KINGSVILLE, Texas — (RV) Midwestern State (7-2, 6-1) defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville (4-5, 4-3) 37-14 on Saturday evening at Javelina Stadium. The Mustangs scored 30 unanswered points across five scoring drives in the first half to take control.
MSU built a 14-0 lead in the first quarter behind two touchdown passes from
Kaden Brown to
Fabian Baez and a defense that stopped TAMUK in the red zone. After the Mustangs' opening possession ended in a punt,
Kolin Garner intercepted a pass after a breakup by
Ethan Dishman and returned it 8 yards to the Javelinas 39, setting up Brown's 15-yard completion to
Dominic Cox and his 24-yard touchdown pass to Baez at 9:33. The defense followed with a three-and-out, and Brown later converted third-and-11 with a 17-yard pass to
Case Peacock before hitting Baez for a 50-yard touchdown at 6:04. TAMUK then drove to the MSU 5, but the Mustangs stopped a fourth-down pass incomplete at 1:33, and
Kenji Johnson helped the Maroon & Gold move the ball out to the 19 before the quarter ended with MSU ahead 14-0.
The Mustangs finished a 15-play, 95-yard drive early in the second quarter when
Kaden Brown found Cox for a 7-yard touchdown at 11:29, and
Kohen Maroney's extra point made it 21-0. The defense followed by creating another change of possession, with Garner forcing a fumble after a short completion and
Donnie Smith recovering at the MSU44, though the ensuing MSU drive ended with an interception. The Maroon & Gold responded to that turnover by getting the ball back on downs at the TAMUK 34, then used
Jorge Mendoza's 37-yard punt to pin the home team at the 1 before an intentional grounding penalty resulted in a safety and a 23-0 lead. Brown and Cox connected again in the closing seconds, this time on a 9-yard touchdown with five seconds left, and Maroney's extra point sent the Mustangs into halftime ahead 30-0.
MSU preserved control late in the third quarter when the defense stopped TAMUK on fourth-and-2 at the MSU34 with 1:35 left, giving the offense a chance to begin a drive that carried into the fourth. Earlier,
Kaden Brown converted a third down with a 9-yard completion to Cox on the Mustangs' opening possession, but penalties pushed the drive backward before
Jorge Mendoza punted. The Javelinas followed with their lone scoring drive of the quarter, finishing a 48-yard possession with a 1-yard rushing touchdown and kick to make it 30-7. The Maroon & Gold then put together a 10-play possession from its own 25 behind completions to Baez and
Ace Traylor and runs by
Kenji Johnson, but another penalty sequence forced a punt from the TAMUK38. After Dishman broke up a pass and
Jake Potucek made a third-down tackle on the next Javelinas series, MSU ended the quarter with the ball and a 30-7 lead.
The Mustangs opened the fourth quarter by finishing an 11-play, 66-yard drive, converting a fourth-and-2 at the TAMUK 29 on
Ace Traylor's 3-yard run before
Kaden Brown hit Cox for a 10-yard touchdown at 10:50.
Kohen Maroney's extra point made it 37-7, and MSU finished the quarter with 53 rushing yards and held the ball for 10:06. The Javelinas answered with a 73-yard touchdown drive to make it 37-14, but the Mustangs later got a 44-yard punt from Mendoza and a defensive stop after
Charles McKnight's sack helped set up fourth-and-8.
Trevor Brooks made the tackle on a fourth-down completion short of the marker, and
Kenji Johnson ran for a final first down as the Maroon & Gold closed out a 37-14 win.
Kaden Brown completed 27 of 39 passes for 337 yards and five touchdowns and added 22 rushing yards. Cox caught 14 passes for 129 yards and three touchdowns, tying a school record for the most catches in a single game. Baez finished with six receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Garner recorded three tackles, forced a fumble and added an interception with an 8-yard return.
Mills Dawson completed 22 of 34 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown and added a rushing touchdown. Edward Chumley rushed 20 times for 96 yards and caught six passes for 61 yards. Julian Payne recorded a team-high 12 tackles. Matthew Quick finished with seven tackles and one sack.
The Mustangs host UT Permian Basin at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Memorial Stadium. Midwestern State will be holding Military Appreciation Day and Senior Day prior to the beginning of action.
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