Trailing late in the fourth quarter UT Permian Basin Football didn't blink and pulled off the late comeback for a double overtime 34-31 win over Western Colorado. After a defensive stop and missed field goal by the Mountaineers in the second overtime,
Carson Roberts drilled a 35-yard field goal to set off a jubilant celebration.
The victory was the team's first of the young season and improves the team to 2-0 all-time in overtime games.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Mountaineers got on the board first with a field goal. On the ensuing drive, the Falcons marched down the field in nine plays before
Dylan Graham found
Brock Johnson on a three-yard touchdown pass and the lead. On their next drive, Roberts connected from 40 yards out for a 10-3 lead.
After heading into the locker room tied at 10,
Donta Stuart picked off a pass on the 2-yard-line and walked into the end zone to retake the lead. The Mountaineers then scored 14-unanswered points and took a 24-16 lead into the fourth quarter. An 8:09 drive by the Mountaineers ended in a missed field goal and gave the ball back to the Falcons with 4:01 to play.
A 23-yard connection to
Timothy Wiggins followed by a 29-yard catch by
Marcus Molina on 3
rd-and-17 set the Falcons up in scoring position. Two plays later Graham found
MJ Link in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown. On the two-point conversion attempt, Graham found Johnson again, who leaped over a defender, to tie the game and send it to overtime.
The Falcons struck first two plays into overtime with
Kory Harris punching it in from the five. Facing 3
rd-and-goal from the 5 in their end of the period, the Mountaineers found the end zone on a slant to tie the game.
Three incompletions in the second overtime by the Mountaineers set up their kicking unit once again, but they failed to convert and set the Falcons up with a chance to win the game. Three plays later, Roberts booted it through the uprights giving the team the 34-31 win.
Graham threw for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win. Harris had 78 yards on the ground and received the lion's share of the carries. Molina led the team in receiving yards with 44 while Link had a team-high five receptions.
The defense was suffocating on the ground, holding the Mountaineers to just 23 yards while also racking up five sacks on the night.
Victor Idusuyi had five tackles for loss and had a huge fumble recovery which ended the Mountaineers final drive in regulation.
Ashton Levells had his first interception while
Eric Franco recovered his first fumble.
The Falcons open Lone Star Conference play next Saturday against pre-season favorite No. 6 Angelo State. Watch and listen to the team live all season long on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. Follow the team by downloading the UTPB Athletics App.
