KINGSVILLE – Tarleton is no stranger to dramatic, last-second contests on the gridiron of Javelina Stadium – especially for those who can recall the 57-56 double overtime win in the opening round of the 2009 NCAA Playoffs that saw Tarleton convert two fourth downs, a 64-yard game-tying field goal, and back-to-back Scott Grantham keepers for the win.
 
And on Oct. 10, 2015, Tarleton once again stormed the field in victory down in Kingsville.
 
The game came down to one play for one yard for one win – bringing Tarleton's mantra of 'Eye on the One' to a whole new level.
 
That's all Tarleton needed as they stopped Texas A&M-Kingsville at the one-yard line while the clock expired to win its first game of the season after rallying from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.
 
Trailing 34-24 heading into the fourth quarter, Tarleton (1-4, 1-3) took its first lead of the game at 38-34 on a 13-yard pass from Alex Craig to Le'Nard Meyers. Meyers' touchdown reception was set up by a 66-yard catch-and-run by Bubba Tandy on 3^rd-and-7 that took the Texans to the Kingsville 21.
 
Joseph Sadler's 32-yard touchdown run with 10:41 left in the fourth quarter sparked the 14-0 run. The junior had a career night for Tarleton, rushing for 132 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. He joins Zach Henshaw and Collin Strahan as the only Texans since 2013 with at least 100 yards rushing in a game.
 
Tarleton's defense had lacked the big stops late in games, but tonight, big stop after big stop is what the Texans' defense continued to provide – including the one to win the game.
 
With Tarleton on top 38-34, Kingsville drove 74 yards in 66 seconds to set up 1^st-and-goal from the one-yard line with four seconds to go. Brandon Moore came up with a goal line stop on a quarterback keep from Myles Carr, keeping the Kingsville signal caller out of the end zone and forcing head coach Dan Wilkinson to call a timeout with four seconds left.
 
Out of the break, Kingsville fumbled the snap and the Texan defense piled on top of the Division 1-transfer quarterback as the final buzzer sounded and Tarleton stormed the field in victory.
 
The game started with 10 unanswered points by the Javelinas before Tarleton got on the board with a two-yard run from Sadler, the first of his Texan career.
 
Joe Te'o's 10-yard run for Kingsville pushed its lead back to 17-7 with 12:40 left in the second quarter. But Bubba Tandy, playing in his first game since Sept. 19, made a spectacular one-handed catch for a 15-yard touchdown that made it a 17-14 Kingsville lead. Tandy had a team-high 94 yards on four receptions in his return.
 
Blake Barnes added a 26-yard field goal to tie the score at 17 with 52 seconds left in the half. But Kingsville answered right back with a 65-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead 24-17 with eight seconds left in the half before more craziness ensued.
 
Tarleton took over possession and Alex Craig rushed for 20 yards before a defensive penalty as the clock struck 0:00 set up one untimed play to end the opening half for Tarleton. However, the stadium lights went out following the penalty. The teams went to halftime early and the Texans opened the new half with one untimed play to end the second quarter.
 
After an incompletion on the untimed play, Tarleton kicked off to begin the third quarter and the Texan defense turned up the intensity beginning with the opening drive of the official new half.
 
Chase Varnado tipped a Myles Carr pass right into the waiting arms of Tyrique Murray for the Texans' first interception of the season.  That turnover led to Meyers' first touchdown grab of the night, a 10-yard snag for the score. Tarleton added a second interception in the fourth quarter when Marcus Johnson picked off Carr with 12:22 left that changed the momentum and attitude on the Tarleton sideline.
 
Tarleton entered the game with no interceptions on the season but put an end to that statistic with one each from a pair of true freshmen Saturday night.
 
Craig drove the Tarleton offense in his first career start, going 22-34 through the air for 223 yards and three touchdowns with a pair of interceptions. Outside of Tandy's team-leading 94 yards in his return, Meyers proved to be Craig's favorite target with eight receptions for 93 yards and a pair of scores.
 
Defensively, Jarmarquis Durst led the way with a career-high 12 tackles while Moore and Dakota Hesskew accounted for eight stops each.
 
Tarleton will return home with the momentum of its first win for homecoming next weekend as the Texans host Eastern New Mexico at 6 p.m. in Memorial Stadium Saturday night.