For a half, Merrimack went toe-to-toe with one of the top-ranked teams in the FCS.
But things fell apart in the third quarter.
No. 4 Tarleton State scored three touchdowns in the third and pulled away from the Warriors for a 45-20 win Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.
Merrimack (1-3) trailed just 17-14 at halftime and actually outgained the Texans over the first 30 minutes. But Tarleton State (4-0) scored on three consecutive possessions in the third quarter, turning what had been a one-score game into a 38-14 advantage.
“I thought we came out and played really, really competitively in the first half,” head coach Mike Gennetti said. “We spotted them a touchdown, which was disappointing. But we rallied, got stops, and made it a game. Really proud of the offense in the second quarter, responding the way they did and making it a close game. Unfortunately, the game isn’t won and lost at halftime.
“We got to play better. Longer. That was what we saw in the third quarter where we just kind of collapsed a little bit defensively, and offensively couldn’t get anything going. There were highlights and lowlights, and that definitely was not our best performance in the third quarter.”
The Warriors finished with 379 yards of offense and 24 first downs. They also rushed for 155 yards.
Merrimack quarterback AJ Hairston Jr. had his best passing performance of the season, completing 17 of 32 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Austin Palmer caught seven passes for 95 yards and two scores, while Stephon Patrick added five catches for 73 yards.
Matthias Latham was particularly effective, rushing for 76 yards before halftime. Latham finished with 86 yards on 13 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per attempt.
“It just proves we can do it,” Gennetti said of the offense. “We got to do it more consistently. We’ve talked about playing better football, complementary football. And that’s what you saw in that second quarter with the offense clicking, AJ and Austin clicking, getting Steph Patrick involved was great to see. Guys all contributed. So, things to build on for sure.”
Merrimack returns home next Saturday to host New Haven at Duane Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.