Sept. 18, 2004

Final Stats

SAN MARCOS - Texas State University place kicker Steven Dietz drilled a 23-yard field goal in the second overtime Saturday to help lift the Bobcats to a 31-28 win over No. 25 Southeastern Louisiana.

Dietz's field goal made amends for two missed field goal attempts late in the game, one at the end of regulation and the other in the first overtime period.

Southeastern Louisiana had tied the score at 28-28 late in regulation when an errant pitch by Texas State quarterback Chase Wasson was recovered in the end zone by Damien Huren for a touchdown with 5:02 to play.

The Bobcats would drive from their own 35 to the Southeastern Louisiana. The series included a 14-yard Wasson pass to John Tyson as well as senior running back Terrell Harris converting a fourth-and-three play with a 10-yard run.

Douglas Sherman would carry for 18 yards to the SLU 9 and Harris gained 2 then 5 yards to the two. Sherman was stopped short of the goal line on third down and the `Cats sent their field goal team on the field. Dietz would lose his footing on an 18-yard field goal attempt and Romaliz Mayo would block the kick and send the game into overtime.

Texas State had the ball first and after three plays would settle for a 39-yard field goal attempt by Dietz but the sophomore kicker's attempt hit the left upright.

With the momentum now behind them, the Lions would quickly move the ball into striking distance. SLU's Ray Perkins would rush for 9 yards then Terry Robinson carried for 14 to the two. But facing first-and-goal, Robinson would fumble the handoff and the Bobcats' Epsilon Williams would recover in the end zone to send the game to a second overtime period.

This time Southeastern Louisiana would have the ball first and would face first-and-goal from the five after a roughing the passer call on the `Cats. But a pair of false starts on the SLU line would back the Lions up and Jim Hall's 33-yard field goal attempt missed wide right.

Harris would start Texas State's second overtime series with an 11-yard scamper then Sherman would follow with a pair of four yard carries before Dietz came on for the game-winner.

"I looked him in the eyes and he said, `Coach, I guarantee it. It's money,'" said Texas State coach David Bailiff of making the decision to send Dietz back on for a third attempt in as many series with the Bobcats facing third-and-two from the six.

The win marked Texas State's first ever overtime win. The Bobcats had been on the losing end of a 49-36, five-overtime loss against Nicholls State in 1996 and a 19-13 loss to Cal State Northridge in 2000. Both games were also played in Bobcat Stadium.

Texas State countered Southeastern Louisiana's aerial attack with a running game which saw both Harris and Sherman run for better than 100 yards and the `Cats tallied 365 net yards on the ground. Harris carried 23 times for 121 yards and one touchdown while Sherman had 124 yards and one score on 14 carries. Wasson, starting his second straight game as a red-shirt freshman in place of injured junior Barrick Nealy, scored two touchdowns on the ground, rushing for 54 yards on 15 carries.

Southeastern Louisiana quarterback Martin Hankins had averaged better than 500 yards of total offense in the Lions' first two games but was held under his season average, completing 31 of 56 passes for 319 yards and one touchdown. Go-to receiver Felton Huggins had been averaging 250 yards receiving but was held to five receptions for 66 yards in the game.

With the win, Texas State improved to 2-1 and has the week off before traveling to Appalachian State for an Oct. 2 game. The 20th-ranked Mountaineers defeated The Citadel 28-14 on Saturday.

Southeastern Louisiana, also 2-1, plays host to Sam Houston State to open a five-game homestand.