STEPPENVILLE, Texas — A thrilling finish saw Joshua Carter lead Eastern Kentucky to a stunning upset victory over Tarleton State with a crucial 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Carter was instrumental in driving the team down the field, rushing four times for a total of 62 yards on that decisive drive as the Colonels secured a 17-13 win on Saturday night.

With just 46 seconds remaining in the game, Gabe Fletcher made a key play by sacking Tarleton’s quarterback Victor Gabalis for a 6-yard loss on a fourth-and-15 situation from the Eastern Kentucky 36-yard line, ensuring the Colonels held onto their lead. This victory improved Eastern Kentucky’s record to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the United Athletic Conference, while Tarleton State, now 7-2 and ranked No. 7 in the FCS coaches’ poll, suffered a setback, snapping their six-game winning streak.

Carter had an impressive outing, rushing for a total of 149 yards and crossing the end zone twice after carrying the ball 23 times. Quarterback Matt Morrissey contributed with 6 completions out of 11 for 31 yards, though he had one interception. Morrissey was also effective on the ground, notching 46 yards from 13 carries, which helped push the Colonels’ total rushing yardage to 243.

Gabalis had a challenging game, finishing with 234 passing yards and one touchdown on 17 completions out of 41 attempts, along with three interceptions. His standout receiver, Benjamin Omayebu, caught nine passes for 100 yards. Kayvon Britten was the Texans’ leading rusher, amassing 154 yards on 25 carries.

The scoring began with Gabalis throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to Cody Jackson in the first quarter, concluding a nine-play, 89-yard drive for Tarleton State. In the second quarter, Corbin Poston kicked two field goals—a 24-yard attempt just 11 seconds in and a 42-yarder with 20 seconds left—pushing the Texans to a 13-7 advantage. In that same quarter, D.J. Galva’s interception of Gabalis set up a quick score for the Colonels, with Carter rushing in from the 1-yard line to close the gap to three points.

The third quarter saw limited scoring, where Eastern Kentucky cut the deficit to 13-10 with a 34-yard field goal from Patrick Nations after Maddox Marcellus intercepted Gabalis and returned the ball to the Texans’ 41-yard line. Tarleton State had previously only suffered one loss this season, which came against FBS team Baylor with a score of 45-3 on August 31.