The no. 4 Tarleton Texans kicked off their Lone Star Conference opener against the West Texas A&M Buffalos on Saturday, Sept. 21 in front of a record-breaking crowd of more than 10,000 in the Lonn Reisman Athletic Center at Memorial Stadium. With an impressive winning score of 58-28, the Texans truly made this 21st night of September one to remember.
The Texans were quick to get points on the board with kicker Christian Hernandez’s 31-yard field goal and running back Dan McCants 31-yard run for a Texan touchdown which started the Texans magnificent lead against the Buffs. The Texans accumulated two more touchdowns, and another field goal within the first quarter proving why the Texans hold the nation’s best offense and have the top-ranked defense in the LSC.
Starting the second quarter with a pass to quarterback Ben Holmes for a touchdown, the Texans kept increasing their lead and the Buffs found it hard to catch up. In the second quarter, Tarleton managed to add 26 points to their already 25 and went into halftime with an impressive lead of 51-0.
In an attempt to make a comeback, the Buffs fought hard in the second half with three touchdowns worth 20 points making it a scoreless third quarter for the Texans.
The fourth quarter, the Texans already had it written in stone that they had the game in the bag and to solidify it after a touchdown was made by the Buffs, the Texans came back to do the same. After the back-to-back scores by both teams the final score lit up the stadium with a 58-28 win for the Tarleton Texans.
The Texans totaled 420 yards, the majority coming from their rushing abilities. The Texans ran the ball for the majority of their touchdowns breaking through a weak defensive line held by the Buffs. On the other side of the ball, the Texan defensive line was able to keep the Buffs from scoring giving the Buffs a combined yardage of 117.
This LSC opener was yet again a historical game for the Texans with their record-breaking attendance of fans, a 10th straight home victory which is the 4th longest in the NCAA Division II, and the 13th straight regular season win continuing from last season.
This game also advanced the Texans record to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the LSC making this win for head coach Todd Whitten tie with renowned coach W.J. Wisdom’s record of 71 victories.
This weekend the Texans will travel to Odessa, Texas to face the UT Permian Basin Falcons (2-1). Kickoff is scheduled for Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.