STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Kayvon Britten ran for 164 yards and Victor Gabalis threw for 140 yards and a touchdown to lead Tarleton State to a 26-23 victory over McNeese on Saturday in a nail-biting season opener.
After leading 26-7 at halftime, the Texans managed to gain 19 yards on four possessions in the third quarter, and a 63-yard drive in the fourth quarter ended with a missed field goal.
Meanwhile, McNeese scored on a 7-yard run from D’Angelo Durham early in the fourth quarter and Tarleton’s lead was 26-23 after an 80-yard touchdown pass from the Cowboys’ Clifton McDowell to Matthew McCallister.
The Cowboys had one last chance to take the lead when they gained possession at their own 11-yard line with 2:56 left. McDowell completed passes of 23 and 22 yards and ran for another 11 yards, putting McNeese at the Tarleton 27-yard line with 10 seconds left. On the third attempt, Tyler Larco missed a 44-yard field goal attempt.
Gabalis completed 11 of 18 passes for Tarleton and McNeese’s McDowell completed 13 of 19 for 242 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
The Cowboys outgained the Texans 445 yards to 339, but Tarleton State had four turnovers while there were none.
After McNeese took a 7-3 lead on a 43-yard pass from McDowell to Jamaal Levi, Tarleton State scored the next 23 points and led by 19 at halftime. The Texans scored first-half touchdowns on a short run by Derrel Kelley III, a 31-yard scoop and score by Kasyus Kurns and a 26-yard pass from Gabalis to Keylan Johnson.
Kurns was able to make two fumble recoveries.
The Texans, ranked 21st in the FCS, are qualified for the FCS playoffs for the first time after completing their reclassification period with a record of 25-16 from 2020 to 2023.
The game was announced as the first college game of the season on U.S. soil. Florida State and Georgia Tech had previously played in Dublin, Ireland, on the same day.
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