ST. GEORGE, Utah (Interstat) — James Paige rushed for four touchdowns and the Tarleton State Texans remained undefeated, overpowering the Utah Tech Trailblazers 41-23 on Saturday at Greater Zion Stadium.

The Texans, now 6-0 for the season, used a dominant ground game and a strong first-quarter start to secure the victory and surpass the pregame point spread, having been installed as a 28.5-point favorite. The combined score of 64 points went under the over/under line of 58.5.

Tarleton State set the tone early, scoring on its first two possessions. Paige, a quarterback from Newnan, Georgia, capped a 75-yard opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. After forcing a Utah Tech punt, the Texans engineered another long drive, culminating in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Paige to tight end Danny Joiner to take a 13-0 lead.

Utah Tech (1-5) responded on its next series, with quarterback Reggie Graff of St. George scrambling for a 5-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 13-7. Graff finished with 57 yards rushing on 12 carries and a touchdown.

The Texans extended their lead in the second quarter with Paige’s second 1-yard scoring plunge, making it 20-7. Utah Tech managed a pair of field goals from Ilya Uvaydov, from 35 and 37 yards, to close the gap to 20-13 at halftime.

The third quarter saw both teams trade scores. Uvaydov connected on his third field goal, a 37-yarder, to bring the Trailblazers within four points. Tarleton State answered with a methodical drive finished by Paige’s third 1-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead back to 27-16.

Paise put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter with his fourth rushing touchdown, a 2-yard run. Utah Tech quarterback Bronson Barben found Daniel Thomason for a 28-yard touchdown pass late in the game, but the Texans sealed the win with a final scoring drive, capped by a 2-yard touchdown run from starting quarterback Daniel Greek.

Greek, from Argyle, Texas, efficiently managed the game, completing 13 of 21 passes for 169 yards and adding a rushing score. The Texans’ rushing attack was relentless, with Braelon Bridges contributing 70 yards on seven carries and Deangelo Rosemond adding 59 yards on 10 attempts.

For Utah Tech, Barben threw for 174 yards and a touchdown. Tight ends Eric Olsen and Kaden Eggett were frequent targets, with Olsen hauling in six passes for 75 yards and Eggett catching six for 47 yards.

The win keeps Tarleton State, which was projected by Interstat’s ELO system with a 91.80 percent probability to win, perfect on the season as they look ahead to a home game against West Georgia next Saturday. Utah Tech, which has now lost five of its last six, has a bye week before hosting Southern Utah on Oct. 25.