Freshman kicker Miguel Arana delivered a dramatic finish to Texas Southern University's Homecoming celebration, connecting on a 46-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Tigers to an intense 24-21 win over Southern University at Reliant Stadium.

Playing before a Homecoming crowd of 21,523, Texas Southern overcame an early deficit, built a 14-point second-half advantage and answered Southern's fourth-quarter comeback with a decisive final possession.

The victory snapped a five-game losing streak for the Tigers, who improved to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in SWAC play. Southern fell to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in conference action.

Southern opened the scoring midway through the first quarter, putting together a 10-play, 81-yard touchdown drive. Quarterback Christian Johnson capped the drive off as he connected with Damien Henderson on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 8:17 remaining in the opening period. Chris McKenna added the extra point to give Southern a 7-0 advantage.

TSU would answer in the second quarter with a five-minute drive before Jacob Washington scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 11:58 remaining in the half.
The offense kept the momentum going as the Tigers needed just two plays and 41 seconds to cover 55 yards. Running back Athean Renfro broke loose for a 15-yard touchdown run with 9:02 remaining in the quarter.Arana's second successful extra point gave Texas Southern a 14-7 halftime advantage.

TSU's Donovan Jones opened the third quarter with a strip sack which allowed Ryan Robinson to recover deep in SU territory. The offense rewarded them quickly as quarterback Cam'Ron McCoy capped off a three-play, 43-yard scoring drive with a 41-yard touchdown run at the 10:55 mark of the third quarter. Arana's extra point pushed the Tigers' advantage to 21-7, completing a stretch of 21 unanswered points.

However, Southern refused to back down as they responded with a lengthy scoring possession which spanned five minutes as Wydell Clark Jr. caught a 24-yard touchdown pass with 5:47 remaining in the period. McKenna converted the extra point, cutting Texas Southern's lead to 21-14 heading into the final quarter.
Midway through the fourth quarter, TSU appeared to throw its first knockout punch with a fourth-down interception but a pass interference call negated the penalty. SU running back Trey Holly took advantage and finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:24 remaining in regulation. McKenna's extra point tied the game at 21, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

TSU, which leaned on its run game all day long, went back to its bread-and-butter as Renfro and McCoy were called to lead the way down the stretch to eat clock. Six plays into the final drive, TSU made the game's boldest move as they converted a 4^th-and-2 at the SU 43. TSU kept marching down the field and eventually settled at the SU 20 on the left hash for a potential game-winning field goal.

Arana's first attempt sailed through the uprights but Southern called a timeout prior to the kick. The second attempt didn't faze the true freshman as he nailed the kick once again time expired to give Texas Southern a 24-21 victory and send the Homecoming crowd into celebration.

Renfro powered Texas Southern's rushing attack with 135 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, while McCoy added a 41-yard touchdown run as the Tigers scored 21 consecutive points after falling behind early.

Texas Southern relied heavily on its ground attack, rushing for 218 yards and scoring all three of its touchdowns on the ground. Renfro led the Tigers with 135 rushing yards and a touchdown, while McCoy contributed 71 rushing yards, including his 41-yard scoring run.

Texas Southern finished with 260 yards of total offense, including 218 rushing yards. McCoy completed 5-of 8-passes for 42 yards, while Roriyon Richardson led the receivers with two catches for 28 yards. Defensively, Ryan Robinson Jr. and Darius Sims recorded nine tackles apiece. Aaron Kizzee added seven tackles, while Josh Dorsainvil finished with six tackles and a sack. Donovan Jones contributed five tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

SU is back in action next Saturday against Grambling State at 7:30 p.m. inside Thorne Stadium in Houston.