Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Goodwell, Okla.—Saturday afternoon the Aggie football team geared up for a long anticipated rematch against the Tarleton State Texans. The home crowd of No Man's Land Stadium at Carl Wooten Field was rockin' red for the 1 p.m. sunny showdown between another LSC foe.

The Aggies, coming off of an outstanding offensive performance against Texas- Permian Basin, would have to continue their success against a stingy Texan defense. Despite another big game from quarterback Shane Truelove, turnovers took control of the game and played as a key role in the Aggies' 45-26 loss to Tarleton.

The Aggie defense started off on a bend-but-not-break first drive after holding the Texans to a 25-yard field goal from Sergio Sroka. Panhandle would fall into a deeper hole after an ensuing three-and-out that was answered quickly by a 74-yard touchdown pass from Tarleton State on the first play of the next series, making the Texan lead 10-0 with 6:31 left in the first quarter.

The Aggies found rhythm on their second possession and capitalized on a 12-play drive with a 28-yard field goal from Sterling Claphan. Cornerback Shecari Johnson would increase the momentum for the Aggies four plays later with an interception that led to another Claphan field goal from 38 yards out to chip away at the Texans' lead (10-6).

The Texans successfully converted on three consecutive 3rd down situations on the next drive which opened up an opportunity for quarterback Zed Woerner to throw his second touchdown pass to wide receiver Kason Fomes inside the five- yard line boosting the Texan lead to 17-6. With just under four minutes left in the first half, the Aggies created a promising drive into Texan territory, but TSU's defensive end E.J. Speed would end it with a gut-punching interception. Three plays later, the Aggie Crew sparked the stadium with a 75-yard interception for a touchdown by strong safety Darryn Cain squeezing the score to 17-13 at the half.

Panhandle would start the second half with a failed fourth-down conversion near the red zone, but Cain would rally the Aggies back once again with another interception to reclaim a quick possession. However, the turnover would only roll into another six points for the Texans following an Aggie fumble. Tarleton quarterback Derek Kiser would add to the Texan lead with a 22-yard touchdown pass to running back Joseph Sadler stretching their lead to 24-13. Wide receiver Devyn Williams shined some light for the Aggies on the next drive with a four-yard touchdown run, but a failed two-point conversion would leave the Aggies with a 24-19 deficit at the end of the third quarter.  

The fourth quarter brought the Aggies a tough obstacle to overcome as the Texans would score on back-to-back drives by running backs Jabari Anderson and Joseph Sadler both rushing for two-yard touchdowns after a huge blocked punt to regain the ball. Now down 38-19, the Aggies refused to give up and retaliated with a bruising one-yard touchdown run by Rod Moore to make the score 38-26 with just under eight minutes left to play. With hopes of a comeback looming late in the game, the chances became even more slim after another Truelove interception was returned 55 yards for a touchdown by Tarleton State linebacker Basil Jackson. The lights soon faded for the Aggies and time ran out with the final score of 45-26 in favor of Tarleton State.

Coach Gaskamp reflected on how his team missed opportunities despite moving the ball well on offense and creating turnovers on defense. "We just didn't have the explosive scoring plays. We settled for two field goals in the red zone, and our defense struggled to get off the field on 3rd down, which kept drives alive." Knowing the Aggies lit up Permian Basin last week through the air, Tarleton State had to flourish with the pass rush and Coach Gas was aware of the importance that the Texans' game plan held. "We were never really able to run the ball effectively, so the pass rush got tougher as the game went on."

Shane Truelove managed to throw for 328 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Running back Rod Moore led the team in rushing with 50 yards on 12 carries for one touchdown, and Truelove added 44 rushing yards. The Aggies were able to get several players involved in the passing game including Rod Moore on six receptions for 80 yards, Brandon Trotter on six receptions for 67 yards and tight end J.B. Frontz on two receptions for 41 yards. The Aggies accumulated 390 total yards offensively. On defense, Byron Edwards led with seven total tackles and one pass breakup. Brandon Gipe and Nathan Leithead followed with six tackles apiece. Darryn Cain showed true playmaking potential by snagging two interceptions and will likely be a player to watch next week defensively.

The loss to Tarleton State pushes the Aggies to 2-7 on the year and 1-6 in the Lone Star Conference. The Aggies will set course for Portales, N.M. to play the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. (MST). All fans are encouraged to make the trip to support the Aggie Crew. The Aggies' next home game will also hold the Panhandle State Chili Cook-off and Senior Day on November 12 at 1 p.m. against the Texas A&M Kingsville Javelinas. WEAR RED, GET ROWDY & REV IT UP!!!