- Box Score

STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton Texans opened up their 2012 campaign against the No. 4 team in the nation, and ended it in dramatic fashion with a nail-biting 20-17 victory over Midwestern State Saturday night.

Marquis Wadley picked off a Brandon Kelsey pass with 47 seconds remaining in the game as the Mustangs were marching down the field for either a game-tying field goal or the game-winning touchdown. The pick ended MSU's chances as Tarleton escaped with a three-point victory over the No. 4 Mustangs.

In the first game of the season, it was expected that both sides would be anxious, excited, and nervous to get the year underway.

Midwestern started off with the ball, but a stout Tarleton defense held them to just 20 yards on five plays.

Next up, the Texans marched down the field with a 13-play, 46 yard drive that took 5:39 off the clock. MSU held Tarleton to a field goal attempt, but Isaac Arellano's 35-yard kick went wide left. The game was left scoreless through the first 15 minutes of play.

The second quarter began in the middle of a Tarleton possession that saw promise for the home team. Led by junior starting quarterback Aaron Doyle and sophomore running back Jerome Regal, the Texans fought their way through the Mustang defense down inside the red zone.

That is when Regal really stepped up, carrying the ball three consecutive plays, the last of which was a three-yard touchdown up the middle. With 12:52 to go in the first half, the Texans took a lead on the reigning Lone Star Conference Champions MSU. Blake Barnes extra point went through the uprights for a 7-0 Tarleton lead.

It would not be long before the visiting Mustangs answered though, as MSU drove down the field on a 13-play, 89-yard drive that ate up 5:35 of the game clock. The Mustangs were able to get on the board thanks to a Keidrick Jackson one-yard rush over a pile of linemen. Greg Saladino's extra point tied the game up at 7-7.

The score would remain that way as the teams headed into half time. Through 30 minutes of play, neither team was able to get a stronghold on the momentum of the game.

As the third quarter got underway, the Mustangs took advantage on their first possession and got a field goal from Saladino at the 8:37 mark. That gave MSU a 10-7 lead over the Texans, their first of the game.

Tarleton tried to put more points on the board in their next possession, but were forced to punt the ball away. Midwestern State's Kendall Wrenn was back to the return the kick, but fumbled the ball into the diving Cameron Bridgewater from Tarleton. Instead of the Mustangs taking over possession, the Texans had the ball inside the 10-yard line.

With such great field position, Regal had no trouble punching the ball in for his second touchdown of the game, and a 14-10 Tarleton lead.

The Texan defense used the momentum from the offense and stuffed the Mustang defense on the next possession. Once again, special teams played a huge role in the game as Jamal Mays blocked MSU's punt and recovered it at Midwestern's 19-yard line. That resulted in a Blake Barnes field goal, giving the Texans a 17-10 advantage with 1:15 remaining in the third quarter.

Barnes went on to add another field goal in the beginning of the fourth with a 25-yarder, pushing Tarleton's lead to 20-10.

The Texans had complete control of the game at this point, but MSU was not going to give up without a fight.

With 9:22 to go in the fourth, Kelsey led the Mustangs down the field with a mixture of quick passes to the flanks and rushes up the middle. After nine plays, 75-yards and 2:57, MSU scored on a Kelsey six-yard rush. The Saladino extra point made it 20-17 in favor of the Texans, but time was quickly becoming a factor.

Both teams went back and forth over the next seven minutes, jockeying for position. It ended up being the Mustangs though with the last chance as they took over possession at their own 20-yard line with 1:28 on the clock.

MSU's drive looked promising and they managed to get to the 50-yard line before Wadley came up with the biggest play of the game. Last year's LSC leading tackler read Kelsey's eyes as he dropped back and jumped right in front of the route to pick off the ball.

Wadley's interception sealed the fate of the Mustangs as Tarleton upset No. 4 Midwestern St., 20-17, in Stephenville.

The Texans overcame penalties, a potent MSU offense, and their own kicking woes to pull off one of their biggest wins in Memorial Stadium history. It also marked the first win for Tarleton over MSU since 2009.

Overall, the Texans totaled 324 yards of offense, but the more noteworthy statistic, is that they held last year's No. 1 offense in the nation to just 214 total yards.

Offensively, Regal led the way with a career-high 152 yards on 33 carries and two scores. Doyle also chipped in 55 rushing yards on 10 attempts. Through the air, Doyle finished the contest 18-for-26 with 137 yards.

Arthur Buckingham was Tarleton's leading receiver with five catches, while Clifton Rhodes III had 47 yards on four catches.

Defensively, Wadley racked up 12 tackles and the key interception. Mark Martinez added nine tackles and two for loss with Dashaun Phillips chipping in another pick. Phillips is now three interceptions shy of tying the school's all-time mark for picks.

MSU's Brandon Kelsey finished the game with 71 yards rushing, 173 yards passing, and two interceptions. Jared Freeman was the leading receiver for the Mustangs with four catches for 83 yards. Gadrian Muse anchored Midwestern's defense, recording 12 tackles in the contest.

The Texans overcame the odds and conquered the No. 4 Mustangs in front of 6,027 fans at Tarleton Memorial Stadium.

They will look to take that momentum into next Saturday's contest at Abilene Christian at Cowboys Stadium as part of the LSC Football Festival. Kick-off will be at 4 p.m. and tickets are still available.

For more information regarding the 2012 Texan football season, check out TarletonSports.com.