After two consecutive non-conference games at home, Lone Star Conference football play returned to Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium as the twelfth ranked team in the nation, the Midwestern State Mustangs (6-1, 4-1) faced the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Javelinas (2-5, 0-4) on their home turf for their fourth consecutive home game. The Javelinas faltered, 69-14, at the hands of the Mustangs on Saturday.
On a Saturday evening in Kingsville, Texas, it only meant one thing which is Javelina Football, and approximately 2,088 fans filled the stadium to support their home-town football team under head coach, Daren Wilkinson for the 7 p.m. start time. The Javelinas won the opening kick-off and deferred to the second half. The Javelinas defense led by Jordan Semanat (San Antonio, Texas), Devonte Williams (Houston, Texas) and Brandon Jones (Houston, Texas) sent a message to the Mustangs of Midwestern State early by forcing an early three-and-out. The Javelinas offense would receive the ensuing punt, and would drive the ball quickly down the field for about 65 yards, but would eventually be forced to settle for a field goal early in the game, but as it’s happened all year, Wilkinson said, special teams would play a pivotal run in the start of the game. On the field goal attempt for the blue and gold, the snap was bobbled, and Midwestern State’s Josh Wydermyer blocked Julio De La Garza’s (Brownsville, Texas) field goal attempt, and would take it to the other end zone untouched for a 75-yard blocked field goal return to put the Mustangs up early, 7-0. The opponent of the Javelinas would not look back for the rest of the game after their three-and-out on their first drive. On the ensuing kick-off, the Javelinas special teams had a miscommunication error as they would fail to signal who would be receiving the ball on the kick off which resulted in a Mustangs’ recovery in Javelina territory. Then, one minute later, Layton Rabb found Juwan Johnson in his first of four touchdowns for 12 yards to put the deficit for the blue and gold at 14-0 early. Penalties and a lack of conversions on fourth downs played a crucial role in the lack of performance for the home team. After a ton of empty possessions for the Javelinas’ offense, Midwestern State found the end zone four more times to end the half to increase their lead to 41-0 at the half.
After the twenty-minute intermission for halftime, the Mustangs would maintain their rhythm as they would intercept Koy Detmer Jr. (Somerset, Texas) on the Javelinas’ first possession of the second half in Javelina territory. Then, on the ensuing play for the Mustangs, they would find the end zone again as Vincent Johnson rushed for a 22-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 48-0 with 13:02 left in the game. After a lackluster start for the second half, the Javelinas led by Nick Pelrean (Houston, Texas) gathered rhythm as an offensive unit, and found themselves in the end zone as Detmer hit Torrey Thomas (Katy, Texas) for a 7-yard touchdown pass to put the deficit at 48-7 early in the 3rd quarter to cap off the nine-play, 76-yard drive. After the score from the home team, the Mustangs once again responded as Rabb found Johnson once again for a 61-yard touchdown pass on a six-play, 71-yard drive to make it 55-7. The Javelinas got the ball back after the ensuing kickoff, but what happened in the first half would carry over to the second half as penalties and turnovers played a role in the success of the visiting team allowing more Mustangs’ touchdowns. At the 4:36 mark in the fourth quarter, Javelinas defensive end Jones stripped Zach Purcell, recovered the fumble forced by himself and took it 36 yards to the end zone to make the deficit 69-14, which was the final score in the lopsided affair.
Final stats include:
Offense:
Koy Detmer Jr. 23-32, 177 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
Nick Pelrean 11 attempts, 62 yards
Torrey Thomas 8 receptions, 54 yards, 1 touchdown
Defense:
Jordan Semanat 7 tackles (5 solos)
Brandon Jones 5 tackles (4 solos), 1 forced fumble, 1 touchdown.
After the game at McCulley Hall, head coach Wilkinson addressed the media.
“Midwestern State is a very good football team,” he said. “We had critical errors in special teams, their first 14 errors were directly from special team errors. The same thing that happened week one happened today.”
He then explained how the Javelinas found themselves don so early in the game. “Because of two critical errors in special teams, stuff we practice every day,” he said. “We can’t translate to the game. We are down 14 points to a team that to that point in the game, we were beating. Outside of two special teams’ errors, we had down nothing wrong, and now we are down against the best team in the conference. It is hard to come back from those things.”
Wilkinson expressed his disappointment.
“I’m really disappointed on how our team competed when I asked them to forget anything that happened (in the first half),” he said. “They were on board with it until we showed up on the field. We just didn’t compete. They outcompeted us.”
The Javelinas will travel to Stephenville, Texas, next week to take on the number 16th team in the nation, the Tarleton State Texans at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, at Memorial Stadium on the campus of Tarleton State University. Then, the following week, the Javelinas will return to Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium to take on the Western New Mexico Mustangs for the annual Homecoming Game presented by Wells Fargo Bank. Game time is at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27.