But, despite being caught-from-behind, the Mustangs responded almost immediately on both sides of the ball to take a 29-13 victory over the Wildcats.
“In the past we would have folded and never finished,” Lee said. “This year we can win the close ones.”
The block of a low extra-point attempt by Wildcat kicker Adam White kept the game tied at 13-13.
The home team went three-and-out on its next possession, but after that it was all Mustangs.
Following the punt by the Mustangs’ Jordan Phillips, Jake Myers recovered a Wildcat fumble on the Wildcat 33-yard line.
On the first play after the turnover, Mustang quarterback Willis Barrett got good protection and arched a toss that wide receiver Mike Person caught over his shoulder in stride just before stepping out of the end zone.
The two-point conversion run by Cam Thomas made it 21-13.
“I was trying to get him to overthrow me,” Person said, “because I knew I could catch up with it. We knew we had to score, and we knew we had to do it right then.”
The Mustangs tackled Wildcat runners for losses on two of the first three plays on the next series. Jeremy Smith sacked quarterback Mikey Garrison for a three-yard loss on third down, forcing a punt.
Mike Martin and Cam Thomas did all of the ball carrying in the subsequent 65-yard drive that ended with the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Thomas dragging tacklers for 19 yards and a touchdown.
Martin’s conversion run made it 29-13.
On the next series, Ulysses Hackett, who earlier recovered a fumble, intercepted a Wildcat pass.
In a game that saw the Mustangs force four turnovers, linebacker Nate Myers was one of those in the middle of the action.
“When they caught up, that was kind of a wake-up call for us,” he said. “We knew that meant they were ready to play in the second half. We knew we had to play football like we know how.
“Our defense came through and our offense put points on the board.”
