NCAAF

McNeese Cowboys at Tarleton State Texans

· NCAA - Football
0-1, 0-1 Away
Final
23 - 26

Tarleton State builds big lead, hangs on to edge McNeese 26-23 in wild opener

McNeese Cowboys vs. Tarleton Texans: Full Highlights

After leading 26-7 at halftime, the Texans managed 19 yards on four possessions in the third quarter and a 63-yard drive in the fourth ended with a missed field goal.

Meanwhile, McNeese scored on a 7-yard run by D'Angelo Durham early in the fourth quarter and Tarleton’s lead was 26-23 after an 80-yard touchdown pass from the Cowboys' Clifton McDowell to Matthew McCallister.

The Cowboys would have one last chance to take the lead, taking possession at their own 11 with 2:56 remaining. McDowell had completions of 23 and 22 yards and ran for another 11, leading McNeese to the Tarleton 27-yard line with 10 seconds left. On third down, Tyler Larco missed a 44-yard field goal attempt.

Gabalis completed 11 of 18 passes for Tarleton and McNeese's McDowell went 13 of 19 for 242 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

The Cowboys outgained the Texans 445 yards to 339 but had four turnovers to none for Tarleton State.

After McNeese took a 7-3 lead on a 43-yard pass from McDowell to Jamaal Levi, Tarleton State scored the next 23 points and led by 19 at halftime. The Texans got first-half touchdowns on a short run by Derrel Kelley III, a 31-yard scoop and score from Kasyus Kurns and a 26-yard pass from Gabalis to Keylan Johnson.

Kurns had two fumble recoveries.

The Texans, ranked No. 21 in FCS, are eligible for the FCS playoffs for the first time after completing their reclassification period with a record of 25-16 from 2020 through 2023.

The game was billed as the first college game of the season played on U.S. soil. Florida State and Georgia Tech played earlier in the day in Dublin, Ireland.

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How To Watch

How can I watch McNeese Cowboys vs. Tarleton State Texans?
  • TV Channel: Cowboys at Texans 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN2.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Scoring Summary

TAR FG 1st Period 11:12 Michael James 53 Yd Field Goal
MCN TD 1st Period 8:16 Jamaal Levi 43 Yd pass from Clifton McDowell (Tyler Larco Kick)
TAR TD 1st Period 4:09 Derrel Kelley III 1 Yd Run (Michael James Kick)
TAR TD 1st Period 3:23 Kasyus Kurns 31 Yd Fumble Return (Michael James PAT failed)
TAR TD 2nd Period 7:35 Keylan Johnson 26 Yd pass from Victor Gabalis (Michael James Kick)
TAR FG 2nd Period 3:10 Michael James 34 Yd Field Goal
MCN FG 3rd Period 0:46 Tyler Larco 36 Yd Field Goal
MCN TD 4th Period 9:22 D'Angelo Durham 7 Yd Run (Tyler Larco PAT failed)
MCN TD 4th Period 4:15 Matthew McCallister 80 Yd pass from Clifton McDowell (Tyler Larco Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2377.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originMCN https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2627.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originTAR
20 1st Downs 19
3-11 3rd down efficiency 4-14
2-2 4th down efficiency 1-1
445 Total Yards 339
245 Passing 144
14/20 Comp/Att 12/26
12.3 Yards per pass 5.5
200 Rushing 195
46 Rushing Attempts 43
4.3 Yards per rush 4.5
8-64 Penalties 1-13
4 Turnovers 0
3 Fumbles lost 0
1 Interceptions thrown 0
25:32 Possession 34:28

Game Information

Venue: Tarleton Memorial Stadium

Location: Stephenville, TX
Attendance: 16,125 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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