Buffaloes Fight to the Finish in Narrow Defeat to Texas Wesleyan
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Baptist College Buffaloes showed relentless grit in front of their home crowd on Saturday afternoon, staging a fierce fourth-quarter rally before ultimately falling to Texas Wesleyan, 34–27.
Despite facing deficits throughout the afternoon, the Buffaloes (2-3, 2-1) displayed explosive playmaking capability on the ground and refused to fold down the stretch, keeping the Rams within reach until the game's final drive.
Heavy Rushing Attack Sets early Pace
Arkansas Baptist set the tone early in the opening quarter with an efficient 10-play, 81-yard drive. Quarterback Jayden Young capped off the series with a 1-yard touchdown plunge to draw first blood and put the Buffaloes ahead 7–0.
While Texas Wesleyan answered with back-to-back scoring drives, the Buffaloes' ground game quickly went to work. Running back Tavien Rupert broke through for a 3-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter, bringing ABC back within a point at 14–13.
The Buffaloes out-gained the Rams on the ground for the afternoon, accumulating 215 net rushing yards:
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Ingram Battles: 7 carries, 79 yards (11.3 avg, including a team-long 48-yard sprint)
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Kawann Johnson: 10 carries, 58 yards, 2 TDs
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Tavien Rupert: 6 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD
Defensive Standouts Keep Buffaloes Alive
After Texas Wesleyan extended its advantage to 31–13 late in the third quarter, the Buffaloes' defense generated key plays to shift momentum.
Arkansas Baptist applied pressure throughout the afternoon, forcing three fumbles and grabbing a critical fourth-quarter interception. Antonio Taylor Jr. came through with a key pick off Charlie Adamoli, returning it to the TWU 43-yard line to give the offense short field position.
On the day, the Buffaloes' defensive unit was led by heavy contributions across the board:
Fourth-Quarter Comeback Attempt
Down 31–13 heading into the final frame, the Buffaloes engineered a high-powered comeback effort.
First, Jayden Young connected with playmaker Soloman Daughtery for a 24-yard touchdown pass to complete a 74-yard drive, trimming the deficit to 31–20.
After Texas Wesleyan added a field goal, Kawann Johnson capped off a swift 6-play, 51-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run with 5:34 left on the clock. Joshua Bravo's extra point brought the Buffaloes within seven at 34–27.
Daughtery provided strong field-position advantages all afternoon, totaling 113 kickoff return yards on 5 attempts to go along with 3 receptions.
Despite getting the ball back with four minutes left, an interception by TWU's Jemari Seals allowed the Rams to gain a final set of downs and burn the remaining clock.
Next Up
With a 2–1 mark in conference play, Arkansas Baptist leaves the field with plenty of momentum to build upon as they prepare for their next matchup. The Buffaloes head to Mississippi next weekend for a contest against Alcorn State.
