WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Midwestern State (5-2, 4-1) defeated Angelo State (2-5, 2-3) 36-32 on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.
Ace Traylor put the Mustangs ahead with 4:17 remaining after they trailed 32-29.
The Mustangs are 5-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play. Angelo State is 2-5 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
The two teams combined for 1,106 yards of total offense. Angelo State rolled up 563 yards, and the Mustangs finished the night with 543 yards of total offense.
Midwestern State finished the first quarter ahead 12-10 after
Kaden Brown completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to
Dexter Stigall IV with 51 seconds left. Earlier, ASU opened with a 71-yard drive, but the Mustangs answered from their own 27 as
Joseph Dodds converted a third-and-1 and Brown hit
Fabian Baez for a 63-yard touchdown that made it 7-6 at the 7:28 mark. After the Rams used a long kickoff return to start at the MSU 42,
Benjamin Sears recorded a 7-yard sack,
Brayden Durocher added a tackle for loss and
Ethan Dishman broke up a pass before ASU settled for a 21-yard field goal. MSU then drove 89 yards in seven plays, with Brown adding runs of 11 and 12 yards before completing passes to Baez,
Dominic Cox and Stigall to move the home team in front.
Angelo State's 10-yard touchdown pass with 45 seconds left put the Mustangs behind after MSU had built a 22-17 lead earlier in the second quarter. Earlier, Dre Sanders intercepted a pass broken up by
Kylan Egerson at the MSU 42 and returned it 22 yards to the ASU 36, and Dodds finished the possession with a 12-yard touchdown run before
Ryan Ostboe's extra point made it 19-10. The Rams answered with a touchdown, but MSU drove back into the red zone behind
Kaden Brown's 39-yard completion to
Conner Dunphy and 17-yarder to
Brock Temple before Ostboe hit a 23-yard field goal for a 22-17 lead at 9:00. The Mustangs' defense then held after ASU reached the MSU 9, taking over on downs at 6:15; earlier in that series,
Brycen Lewis forced a fumble that the Rams recovered at the MSU 18. After the late ASU score, the Mustangs moved from their 26 to the ASU 24 in the final 40 seconds with completions to Cox and
Aanjay Feliciano, but the second quarter ended there with the Rams in front 24-22.
Midwestern State turned
Ethan Dishman's interception at the MSU 12 into an 18-play, 88-yard touchdown drive, with
Kaden Brown hitting Traylor for a 1-yard score and
Ryan Ostboe's extra point putting the Mustangs ahead 29-24 with 2:32 left in the third quarter. Earlier, MSU opened the half with a quick chance after
Dominic Cox's 22-yard return and Brown's 41-yard completion to Baez, but the drive ended on downs at the ASU 31. After Dishman's takeaway, the Mustangs controlled the ball for 9:11, converting fourth-and-1 at the ASU 45 on Brown's run and fourth-and-4 at the ASU 27 on Brown's 16-yard completion to Dunphy before finishing in the red zone. ASU reached the MSU 23 in the final seconds after a fourth-down completion, but the Mustangs ended the third quarter still in front, 29-24.
The Mustangs answered an ASU go-ahead touchdown with a 63-yard drive that Traylor finished on a 1-yard run with 4:17 left, and
Ryan Ostboe's PAT made it 36-32. Earlier,
Jake Potucek intercepted Maddox Maher at the MSU 4-yard line to stop ASU's opening threat of the quarter, and
Kaden Brown later hit Temple for 21 yards before the Mustangs punted. The Rams moved 81 yards for a touchdown and two-point conversion to take a 32-29 lead, but Cox returned the ensuing kickoff 28 yards to the MSU 37 before Brown converted fourth-and-1 to Dunphy and found Baez for 29 yards to set up Traylor's score. ASU drove back inside the MSU 35 in the final minute, but Potucek broke up a third-down pass and
Kameron Griffin broke up the fourth-down throw with 2 seconds left. Brown then kneeled out the final snap as the Mustangs finished off the 36-32 win.
Kaden Brown completed 27 of 40 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns and added 54 rushing yards on nine carries. Baez caught five passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. Traylor scored twice, rushing eight times for 42 yards and a touchdown and adding two catches for 6 yards and another score. Lewis led MSU with 17 tackles and forced a fumble.
Maddox Maher completed 16 of 28 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions. Donny Bishop caught six passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. Cameron Dischler rushed 18 times for 97 yards and a touchdown and added two catches for 18 yards. Mathew Onyejiaka recorded a team-high six tackles.
Up next, the Mustangs host Sul Ross State at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at Memorial Stadium.
-- MSUMustangs.com --
