BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Texans are afraid of no one.
No. 5 Tarleton State (2-0, 0-0 UAC) started Saturday's game strong and made key defensive stops late, winning at Bowling Green (0-1, 0-0 MAC) 20-13. Tarleton State spoiled the Falcons' season-opener at home in front of 13,367 fans at Doyt L. Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio, on Saturday afternoon.
This makes back-to-back FBS wins for Tarleton State following the Texans' 30-27 double overtime win at Army in West Point, New York, last year. Tarleton State is the 16th program to earn FBS wins in the same or consecutive seasons since the FCS and FBS labels were created in 2006. Tarleton State is also the 23rd FCS program with three or more FBS wins, as the Texans earned their first FBS win against New Mexico State in 2021.
This was Tarleton State's first matchup against Bowling Green and the Texans' third ever game in Ohio, first since 1991. The Texans are now 4-3 in their road openers in the D1 era, and have won six of their past seven road games dating back to last season.
Texan running back
Tylan Hines exploded for 250 rush yards in the game, the tied-fifth most in a single-game in Tarleton State program history, only 23 yards short of the record. He finished with 297 total yards, with his 47 receiving yards on two catches, adding to the 250 on 26 carries (9.6 YPC).
Texan quarterback
Kaden Anderson threw for 206 yards on 16-of-24 passing with two touchdowns. Texan defensive back
Jadan Aubert had two forced fumbles to go with seven tackles, and
Fredd Adams and
Koby Dickens each had a fumble recovery.
Avian Rice led Tarleton State in tackles with eight.
The Falcons pushed to tie the game late, and Tarleton State's defense stood tall each time. With just over two minutes remaining and the Texans' holding a 20-13 lead, Tarleton forced a turnover on downs with back-to-back stuffs on third and fourth down and a yard to go at the Texan 8-yard line. Hines followed with an 83-yard scamper to put Tarleton State in great field position, but made his first mistake of the game on third down with 1:20 remaining with a lost fumble. The Texan defense secured the victory by keeping the Falcons out of the end zone, forcing Bowling Green to bleed the entire clock. The Falcons reached the Texan 23-yard line with a second to play, and got 15 yards on a desperation play that Tarleton State stamped out.
Tarleton State couldn't have asked for a better start to Saturday's game. On the opening drive of the game, possession Bowling Green, Tarleton State quickly took over on a fumble. Aubert put his helmet on the ball to force the fumble, and Adams jumped on it for the fumble recovery. On Tarleton State's opening possession, the Texans converted on two fourth down opportunities, leading to a Anderson 24-yard touchdown pass to
Tanner Schmidt, his second to start the year. The first quarter ended with Tarleton State ahead 7-0.
In the second quarter, Tarleton State opened its first drive with a 23-yard field goal by
Alejandro De La Poza, his first attempt of the year, to make it 10-0. The Texan defense forced another punt, and Bowling Green punted the ball to the 1-yard line. Tarleton State followed with a 99-yard touchdown drive, largely thanks to a drive-opening 72-yard run by
Tylan Hines. Hines covered 90 yards himself on the scoring drive that was capped off by an Anderson 7-yard touchdown pass to
Marquis Willis, his third touchdown in as many halves to start the year. Tarleton State led 17-0 deep in the second quarter. Bowling Green answered with a 69-yard scoring drive to get on the board, an Austyn Dendy 3-yard touchdown run to make it 17-7 Tarleton State at halftime.
In the third quarter, Bowling Green made a 40-yard field goal on its first possession to make it a 17-10 game. Tarleton State responded with a 42-yard catch by
BJ Fleming to get deep into Bowling Green territory, but the Falcons forced a turnover on downs after. On Bowling Green's first play, however, Aubert forced his second fumble of the day, a ball that went straight into Koby Dicken's lap to put Tarleton State at the Bowling Green 36-yard line. Tarleton State made it to the Bowling Green 9-yard line when the third quarter ended with the Texans ahead 17-10.
Just eight seconds into the fourth quarter, De La Poza made his second field goal of the day from 26 yards out to give Tarleton State a 20-10 lead. Bowling Green responded with a 35-yard field goal of its own to make it a 20-13 game. Both defenses powered the rest of the quarter, with the Texans emerging victorious as time expired.
Tarleton State outgained Bowling Green 464-to-386, with a 258-to-103 rushing yards advantage. The Texans averaged 7.8 yards per rush compared to Bowling Green's 2.9 YPC. Bowling Green led in time of possession 34:53 to 25:07, losing two fumbles to Tarleton State's one.
Fleming led the Texan receivers with 57 yards on three receptions. Willis had 52 yards on four catches and touchdown, and Schmidt had 50 yards on five catches and a touchdown.
The Texans will now head to Lake Charles, Louisiana, for back-to-back road games. Tarleton State and McNeese will square off for the third time in four seasons on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 6 p.m. at Navarre Stadium.
