CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) — Kayvon Britten ran for 191 yards and three touchdowns and Tarleton State blew a 21-point lead before rallying for a 38-37 overtime victory over Southern Utah on Saturday night.
Britten scored on a 1-yard run as Tarleton State (5-1, 2-0 United Athletic Conference) had the ball first in overtime. Bronson Barron answered with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Acord, but Southern Utah (2-4, 1-1) missed the extra point and fell short.
Britten had two short touchdown runs in the first quarter and Victor Gabalis added a 5-yard scoring run midway through the second to give Tarleton State, ranked 14th in the latest coaches poll, a 21-0 lead.
Barron answered with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Shane Carr to get Southern Utah on the scoreboard. Gabalis’ 3-yard touchdown toss to Dawson Hearne pushed the Texans’ advantage to 28-7 at halftime.
Jayden Rogers kicked a 24-yard field goal midway through the third quarter and Barron had a 7-yard touchdown pass to Chase Merrell to get the Thunderbirds within 28-17 heading to the final period.
Targhee Lambson had a 10-yard touchdown run with 11:49 to go and an 8-yard scoring run with 3:08 remaining to give Southern Utah a 31-28 lead. Adrian Guzman kicked a 32-yard field goal with 62 seconds left to tie the game but missed a 24-yarder that would have won it after the Texans picked off a first-down pass by Barron.
Gabalis completed 18 of 32 passes for 285 yards for the Texans. Britten did his damage on 37 carries.
Barron totaled 286 yards on 19-for-36 passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Lambson finished with 217 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. Gabe Nunez had five catches for 106 yards.
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