The No. 15 Midwestern State Mustangs continued their winning ways Saturday evening, as they rolled over the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas en route to a 45-28 victory.
The Mustangs got off to an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but it was a 35-7 second quarter that ensured the win for MSU. While the Mustangs were outscored 21-10 in the second half, it was not enough for the Javelinas to steal the victory.
“We played a good first half,” Midwestern State coach Bill Maskill said. “We came out in the second half and didn’t do as much, but we made plays when we needed to. As a whole, we got better and made improvements.”
MSU improved to 2-1 on the season, while Kingsville dropped their second game in a row to even out at 2-2.
The Mustangs played an outstanding overall game, but it was their 421 rushing yards that truly opened the game up for them. Kiedrick Jackson led the Mustangs running game with 156 yards and 4 touchdowns off of 18 carries. Jimmy Pipkin also broke the 100-yard mark, gaining 117 yards and one touchdown on nine carries.
“The rushing game was much better this game, even compared to the last game,” Maskill said. “Our line and our receivers did a better job blocking, and our backs ran hard. Our success on the run also made the play action game more productive. This was also done against one of the better defenses we’ve played this season.”
Brandon Kelsey’s 194 passing yards tallied up the remainder of the Mustangs’ 615 total offensive yards, as he completed 11-out-of-21 passes and completed 1 touchdown to reception leader Jared Freeman (4 catches, 71 yards).
While the Mustangs’ offense had a good day, it was a bit of a struggle on the defensive side of the ball to hold on to their lead. The Mustangs’ defense proved to be too tough for the Javelinas’ running game, allowing only 58 yards on 30 carries and no touchdowns. The Javelinas were able to counteract MSU’s stingy defense through the air, though. Kingsville quarterback Bryan Erlich may have been sacked twice and intercepted once, but the pressure from the Mustangs didn’t stop him from completing 28-of-55 passes for 415 yards and three touchdowns. Kingsville receiver Sherman Batiste tore up the Mustangs secondary to the tune of 8 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
“Our defense came out and put some pretty good pressure on their QB in the first half,” Maskill said. “But there were two plays in the second half were our coverage just blew it. We’ll be improving on that.”
The Mustangs will finally get the chance to have the home crowd on their side on Sept. 29, as they host Incarnate Word at Memorial Stadium during MSU’s Family Day festivities.
“We like to play in front of our home crowd,” Maskill said. “There will be no added pressure than what we put on ourselves. Every game is a different challenge and it’s always a battle. You have to play well to have success.”