SAN ANGELO, Texas -- No. 18 Midwestern State just might have stolen a win Saturday night at San Angelo Stadium holding on for a 49-43 win over Angelo State.
 
"I have to say they probably beat us," MSU coach Bill Maskill said. "We were fortunate to be ahead at halftime. A win is a win and it's good to win not playing well. We couldn't stop anyone and we couldn't move the ball. We're lucky to be where we're at."
 
The Mustangs clinched a winning ledger for the 14th consecutive season by improving to 6-1 on the season and to 3-1 in league play, while ASU slipped to 2-6 and 0-4.
 
Angelo State showed big play ability and jumped on the Mustangs with two quick touchdowns as Blake Smith plunged in from 1 yard out four minutes into the contest.
 
The Rams converted an interception into a sudden change 31-yard pass from Kyle Washington to Anthony Yancy to go up 14-0 with 5:31 to go in the opening quarter.
 
MSU running back Keidrick Jackson answered the bell with a 52-yard dash up the middle to cut the lead in half.
 
The senior from Arlington notched his sixth consecutive and 20th career 100-yard rushing game with 120 yards on 23 carries as the Mustangs managed just 285 total yards to Angelo State's 562.
 
Fortunately, the MSU defense provided the team with breathing in between the Rams' big gains.
 
Senior cornerback Neiko Conway tracked down his fourth interception of the season on Angelo State's next possession and returned it 38 yards to the ASU 14-yard line.
 
Two plays later, MSU quarterback Jake Glover found Joe Sanders open on a slant for a 15-yard touchdown to knot the game at 14-14.
 
After a three-and-out, the Midwestern State offense was back on the move. Glover gave the Mustangs its first lead of the game hitting Jalen Moore on a fade route to the corner of the end zone for a 25-yard strike for a 21-14 lead.
 
It was the second TD pass of the night as Glover finished with three and rushed for two more scores in the second. He would complete 7-of-15 passes for 110 yards while rushing for 51 yards on nine carries.
 
Angelo State marched the ball back down the field but an errant direct snapped was scooped up by Taiyon Jackson at the 10-yard line and returned 90 yards to push the MSU advantage to 28-14 with 7:51 to play until halftime.
 
"That was huge. That score was the difference in the game," Maskill said. "We practice that scoop and score every week and it helped us today."
 
The Mustangs pushed the lead to 42-17 with a pair of scores to open the third quarter as Glover connected with Sanders on another 13-yard strike and Glover raced in from six yards out later in the quarter converting another Angelo State turnover into points.
 
MSU appeared to put the game away when Glover scored his second rushing touchdown of the game with 10:58 to play for a 49-23 advantage, but had to recover an on-side kick with less than two minutes to play after the Rams scored 20 points to close out the fourth quarter.
 
Midwestern State plays host to Menlo (Calif.) Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.