HUNTSVILLE ? The Tarleton State Texans held their own for most of the contest against NCAA Division I-AA Sam Houston State, but the Bearkats proved just a little too much and walked away with a 44-14 victory.
The Texans fall to 3-4 on the season and lost their fourth straight contest for the first time since 1998.
The Bearkats held Tarleton's Derrick Ross to below 100 yards on the ground for the first time this season on their way to the victory.
Sam Houston State jumped out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter.
The Bearkats scored with 6:16 left in the contest when Steve Smith punched it in from one yard out. Lance Garner's kick capped a 10-play, 61-yard drive that took 5:26 off the clock.
SHSU scored again with 2:01 remaining in the first period when Jason Mathenia caught a 10-yard pass from quarterback Dustin Long. Joey Price hit the extra point to close the drive that took five plays and 52 yards to complete.
Tarleton State then scored after driving 74 yards on eight plays. Ross punched the ball in from one yard out with 14:45 left in the first half. Paul Williams' kick cut the lead to seven.
SHSU struck back with 12:19 left in the half when Jarrod Fuller caught a 39-yard pass from Long. Garner added the extra point to cap a six-play, 68-yard drive that took 2:26 off the clock.
The Texans didn't waste any time to pull back within seven points as Ross crossed the goal line for the second time in the contest. The touchdown capped a seven-play, 49-yard drive. Williams' kick made the score 21-14.
The Tarleton State defense then held the Bearkats for the first time in the quarter, but the Texans couldn't put the ball in the endzone before having to punt.
The Bearkats then scored one last time with 55 ticks left in the half when Mathenia caught his second touchdown pass of the contest from Long from nine yards away. Price added the kick to give the game its halftime score of 28-14.
In the second half, it was more Bearkat scoring. SHSU scored with 10:52 left in the third quarter when Fuller caught a 21-yard pass from Long to end a two-play, 53-yard drive for the Bearkats. Garner added the extra point to give SHSU a 35-14 lead.
With 13:07 left in the contest, Fuller caught his third touchdown pass of the contest from Long. The 22-yard reception capped a seven-play, 91-yard drive that took 3:57 off the clock. Price's kick failed.
Then with 47 ticks left, Garner nailed a 21-yard field goal to give the game its final total, 44-14 in favor of the Bearkats.
The Texans had to punt six times on the evening compared to SHSU's five. Tarleton fumbled the ball twice on Thursday, once in the third with 14:51 left and again with 3:32 left in the game.
Ross led the Texans with 21 carries for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Coron Arterberry was second with 11 carries for 39 yards.
David Durell completed nine of 17 attempts for 134 yards, while Adam Johnson threw the ball four times, connecting on two.
Kyle Masters had his best game of the season, catching five balls for 61 yards. Ross had three receptions for 41 yards.
The Texans gained 170 yards through the air and 91 yards on the ground for a total of 261 yards on 62 plays.
Sam Houston State was led by Jason Godfrey on the ground with 14 carries for 107 yards.
Long led the team with 19 of 27 completions for 136 yards and three touchdowns.
Fuller topped the squad with eight receptions for 136 yards and three touchdowns, while Mathenia added six catches for 32 yards and two scores.
The Bearkats gained 427 yards of total offense, which is 117 yards below their season average. SHSU gained 175 yards on the ground and 252 yards through the air on Thursday. The Bearkats ran 60 plays from the line of scrimmage.
SHSU converted six of 11 third downs, while Tarleton had just four of their 11 tries become first downs.
The Bearkats also won the time of possession war, 30:43 to 29:17.
Tarleton State defeated the Bearkats last season in Huntsville, 39-20.
The Texans will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. Tarleton will host Southeastern Oklahoma as part of the 2004 Homecoming festivities.
