Kingsville - Texas A&M-Kingsville could not break a tie with No. 11 UT-Permian Basin early in the fourth quarter as it fell, 43-30, at Javelina Stadium on Saturday.

With 13:32 left on the clock in the final quarter of play from Kingsville, Jack Turner found Kevin Holmes Jr. for an 11-yard touchdown to get the Javelinas (1-2, 0-1 LSC) into a 23-23 tie with the Falcons (3-0, 1-0 LSC). From that moment it was all UTPB, as they would score 20 unanswered early in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Hogs.

"I want to thank Javelina nation for the type of crowd that showed up and I wish we could have produced better," Head Coach Scott Parr said. "I feel like our best time is coming and we're just going to take all these teachable moments and apply it to make us better." 

It was another slow start for the Javelinas against UTPB, as the Falcons would open up the game with a 12-play touchdown drive. Texas A&M-Kingsville would not get anything going on their first three plays, but the special teams unit used some trickery and got the first down thanks to Doug Brooks on a 12-yard run to pick up the first.

Texas A&M-Kingsville was not able to convert that to points however, as the Falcons forced a fumble on a third down pass inside Falcon territory. UTPB answered with a quick field goal to take a 9-0 lead. Another Javelina miscue, this time a turnover on downs, put UTPB in great field possession to eventually punch it in for another TD, making it a 16-0 game.

The offense eventually responded as Turner led them down the field on a 10-play drive that was capped off with a Lawrence Starks one-yard touchdown run. Turner would complete a pass to Kenhide Atunrase for the two-point try to bring the Javelinas within one score.

After the Falcons missed a field goal just before the first half expired, both teams traded punts to kick off the second half. It would be the Javelinas who struck first in the second half with a Turner 12-yard rushing touchdown. A completed two-point try from Turner to Ivan Thomas knotted the game up at 16 apiece.

UTPB would answer right back however with a 21-yard passing touchdown to go back up by seven late in the quarter. The Javelinas punched right back however, and after a 28-yard completion to King Phillips, they would knot it up with Turner's touchdown pass to Holmes.

The Falcons showed why they are the 11th ranked team in the country, scoring 20 points in the span of five minutes that turned the tide completely.  The Javelinas managed one final answer when Turner connected with Atunrase on a 22 yard touchdown strike, but it proved to be too little too late as UTPB had already seized control.

"I've got a lot of confidence in our kids," Parr said. "They have great character and I'm confident tomorrow that they're going to show up and respond." 

The Javelinas will look to bounce back quickly as they travel to Alpine, TX to battle Sul Ross State next Saturday. Fans of the Javelinas can watch the game live on FloCollege or follow the game at JavelinaFB on X.
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