The Texas Tigers topped the Mount Pleasant Tigers on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, with a final score of 58-29.
The Texas offense started off strong in the opening of the first quarter, converting first downs and moving the ball downfield well.
Junior running back Javari Johnson ran the ball for big yardage, positioning sophomore running back Tradarian Ball for an easy touchdown run with 9:22 left in the first.
Texas followed the touchdown with an onside kick and recovered, putting the ball on Mount Pleasant’s 38-yard line with 9:19 remaining in the quarter.
The Mount Pleasant defense broke through the offensive line to drop junior quarterback David Potter for a sack, putting Texas at second down and sixteen.
Potter countered with a 24-yard pass completed to senior receiver TJ Gray, followed by a touchdown pass to Gray to put Texas up 14-0 with 5:57 remaining in the first quarter.
Mount Pleasant answered with a touchdown of their own after completing a long ball downfield to move them into Texas territory. Senior quarterback Mason McMinn ran the ball in for a touchdown, making the score 14-7 with 4:26 remaining in the first.
Johnson added to the lead for the Tigers with 1:29 left in the quarter after running in his first touchdown of the night.
McMinn completed back-to-back passes to senior receiver Dylan Bennett, moving them downfield in a hurry with less than a minute remaining in the first.
Senior defensive lineman Tyquan Black got through the Mount Pleasant offensive line to drop McMinn for a sack, ending the first quarter with a score of 21-7.
Potter completed a long ball downfield to junior tight end Knox Pilgreen early in the second quarter. However, Texas turned the ball over on a fumble.
Junior linebacker Isaiah Dowden answered with a pick-six, making up for the fumble on the previous drive. With 8:52 left in the second, Texas led 28-7.
The Texas defense continued shutting down the Mount Pleasant offense, keeping them at bay.
“Overall, I feel like we all played pretty well,” Senior safety AJ McElroy said. “I think we will take next week to clean some things up and come back even stronger.”
After a face mask penalty moving Texas half the distance to the goal line, Ball ran in a five-yard rushing touchdown, making the score 35-7 in favor of Texas with 5:45 remaining in the half.
Mount Pleasant ran a double pass play, getting a man wide-open downfield for an easy touchdown. Junior Texas safety Alex Jones blocked the point after kick, allowing sophomore corner Roman Wyatt to run it back for a safety with 4:02 remaining in the half.
After a personal foul call and the ejection of a Texas Tiger, Mount Pleasant gained a first down and ultimately pushed across a touchdown with 44.6 seconds left in the half.
Mount Pleasant recovered an onside kick and managed a field goal with three seconds remaining. Texas remained in the lead at the end of the half, 37-23.
The Texas defense came out early in the third quarter, forcing and recovering a fumble with 10:26 left in the quarter.
Within a minute, the Texas offense pushed out two touchdowns after a short pass to Ball and a touchdown run from Johnson. With 7:31 remaining, Texas led 51-23.
Mount Pleasant’s McMinn used his legs on multiple runs in a row, converting a few first downs and, ultimately, made it into the endzone on another quarterback keeper. Texas remained in the lead 51-29 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter went relatively quiet for both sides, with the exception of a touchdown from Ball for Texas. Ultimately, Texas brought home the Homecoming win with a final score of 58-29.
“I think they played well with good effort all night,” Head Coach Gerry Stanford said. “I think there’s some things we need to clean up, but obviously it’s good to be at home and get the Homecoming win.”
