KINGSVILLE – Tarleton Football got back in the win column in front of a national audience on ESPN3 behind a four-touchdown performance from quarterback Zed Woerner and four takeaways by the Texan defense in a 41-34 road victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
With the win, the Texans improve to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the Lone Star Conference. It's the second time this season the Texans topped the 40-point mark as well. It's also the first win over Kingsville for head coach Todd Whitten in his career at Tarleton.
 
Although Woerner had the big box score numbers with 337 passing yards, it took a total team effort to steal a conference win on the road. The senior tossed touchdowns to four different receivers in Jeff Thomas, Baxer Kirven, Jacob Kaspar and Cornellius Carrington. The Texan defense also had four different players force a turnover with interceptions from Azizullah Fifita, Jackson Burrell and Devin Hafford, while David Solomon forced and recovered a fumble.
 
The Texans never trailed in the game while maintaining a double-digit lead for most of the contest. After Solomon forced a fumble on 3^rd-and-2 during the Javelinas' first possession, Woerner drove the Texans down field and teamed up with Carrington in the first quarter on a 12-yard touchdown pass for the game's first points. It was Carrington's first-career touchdown reception.
 
After Kingsville tied the game on the ensuing possession, the score stayed 7-7 through the end of the first quarter as Fifita picked off Kingsville QB Cade Dyal with 16 seconds left in the half to set up Woerner and the offense. The interception led to a 12-play, 61-yard drive that ended with Kaspar hauling in his second touchdown pass in the last two weeks – a 12-yard strike from Woerner for a 14-7 lead.
 
On the ensuing possession, another turnover led to more Tarleton points as this time it was Devin Hafford coming away with an interception that ultimately led to a 43-yard field goal from Sergio Sroka to extend Tarleton's lead to 10 with 6:57 left in the opening half. Kingsville would add three of their own before halftime to send Tarleton into the locker room with a 17-10 advantage.
 
After the Texan defense forced a punt on Kingsville first possession of the new half, a pick six off a tipped ball would tie the game at 17-17. Woerner and the Texans weren't done scoring, however, as the senior from Marble Falls would answer back by finding Jeff Thomas for a 30-yard touchdown heave for the go-ahead score.
 
The defense forced another punt and the Texans distanced themselves once again when Woerner threw his fourth touchdown of the night, this time to Baxter Kirven for a 19-yard score – the first of his Tarleton career – and a 31-17 lead. Tarleton added a 19-yard field goal from Sroka and a 24-yard touchdown run by Daniel McCants in the fourth quarter to seal the game and send Tarleton to its fifth win of the season.
 
Woerner completed 25-of-38 passing en route to his 337 yards through the air and four touchdowns. McCants (63) and Xavier Turner (60) combined for 123 yards on the ground while Woerner threw passes to seven different receivers, led by Jeff Thomas (117) and Del'Michael High (93) with a combined 210 yards receiving on 14 total catches.
 
Basil Jackson once again led the team in tackles as head reached double-digit stops for the sixth time this season with 15. He also had 2.5 tackles for a loss and an eight-yard sack to stop Kingsville on fourth-and-one to ultimately set up Sroka field goal in the fourth quarter. David Solomon also had a fumble recovery and 2.5 sacks to lead the team. The Texans with interceptions – Fifita, Hafford, and Jackson Burrell – combined for 54 return yards off their picks while fellow DB Tre Johnson added a team high three pass breakups.
 
Tarleton will return home next weekend for the annual Homecoming Game at 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium against Western Oregon. The game will count as a regional game for Tarleton and Western Oregon.