NACOGDOCHES, Texas – No. 20 Stephen F. Austin opened Western Athletic Conference play with a convincing 41-24 win over Tarleton at Homer Bryce Stadium Saturday and extended its home winning streak to 13 in a row.
SFA improved to 4-3 and 1-0 in WAC play, while Tarleton fell to 4-1 and 1-1 in conference competition.
The Lumberjacks set the tone for the second half when Trae Self found Xavier Gipson for a 21-yard touchdown reception with 35 seconds remaining in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 14-10 lead.
Reigning WAC Special Teams Player of the Week Chris Campos opened the scoring in the third quarter with a 22-yard field goal, and Tarleton countered with a touchdown to knot it at 17-17.
From there, the Lumberjacks outscored the Texans 24-7.
At 6:37 in the third quarter Self connected with Jeremiah Miller for a four-yard touchdown reception.
In a drive that started in the third quarter, Self finished off a 11-play, 92-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 31-17 with 14:21 remaining in the game. Later in the fourth quarter, Campos added his second field goal and Self contributed another rushing touchdown to put the game on ice.
The ‘Jacks used a balanced offensive attack with 270 coming on the ground, and 253 through the air.
Miles Reed finished with a career-high 137 rushing yards on 19 attempts. Jerrell Wimbley added 61 yards on the ground.
Self completed 16-of-25 passes for 254 passing yards and two touchdowns through the air. The North Richland Hills, Texas native also added a pair of rushing touchdowns.
Moe Wedman finished with a team-high 108 receiving yards, while Gipson added 93 yards on six receptions. Gipson broke through on special teams and scored the first touchdown of the game with an 84-yard punt return.
Triumphant Olatunji secured a pair of first-half touchdowns to stop the Texans’ offense in their tracks.
Jermaine Brown added eight tackles, five solo stops and three assisted, while Jeremiah Davis recorded seven tackles, five solo and a pair of assisted stops.
BJ Thompson found himself in the Texans’ backfield often and added five tackles. The senior forced two fumbles to go along with two-and-a-half sacks.
Amad Murray added a pair of sacks and a forced fumble
Next Up: The ‘Jacks travel to Southern Utah on Saturday, October 22.
Lumberjacks Open WAC Play with 41-24 Victory Over Texans
