Box Score STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton's last attempt to score in the game's final minute unraveled as Delta State (2-3) took an interception down inside the 20-yard line before kicking the game-winning field goal and downing the Texans (2-3), 38-35, as time expired Saturday night at Tarleton Memorial Stadium in Stephenville.
 
Down 35-28 late in the fourth quarter, Tarleton's Arthur Buckingham (WR, Sr, Pilot Point) pulled the Texans within a point with his 27-yard touchdown reception from Aaron Doyle (QB, Jr, Evant) with 2:58 left to play in the fourth quarter. Blake Barnes (K, Fr, Stephenville) connected on the point-after-attempt to tie the game at 35-35.
 
DSU's Lavon Downs returned Isaac Arellano's (P/PK, So, Euless) kickoff just nine yards, giving the Statesmen the ball at its own 23-yard line with 2:53 remaining on the clock. DSU quarterback Trevor Wooden was tackled for a loss on the first play of the drive and was then sacked by Tarleton's Ty Melton (DE, So, Sasche) making it a third-and-long situation for the Statesmen. Wooden was then forced out of the pocket and scrambled for just five more yards forcing DSU to punt with just a little over a minute remaining.
 
DSU's punt was downed at the Tarleton 32-yard line, giving the Texans a 68-yard yard field in front of them with 1:06 left in the contest. Doyle dropped back to pass and was knocked down as he released the ball, which fell into the hands of a DSU defender's hands. Kenny Barnes grabbed the interception at the other side of the 50-yard line and returned it 36 yards to the Tarleton 19-yard line with 00:53 seconds left on the clock.
 
Wooden was again tackled for a loss on the drive's first play, but the duel-threat quarterback completed his next pass for six yards to the Tarleton 14-yard line. Woodmen took the next snap from the shotgun formation and ran towards the middle of the field before taking a timeout with just 00:04 seconds on the clock. Andrew Jones, who missed an extra-point attempt and had a field goal attempt blocked earlier in the game, nailed the game-winning field goal form 33 yards out as time expired and giving the Statesmen the three-point win, 38-35.
 
The Statesmen finished the contest with 411 yards of total offense, while the Texans managed to gain 385 yards on the other side of the ball. Wooden led the Statesmen offensively, racking up 87 yards on the ground and 223 yards through the air. The junior quarterback completed 12 of his 18 passes and had one touchdown, while scoring a pair of TDs on the ground in the process. Erick Clayton led the Statesmen with 84 yards receiving on just two catches, with one going for a touchdown.
 
Tarleton's Zach Henshaw (RB, Fr, Fischer) led the Texans on the ground with 68 yards and a score, while Doyle completed 27 of his 39 passes for a game-high 293 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, but finished the game with a pair of picks as well. Vaughn Smith (RB, Jr, Menlo Park, Calif.) had just 45 yards rushing on the night, halting Tarleton's four-game streak with at least one 100-yard rusher.
 
DSU got on the scoreboard first after blocking a punt and taking it in for a touchdown with 10:16 left in the first quarter. Wooden converted the two-point attempt to give the Statesmen and early 8-0 lead, but the Texans stormed back with  touchdowns from Doyle to Cordell Valentine (WR, Sr, Vicksburg, Miss.) at the 5:20 mark and then to Henshaw with 00:31 seconds left in the first to give Tarleton a 14-8 advantage after one quarter of play.
 
Both defenses buckled down in the second quarter, but a late interception from DSU's Montavious Hill with 00:35 seconds left in the second quarter led to a 50-yard touchdown from Wooden to Clayton with just 00:03 seconds remaining in the first half. The touchdown tied the game at 14-14 until Jones' PAT gave the Statesmen a one-point advantage as both teams headed into the locker room, up 15-14.
 
Tarleton again countered with 14-unanswered points in the third quarter and led 28-15 following a touchdown pass from Doyle to Jeken Frye (WR, Jr, El Paso) at the 13:02 mark and a touchdown run from Henshaw, six yards out with 3:37 on the clock in the third quarter.
 
DSU countered the 14-point run though, scoring 21-conseuctive points in the fourth quarter en route to a 35-28 lead. Wooden scored from 13 yards out with 14:48 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving the Statesmen its first fourth quarter touchdown of the season. Coming into tonight's contest, DSU had been outscored 36-3 in the final quarter of the 2012 season.
 
The Statesmen tallied 188 yards on the ground in Saturday's game, while Tarleton managed to net just 92 yards rushing. The last time a Texan offense gained less than 100 yards on the ground came against Angelo State last season when Tarleton tallied just nine yards in the ground game.
 
Tarleton forced a pair of fumbles on defense tonight and managed to pick-up both turnovers from DSU. The Texans had a fumble on offense this evening, but after giving up its first takeaway on the ground last week, managed to keep possession of the fumble it had against the Statesmen.
 
Tarleton was led defensively by Matt Knicky (LB, Sr, Cedar Park) who finished the game with a team-high nine tackles. Blair Johnson (DB, Sr, Dallas) led the squad with four solo tackles on the night.
 
The Texans came into the contest leading the Lone Star Conference in penalties, but a more disciplined team on Saturday night recorded just two penalties for -10 yards. Meanwhile, DSU committed eight penalties for a total loss of 54 yards on the evening.
 
Tarleton led the game in time of possession, holding onto the ball for 31:54 through four quarters of play, while DSU's hurry-up offense had the ball for a combined 28:06 in the contest.
 
Saturday marked the first loss for the Texans at home since falling to West Texas A&M on Oct. 1, last season. The loss snapped a five-game win streak for the Texans at Memorial Stadium.
 
The Texans return to LSC play next Saturday, Oct. 13, as the team travels to face A&M-Commerce on the road. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Lions' Memorial Stadium in Commerce.