Javelinas defense began to dominate the trenches, allowing only 13 rushing yards in the first half. It would not be until 1:47 in the second quarter that UTPB would score their first points of the game, bringing the halftime score to 17-7.

"Obviously they were very athletic, Coach Bisch and the defensive staff did a great job preparing our guys," said Coach Salinas. "We gave up some big plays and had some penalties on a drive, but you don't get points for yards so our guys responded in a manner and we got key stops in critical situations."

The Falcons would immediately answer back as the third quarter got underway, connecting on a deep 71-yard touchdown to bring themselves within three points. Texas A&M-Kingsville would chew a whopping six minutes off the clock in the ensuing drive, but came up empty handed. UTPB would then drive all the way down to the Javelina 39-yard line, but missed a field goal. Keeping the score at 17-14 heading into the fourth.

Needing points to give themselves some cushion between themselves and the Falcons, the Javelinas executed a quick drive in the fourth quarter that would lead to a 34-yard field goal from Gilbert Garza. Both teams would then trade stalled drives, eventually leading to a late Falcon drive, in which UTPB would be faced with third and seven at the Javelina seven yard line. Khalen Leonard then leaped over a would-be receiver and snagged the game sealing interception.

The Javelinas return home on September 28th to take on Sul Ross State at Javelina Stadium. The game will be broadcasted on Flosports.

Quick Hitters:

- Senior Xavier Henderson had a monster performance for the Javelinas. His six total tackle, three TFL performance paved the way for the Falcons to only total 46 yards rushing. It was also a new career high for Henderson in TFL's.

- The wide receiver room made incredible play after incredible play this game. Thompson, Martinez, Jackson Allen and Jaylin Smith all finished with a reception totaling over 25 yards this game.

- Roger Hagan continues to be a dominant offensive force for the Javelinas. He finished with over 100 yards for the second consecutive week, and set a new career high in rushing yards with 116.
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