A run to remember: Recapping every game of Tarleton State’s 2025 season

BY GAVIN PATRICK

Sports Editor

There’s no way around it: Tarleton State was one of the best teams in college football in 2025.

The Texans had a season that was more meaningful to its fans than perhaps any other, going 12-2, securing the No. 4 seed in the FCS playoffs, setting attendance records, seizing national audiences and so much more that is worth celebrating time and time again, even months and years later.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and relive some of the biggest moments from each game of the 2025 season.

8/23 @ Portland State – W, 42-0

The Texans opened their season in Week 0 on ESPN2 for the second straight year and made a statement to their national audience. The team rushed for a season-high 301 yards, led by the emergence of running back Tre Page III. Page ripped off an 89-yard touchdown run on the team’s first drive of the second quarter, finishing with 170 yards on just 15 carries, averaging 11.3 yards a clip. The performance was a precursor to his freshman of the year candidacy the rest of the season.

8/29 @ Army – W, 30-27 (2 OT)

It was the biggest win in school history, by most accounts, and put the Texans on the map far beyond Stephenville. After trailing 10-24 midway through the third, the Texans responded with a touchdown and forced three straight turnovers on defense—all ending in the arms of Kasyus Kurns. The game went into double overtime and came down to the foot of Brad Larson, who kicked the ball 37 yards through the posts to win it. From there, it was a Texan takeover in West Point, and the program claimed their second ever win over an FBS opponent.

9/6 vs. Mississippi Valley State – W, 59-3

Even Jerry Rice’s alma mater was no match for the Texans. Quarterback Victor Gabalis matched his career-high with five touchdown passes, all in the first 33 minutes of gametime. Wide receiver Trevon West had his best collegiate performance with 135 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. Even quarterback James Paige got some play time at running back, breaking off a 34-yarder in the fourth. The defense got in on the fun, too, racking up five turnovers from the Delta Devils on what was a sign of things to come.

9/13 @ Central Arkansas – W, 56-10

The Texans returned a fumble for a touchdown on the first play of the game and never looked back. The team scored on every drive of the first half, which amounted to a 42-7 lead at the break. Tight end Dawson Hearne hauled in two more touchdowns to set a Texan record for most touchdowns by a tight end in a season in 24 years. And Paige made his turn to running back official with 76 ground yards, including a 53-yard touchdown late in the fourth to bring a merciful end to another one-sided clunker.

9/20 vs. Chattanooga – W, 52-24

After some struggles on defense early, the Texans got their ducks in a row. The offense was catapulted by several big plays, including three long touchdowns to Peyton Kramer, who had a career day with 190 receiving yards on his birthday. Linebacker Ty Rawls brought an interception 57 yards to the house as well for the team’s league-leading fourth defensive score. The only downside: Victor Gabalis went down with a lower leg injury and ended his day on crutches. How would the offense fare in his absence? It was a fair question, which got a quick answer.

10/4 vs. Southern Utah – W, 52-42

The Texans may have the best backup quarterback in the FCS, and that depth was on full display in this one. Daniel Greek was nearly perfect, throwing for 282 yards and three touchdowns while completing 76% of his passes (16/21). The Texans also leaned heavily on the run game to the tune of 51 carries, their second most in a game all year, totaling 299 yards and two touchdowns each for Tre Page and Caleb Lewis. The defense showed some cracks, allowing 291 rush yards. But the offense proved it can pick up the slack no matter who’s at quarterback.

10/11 @ Utah Tech – W, 41-23

The 1-5 Blazers were feisty the first 40 minutes of play, but reality began to settle after that. This one can go down in Texan lore as The James Paige Game. With the Texans down their top two backs, the former quarterback towed the rock 30 times for 114 yards and four touchdowns and added a fifth score through the air on a halfback pass. The offense turned it over twice for the first time all year, while still casually putting 41 points on the scoreboard. They just didn’t break 50 this time, ending the longest streak in program history of 50-point games at four.

10/18 vs. (23) West Georgia – W, 45-10

What was built as the biggest test for the Texans to this point in the year turned out to be another day at the office. Victor Gabalis made his triumphant return to the lineup, in front of a record homecoming crowd, and did it behind another dominant showing from his defense. The take-a-ball Texans were at it again, giving the offense five extra possessions off two interceptions and three fumble recoveries, while also teeing off a season-high nine QB hits. And with Caleb Lewis still out, the two Pages (Tre Page and James Paige) joined forces for nearly 200 rushing yards.

10/25 @ Eastern Kentucky – W, 31-7

The Texans had been upset two years in a row by the Colonels entering this matchup, but they put history to rest in the second half. The Texans responded from a wobbly first two quarters by scoring three straight touchdowns to open the third, and the score stood at 31-7 the rest of the way. It was a rather pedestrian day for the offense, by their 45-points-a-game standard. But the defense battened down the hatches, as EKU’s offense netted just 29 yards in the second half (minus the final drive with the game already settled). At this point, fans are left wondering whether their Texans would ever slip up…

11/1 @ (24) Abilene Christian – L, 28-31

Well, it finally happened. The Texans faced their largest deficit of the season after three quarters, trailing 10-28 but mounted a furious comeback to tie it up at 28 with a minute left. ACU was just too much on this particular day. The Wildcats gashed the Texan D once more to put themselves in position for a game-winning field goal, which they converted as time expired. It was a decisive blow to the Texans’ shot at an outright UAC title, but it was just a blimp on the radar in the grand scheme of their special season.

11/15 vs. North Alabama – W, 61-0

After having an extra week to dwell on their first loss, the Texans epitomized what it meant to take out your frustrations on the next opponent. It took just two plays on offense for the Texans to say “we’re back,” as Gabalis bombed the Lions’ D with a 78-yard touchdown to Peyton Kramer, and the lead grew into the second-largest shutout in team history. With six North Alabama turnovers and an offense with their hair on fire, the final score wasn’t all that surprising. Gabalis didn’t even play the second half and had as many touchdowns as incompletions. Onward.

11/22 vs. Austin Peay – W, 45-44 (OT)

Emotions were high on this late November night, with the Texans one win away from securing a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs and Senior Day to commemorate one of the largest and most impactful senior classes in the history of Texan football. Governors quarterback Chris Parson played heartbreaker with a Heisman-worthy performance, throwing for 293 yards, running for another 194 and scoring six total touchdowns. There were a combined 1,119 yards of offense in this game. That’s why it felt like an early Christmas miracle when Parsons’ final pass sailed on a two-point conversion, and the Texans won a share of the UAC title heading into the playoffs.

12/6 vs. North Dakota (Playoffs) – W, 31-13

In the game that birthed the “Tarpless Texans,” you knew it had to result in a Texans win. The offense got off to a slower start than usual, with two Brad Larson field goals to start. But a 64-yard touchdown from Kramer got things moving to open the second half. The Fighting Hawks had just one scoring drive in the second half and were 1-for-4 on fourth down. The Texans’ defense was stifling all day, holding North Dakota to under 250 yards of total offense. It was all smiles for December football, especially with fans waving their shirts like Terrible Towels in the northwest corner of the stands.

12/13 vs. (12) Villanova (Playoffs) – L, 21-26

With home-field advantage clinched for the rest of the playoffs, it seemed Tarleton’s season wasn’t meant to end as soon as it did. But Villanova had other plans. The Texans jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter but lost control of the game as the offense stalled. The Wildcats outgained the Texans 426 to 266 in total yardage, with Tarleton having its lowest rushing output of the season. They still had a shot to win at the end on a 4th & 6 play from the Villanova 11-yard line, but wide receiver Trevon West was ruled out of bounds after further review, and the Texans’ season ended with plenty to be thankful for.