Slow Second Half Haunts Tigers In Loss To Florida A&M
Travis Pendergrass
31
Winner
6-1 , 5-0
21
2-5 , 1-3
Winner
6-1 , 5-0
31
Final
21
2-5 , 1-3
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 7 | 21 | 3 | 31 |
|
|
7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Game Recap: Football | | TSU Sports Information
A 21-point third quarter by Florida A&M turned the tide of the game as the Texas Southern Tiger football team fell 31-21 on Saturday inside Shell Energy Stadium.
Texas Southern struck first on the defensive side as the team stopped the Rattlers on a 4th-and-4 at the TSU 35. TSU took full advantage of the stop as LaDarius Owens combined to rush for 25 yards followed by a FAMU personal foul and an 8-yard pass from Jace Wilson to C-ing Blanton which moved the ball to the FAMU 8. Two plays later, the Tigers hit paydirt as Wilson found Jyrin Johnson for a 7-yard touchdown. Curtis Falkenburg’s PAT was good as TSU was up 7-0.
FAMU had a 12-play, 60-yard drive on its next possession but TSU once gain came up big defensively as Xavier Player picked off his second interception in two weeks in the endzone for a touchback. TSU would drive all the way to the FAMU 4 but its 21-yard field goal attempt hit the uprights.
TSU picked up a big sack on the following possession at the FAMU 25 to force a FAMU punt and the Tigers put together a 10-play, 55-yard drive which culminated with Trenton Leary’s tiptoe catch in the corner of the endzone from Wilson as TSU led 14-0. Both teams traded punts after the score but FAMU struck big with 33 seconds left as Jeremy Moussa found a streaking Jamari Gassett for a 58-yard touchdown. The PAT was good as halftime saw the Tigers claim a 14-7 lead.
The Rattlers opened the second half on fire as they recorded three straight touchdown drives in the third quarter to move ahead 28-14. On the opposite end, TSU had a less than memorable third quarter with only 10 total yards and less than three minutes of total time of possession.
Florida A&M added a field goal in the fourth quarter for a 31-14 lead but TSU kept fighting as Wilson found Kerien Charlo for a 23-yard touchdown with 1:15 remaining. TSU recobvered the onside kick attempt but the game came to an end on an interception.
TSU finished with 309 yards (178 P, 131 R) of total offense while FAMU had 435 yards (255 R, 180 P). Wilson passed for 178 yards on 16-of-29 passing while LaDarius Owens rushed for 128 yards on 19 carries. Jyrin Johnson had four receptions for 67 yards while Jacob Williams and Isaiah Bogerty had 11 and 10 tackles, respectively.
TSU is back in action next weekend in Baton Rouge, La. at Southern University for a 4 p.m. start.
Courtesy: TSUSports.com
