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Tarleton State University Athletics

SUURecapFB
42
Southern Utah SUU 1-5 , 0-2
52
Winner Tarleton St. TAR 6-0 , 2-0
Southern Utah SUU
1-5 , 0-2
42
Final
52
Tarleton St. TAR
6-0 , 2-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SUU Southern Utah 14 21 7 0 42
TAR Tarleton St. 14 14 17 7 52

Game Recap: Football | | Grant Cohen

Second half surge lifts Tarleton State Football to win over Southern Utah, sixth straight win

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Trailing at halftime, Tarleton State Football was unfazed and outscored Southern Utah 24-7 in the second half to remain unbeaten in 2025 with a 52-42 victory on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. 

The Texans' offense was once again clicking, totaling 581 yards of offense and scoring 50+ points for the fourth straight game. It is the first time in program history Tarleton State has scored at least 50 points in four consecutive games. The Texans have four games with 50+ points for the first time in the Division I era, good for the second most all-time in a single season. 

Senior quarterback Daniel Greek completed 16-of-21 passes and threw a career-high 281 yards for three touchdowns. Greek went turnover-free in his first start of the season, with the Texans now having 18 straight touchdown passes without throwing an interception. 

Redshirt freshman running back Tre Page III rushed for a career-high 198 yards to go with a pair of touchdowns, averaging 10.4 yards per carry. Redshirt senior wide receiver Trevon West hauled in 120 yards off six receptions to go with a touchdown. 

"I'm really proud of our guys," head coach Todd Whitten said. "We played as bad as we can play on defense in the first half, but we had a nice turnaround in the second half. You have to tip your hat off to Southern Utah. They have a really good offense, one of the best in the country, and they showed that tonight. We did a lot of really good things. Good football teams learn how to win in all kinds of different ways. Every game we play is going to be a little bit different and we haven't had one of these games this year. You have to be ready to win no matter what." 

With the series having a combined margin of victory of nine points, the matchup between Tarleton State and Southern Utah once again proved to be another classic. This year's matchup proved to be adding to the narrative of a back and forth battle, with both teams scoring within the first four minutes of play. 

Southern Utah struck first with a 48-yard run to the house on its opening drive, but the Texans quickly responded. Greek completed his first two pass attempts, including a 40-yard completion to senior wide receiver Peyton Kramer to put the Texans in field goal range. 

Tarleton State, however, did not settle for just three points. The Texans gave the ball to redshirt senior running back Caleb Lewis on three straight plays, who found the end zone on a 10-yard run. After marching down into Southern Utah territory, Greek found West for a 32-yard touchdown to give the Texans their first lead of the game. 

The Thunderbirds continued to claw, tying the game on their next offensive possession. Southern Utah took off for a 67-yard touchdown and made it a 14-14 game after the first quarter. 

A successful fourth down conversion off a quarterback sneak from sophomore James Paige resulted in another score for the Texans. Lewis found the end zone for the second time two plays later, allowing Tarleton State to retake the lead. 

Southern Utah answered with another touchdown before another Texan running back burst onto the scene. Page III took off for a 46-yard touchdown to give the Texans a 28-21 lead with just over 10 minutes left in the first half. The Thunderbirds closed the second quarter with a pair of touchdowns to take a 35-28 lead going into the locker room. 

Tarleton State's offense hit the ground running, scoring on its first possession of the second half. Greek capped off a 10-play opening drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Kramer to tie the game. Southern Utah once again took the punch and delivered one back, gaining the advantage off a 59-yard run to the end zone. 

The Texans thrived in the battle of big plays, coming up with another one when Greek found West for a 44-yard catch that put Tarleton State four yards away from a score. Page III made the catch worth it on his next run, walking his way to the end zone to knot the score up once again. Senior kicker Brad Larson gave the Texans the lead in the closing seconds of the third quarter, drilling a 32-yard field goal to put Tarleton State ahead 45-42 entering the final 15 minutes. 

Southern Utah looked to continue its offensive attack to start the fourth quarter, but Tarleton State's defensive backfield had other ideas. Senior defensive back Ja'Voni Melidor came down with the biggest play of the night for the Texans' defense, collecting his first interception of the season to stop the Thunderbirds' offense. 

Tarleton State's offense made the most of Melidor's pick, finding the end zone to make it a two-possession game. Greek found junior wide receiver Cody Jackson for a 30-yard touchdown grab to make it a 10-point contest. The defense prevented Southern Utah's offense from completing a comeback in the fourth quarter, with the Texans clinching its sixth straight win of the season. 

The Texans go on the road to continue United Athletic Conference play next week, traveling to Utah Tech Saturday, Oct. 11 for a 7 p.m. contest. 
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