It was a wild finish to an entertaining game Saturday night at Jackson Field.

As the Sul Ross State football team held a commanding 31-7 lead, the Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs battled back in the second half to tie the game at 34-all in the fourth quarter.

The Lobo offense got Carlos Arreola in range for a 38-yard field goal attempt.

Calm, cool and collected, Arreola nailed the field goal to help lift the Lobos to a 37-34 walk-off win.

>> HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Lobo defense made the score 7-0 with 9:32 in the first quarter when Quincy Blair picked off the quarterback and returned an interception for a 55-yard touchdown.

After a three-and-out by the Bulldog offense, Rodd Hudson III capped a nine-play, 65-yard drive by scoring from nine yards out to make the score 14-0 with 3:58 on the clock.

Elijah Gomez then spoiled Texas Lutheran's drive by grabbing an interception.

The turnover led to six points as Andrew Martinez connected with Isaiah Pena for a 27-yard touchdown pass with 1:32 remaining in the opening quarter.

Texas Lutheran erased the shutout using an 11-play drive that resulted in a three-yard run by Jacob Forton with 9:48 in the second quarter.

Arreola later made the score 24-7 by nailing a 39-yard field goal with 2:43 on the clock.

The Lobo defense came in the clutch once again as Vernon Hartfield Jr. came away with a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown, giving Sul Ross State a 24-point lead at the break.

Texas Lutheran cut the deficit to 21 points by making a 33-yard field goal with 11:12 in the third quarter.

Sul Ross State responded with a 38-yard field goal by Arreola, making the score 34-18.

The Bulldogs then scored 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to surmount the comeback.

Using a 16-yard pass to Vicente Luevano and a 19- and 14-yard reception to Ahmonte Kendrick, the Lobos marched into the red zone.

With just two seconds clock, Arreola made the chip shot.



>> GAME NOTES:

• The Lobos are now 22-19 vs. the Bulldogs since the first meeting in 1946.
• Sul Ross State has won the last three meetings over Texas Lutheran.
• This was the 19th true night game played at Jackson Field since 2011.
• This was the first true night game played at Jackson Field since Oct. 26, 2019.
• The last time the Lobos won a night game at home was on Oct. 20, 2018 (28-27 win over Howard Payne).
• Martinez completed 14 of 23 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown.
• Travell Lumpkin rushed for 93 yards on nine carries.
• Pena led the receivers with four catches for 62 yards.
• Jade Rios tallied 11 total tackles. Rios has a team-high 29 total tackles.
• Blair finished with eight tackles, one pass breakup and one interception.
• Evian Thompson had three tackles and one interception.
• The last time the Lobo defense had four or more interceptions in a game was in 1990 when Andrew Jackson grabbed five interceptions vs. McMurry.
• Arreola is now 5 for 5 in field goals. He has made four field goals from the 30-39-yard range.
• Arreola has scored a team-high 26 points.
• Martinez now has 1,033 yards and nine touchdowns in four games played.
• Pena continues to lead the receiving corps with 373 yards and three touchdowns.

>> POSTGAME QUOTES:

"I definitely want to give credit for our guys at least finishing the game. From the third and fourth quarter, up to the last drive, that is not Lobo football. We're going to do a better job and correct a lot of things. We can't have that happen again." — Head coach Barry Derickson on the game

"He's a freshman. He's just got ice in his veins. You cannot rattle the guy. He just plays with a smile on his face and you just send him out there and he's unaffected by pressure. I'm very proud of Carlos stepping in as a freshman and getting it done." — Derickson on Arreola

"Our defense in the first half was lights out. Lot of the credit to the defense. They put up 14 points on the board. We got to do a better job of making sure that we can help them out. We're excited for what we got on this defense. We just go to be able to finish games." — Derickson on the defense

"I was locked in, focused. I knew it could come down to a field goal. I know I'm money. So, we're good. It's amazing, honestly. Getting that winning field goal was amazing. We all have trust in each other. I told the offense, 'Get me close.' They did what they had to do." — Arreola on his game-winning field goal

"Our defense played a very aggressive game. We came into the game wanting five picks. We got four. We really stepped up this week. We've been the talk of the team all year. We somehow got the dub. We kept it together. We didn't fold on each other. Our coaches coached us well this week. We just went out there and executed." — Blair on the defense's stellar performance

>> RECORDS: Sul Ross State (2-2); Texas Lutheran (1-3)


>> UP NEXT: The Lobos travel to Sherman, Texas to take on Austin College for a 1 p.m. CST kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 7.