THE RUNDOWN
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Sophomore running back Adrian Seales' 13-yard touchdown run with 52 seconds lifted 12th-ranked Midwestern State to a 21-16 win over Tarleton State Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

MSU, which improved to 8-1 on the season and 7-1 in league play, can clinch at least a share of its fourth Lone Star Conference championship with win in the season finale against Eastern New Mexico next Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

The Mustangs won for a second-straight time in Stephenville and they did it the Midwestern way.

Senior quarterback Quade Coward engineered a game-winning drive which culminated with a winning score in the final minute for the fourth time this season.

The 5-play, 74-yard drive in 68 seconds washed away four turnovers as Coward worked his magic hitting Jaylen Mayo for 15 yards on a slant route and Statron Jones on a 29-yard bender  before Tarleton's Basil Jackson was whistled for targeting to set the Mustangs up at the TSU 15-yard line.

Three plays and two timeouts later, Seales burst untouched through the right side of the line for the winning score to cap off a career night with 131 yards on 21 carries.

It was redemption for Seales, who lost a fumble on MSU's previous drive, allowing the Texans regain a 16-15 lead on a 15-yard fade from Zed Werner to Del'Michael High with 2:06 to play.

Midwestern rallied from a 10-3 halftime deficit on the legs of sophomore Vincent Johnson, who ran for his 17th and 18th touchdowns as the Mustangs took a 15-10 lead into the fourth quarter.

Tarleton State fell to 5-5 on the season and 5-3 in the LSC.

NOTES
* Midwestern State improved to 8-1 for the fourth time since the start of the 2011 season.
* The Mustangs can clinch at least a share of their fourth Lone Star Conference championship with a win over Eastern New Mexico next week.
* The Mustangs won for the second straight time against the Texans in Stephenville for the first time since claiming victories in 1999 and 2000. MSU defeated the Texans 27-24 on Sept. 14, 2015 during their last trip to the Cowboy Capital.
* Five of the last six meetings between Midwestern State and Tarleton State have been decided by five-or-fewer points.
* Sophomore Adrian Seales ran for a career-high 138 yards on 21 carries. It was his third career 100-yard performance and second of the season. His previous career-high of 115 yards also came against the Texans in 2014.
* Sophomore Vincent Johnson rushed for multiple touchdowns for the seventh time this season. His 18 touchdowns this season are tied for the fourth most in a single season behind Kendrick Jackson (21 in 2012 and 18 in 2011) and Daniel Polk (19 in 2007).
* Midwestern State committed a season-high four turnovers, but limited Tarleton State to 9 points off of the miscues.
* The Mustangs defense combined for a season-high five quarterback sacks and limited Tarletan State to 114 yards after halftime.
* Senior defensive lineman Darian Childers notched two sacks and has been in a sack in five consecutive games. He leads the team with 6.5 sacks this season.

STAT OF THE GAME
9 — Points the Midwestern State defense allowed off of four turnovers.

NEXT GAME
Midwestern State hosts Eastern New Mexico for Military Appreciation Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. All members of the military gain free admission with presentation of proper identification at the gate.