TAMUC – Sports

FOOTBALL

Perez becomes all-time TD passing leader as No. 11 Lions roll to 52-3 Homecoming win over Western New Mexico.

COMMERCE– The No. 11 Texas A&M University-Commerce football team defeated Western New Mexico University 52-3 on Saturday. The Lions jumped out to a 17-0 lead and scored the final 35 points of the game in front of a raucous Homecoming crowd.

The win brings the Lions to 5-1 and 3-1 in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs fall to 1-6 and 1-4 in conference play.

The Lions will next face Angelo State on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. The game will be at Memorial Stadium. The game will be part of Youth Sports Day.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Luis Perez became the all-time program leader in touchdown passes. He went 22-for-31 for 345 yards and five touchdowns in the game, running his career total to 52 and breaking a 64-year old program record. Jim Gray threw 51 touchdown passes in his career from 1951-53.
– Kristov Martinez became the program leader in PAT’s made. He scored 10 points on seven PATs and one field goal. He now has 141 career PATs made.
– Buck Wilson caught two touchdowns in the game. He had touchdown catches of 28 and 48 yards.
– D’Arthur Cowan led the team with 87 yards receiving and six points on the scoreboard. Shawn Hooks had a touchdown catch, and Darrion Landry also had a touchdown catch.
– Gabriel Rodriguez had a rushing touchdown. Jay Bias scored on a punt block return, scoring from five yards after a punt block by Reggie Kincade.
– Alex Shillow had an interception and a fumble recovery. D.J. White also had an interception. Brent Walker forced a WNMU fumble.
– The Lions forced four turnovers in the game. The defense had two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After an onside kick to open the game failed for the Mustangs, the Lions began with good field position and proceeded to drive down the field. The drive stalled in the red zone and Martinez made a 27-yard field goal.

The Lion defense forced a Mustang punt on their first possession and this time, the Lions went down the field for a touchdown. Perez found Wilson 10 yards downfield. Wilson made multiple tacklers miss as he raced to the end zone, making a diving stretch to hit the pylon. The Lions led 10-0 after the 48-yard touchdown catch.

After another WNMU punt, Hooks fielded a low punt and returned the ball to the 31-yard line. A penalty put the ball inside the red zone to start the drive. It took two plays to score as Perez found Hooks in the back of the end zone. The PAT was good, moving Martinez into the all-time leader in PATs made. The Lions led 17-0.

The Lion defense then made a stop after a failed onside kick attempt. The Mustangs drove into the red zone but A&M-Commerce’s defense held firm, breaking up a pass in the end zone on fourth down to cause a turnover on downs. The Lions led 17-0 after the first quarter.

It was a defensive affair in the second quarter as the Lion offense began to stall. The Lion defense forced multiple turnovers on downs as WNMU held to just 102 yards in the first half. A late WNMU field goal sent the Lions into halftime leading 17-3. Perez had 185 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

The Lions scored early in the third quarter. After the defense forced a punt, the Lions took over after a short WNMU punt. Perez hit a 28-yard pass to Cowan before Rodriguez came in at quarterback. On his second rush attempt, he found the end zone. The Lions led 24-3.

WNMU then took the ball and started to move the ball. However, the Lion defense got a stop in the red zone. On a jump ball in the end zone, White got in front of the intended receiver and pulled down the interception for a touchback.

After a Lion punt, the Mustangs again had a drive going before the Lion defense forced another turnover. On a completed pass, Walker tracked down the receiver and poked the ball away, and Shillow recovered it.

The teams traded punts, and the Lions took over at the WNMU 44. It took the Lions two plays to score as Perez hit Cowan for a touchdown pass. With the throw, Perez became the program leader in touchdown passes. The Lions led 31-3.

WNMU fumbled again on their next possession, this time on a botched handoff. The Lions used the short field to add to their lead. Perez threw a contested ball to Landry, who fought off a defender and pulled the ball with one hand. The Lions led 38-3 going into the fourth quarter.

The Lions intercepted the Mustangs on their next drive. Shillow returned the interception 25 yards to give the Lion offense yet another short field. Perez found Wilson for their second touchdown connection of the day and the Lions led 45-3.

A&M-Commerce’s final score came on a blocked punt. Kincade blocked the punt at the five-yard line, and it was scooped up and run in for a touchdown by Bias. The final score of the game was 52-3.

SOCCER

Lions fall 1-0 to No. 24 Midwestern State as shot flurry does not equal goal

WICHITA FALLS– The Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team lost 1-0 to No. 24 Midwestern State on Friday. The Lions outshot MSU 31-8, but only 11 shots found their way on goal and none could find the net.

The loss brings the Lions to 8-3-3 on the season and 4-3-1 in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs improve to 9-3-1 and 4-2-1 in conference action.

The Lions will next take the field on Friday against West Texas A&M. The Youth Sports Day match will begin at 7 p.m. at the Lion Soccer Field.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Lions had 31 shots in the game compared to just eight for MSU. 11 of those shots found their way on goal.
– Sophie Haywood had four shots on goal. Sabrina Munguia and Leslie Campuzano both had two shots on goal while Michelle Kotlik, Tori Smith and Delaney Bunselmeyer all had one shot on goal.
– Caitlin Duty made two saves in the match.
– MSU’s Raven Powell scored the lone goal of the game in the 14th minute

HOW IT HAPPENED
Campuzano had a shot on goal early in the match that they saved. She again had a shot on goal in the seventh minute as the Lions continued to pressure early in the game. However, it was the Mustangs who struck first.

Powell took a pass into the middle of the field, who shot from just outside the box into the net, giving MSU a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute.

Munguia had a shot on goal in the 17th minute as the Lions looked to get the equalizing goal. However, they saved the shot. MSU then had a shot on goal that was saved by Duty in the 20th minute.

The defense was tight as neither team could get off a shot for the next 10 minutes before Haywood had a shot on goal in the 30th minute. However, it was saved to keep MSU in the lead. Haywood had another shot saved in the 37th minute. Smith’s shot, also protected, occurred in the 41st minute as the Lions continued to apply pressure late in half.

Kotlik had a header that they saved in the 44th minute. The Mustang defense held and took their 1-0 lead into halftime. The Lions had 16 shots in the first half while MSU made only five. Seven of the Lions shots were on goal.

Haywood had a shot saved early in the second half as the Lions continued to dominate shots. Jessika Coronado had three shots miss the mark as the Lions had six shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Duty made a save on MSU’s lone ball in the early part of the half.

Bunselmeyer had a shot on goal in the 74th minute as the Lions continued to dominate in the shooting column. But the Lions could not find the target. A&M-Commerce had a scare as MSU had a shot go off the crossbar in the 75th minute. But the ball was turned aside.

Haywood had a shot saved in the 81st minute as the Lions looked for one final opportunity. Munguia had a chance late for a goal in the 88th minute, but they blocked her shot, and the Lions fell 1-0.

VOLLEYBALL

Lions push their win streak to seven, longest since 2009, with sweep over UTPB

ODESSA– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team won its seventh match in a row with a sweep over UT-Permian Basin on Saturday. The streak is the longest winning streak for the Lions since 2009 and the longest under head coach Craig Case. The set scores were 25-20, 29-27 and 25-14.

The win brings the Lions to 13-7 and 8-2 in the Lone Star Conference. It is the Lions’ sixth consecutive conference win and the fifth straight road win. The Falcons fall to 4-16 and 1-10 in conference action.

The Lions return home for a midweek match against Midwestern State on Tuesday. The game will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Field House and will be a part of Youth Sports Day.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Shelley Chapron led the Lions with eight kills, hitting .636. She also had five blocks.
– Jaslyn Wacker and Jaryn Wacker each had seven kills in the match. Jaslyn had four blocks while Jaryn had three.
– Layne Little had six kills, two aces, and seven digs. Sydney Reyes and Mariyah Oliver had three kills apiece.
– Chasiddy Hill and Neka Nelson both had a kill. Hill also had two aces.
– Savannah Rutledge led the team with 16 digs and had four assists and an ace.
– Gabriela Rosa led the team with 16 assists and added seven digs. Rylie Fuentes had ten assists, and Lacie Jessup added seven digs.
– The Lions have won seven matches in a row, their longest streak since 2009. The Lions won 14 games in a row during that season under Mark Pryor, the program record.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons jumped out to an early lead in the first set, winning four of the first five points. Trailing 7-4, A&M-Commerce then went on a run, scoring seven points in a row to take the lead. Chapron had three consecutive kills as part of the rally. The Lions led by as many as six in the set. The Falcons fought back to cut the Lion lead to three points, but A&M-Commerce held on to win the first match 25-20.

The Lions took three of the first four points of the second set before UTPB answered back with a rally, scoring six of the next seven points to take a three-point lead of their own. Jaslyn Wacker had consecutive kills as the Lions rallied to score six of seven points to claim a 12-10 lead midway through the second set.

The Lions continued their rally, scoring five more points in a row, including consecutive aces from Hill to lead 17-11. The momentum was halted as UTPB then rallied to tie the set at 18-all, prompting a Lion timeout. The team regrouped to take three points in a row before UTPB answered back to again tie the match at 22. It was part of a four-point rally to have the Lions face set point, 24-22.

The Lions battled to force extra points, with kills from Jaslyn Wacker and Little, forcing extra points. A&M-Commerce faced set-point five times, fighting each one off to continue the set. When faced with set point at 27-26, the Lions finished the match with three points in a row. Chapron and Jaryn Wacker with kills, and Rutledge added an ace to give A&M-Commerce the 29-27 win in the second set.

The Lions came out of intermission and started the third set with a fury. They scored eight of the first nine points. UTPB then scored four of the next five points. Jaryn Wacker had three early kills for the Lions as UTPB attack errors contributed to the Lions holding a 13-5 lead midway through the set. The Lions took their lead to as many as 13 points late in the match and won 25-14, sweeping the match.

Lions take winning streak to six matches with a five-set road win over WT.

CANYON– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team got its sixth consecutive win on Friday night, defeating West Texas A&M University in five sets. The set scores were 25-20, 23-25, 25-13, 22-25 and 15-11.

The win brings the Lions to 12-7 and 7-2 in the Lone Star Conference. It is the Lions’ fifth consecutive conference win and a fourth-consecutive road win. The Lady Buffs fall to 11-9 and 5-5 in conference play.

The Lions face a quick turnaround with a road match against UT Permian Basin on Saturday. The game will begin at 1:00 p.m. at the UTPB Gymnasium in Odessa.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Jaryn Wacker led the team with 16 kills in the match, hitting .389 with just two errors.
– Mariyah Oliver had 15 kills, a season high. She hit .297 and also had three blocks.
– Layne Little had 12 kills, 14 digs, and two blocks. Neka Nelson had ten kills, including three in the deciding set.
– Savannah Rutledge was all over the court, tallying a career-high 32 digs. She also had five assists and an ace.
– Gabriela Rosa led the Lions with 31 assists and three aces. She also had 13 digs and a kill.
– Rylie Fuentes had 27 assists, nine digs and co-led the team with three aces.
– Jaslyn Wacker had six kills and four blocks. Shelley Chapron had five kills and five blocks.
– Lacie Jessup had ten digs while Chasiddy Hill had three.
– The Lions had eight service aces.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions got off to a good start in the first set, scoring five of the first seven points. An ace and two WT errors put the Lions in the lead. Nelson had two early kills. WT slowly chipped away at the Lion lead, cutting it to just 8-7 before the Lions rallied behind two kills from Oliver to lead 13-9 midway through.

WT then went on a run, scoring five of the next six points to take the lead. After trailing by two, the Lions finished out the first set well, scoring eight of the final nine points to make the first match 25-20. Oliver and Jaryn Wacker each had four kills in the first game.

The teams split the first six points before the Lions began a rally, scoring four points in a row and eight of nine points to build a 12-5 lead halfway through the set. Jaslyn Wacker had two kills and two blocks during the rally. WT answered right back, taking six points in a row to tie the match at 13.

From then on, the teams began to trade points as neither side built a lead of more than two points. Nelson had two kills in a row to give the Lions a slim lead as the teams battled. It was WT who finally broke the trend and took the final three points to win the second set 25-23.

The Lions started out the third set well, scoring six of the first eight points. Oliver had three kills in a row for A&M-Commerce. WT rallied to cut the Lions lead to 9-8 before the Lion offense went off. Little began to catch fire, registering four kills in the set as the Lions went on a 12-2 run to blow open the game. Chapron had three kills, and Jaryn Wacker had three kills in a row to end the set. The Lions took set three 25-13.

WT regrouped in the fourth set after the Lions jumped out to a 7-4 lead. Jaryn Wacker had two kills early in the game for A&M-Commerce. WT then went on a run, scoring six of the next seven points to take a 10-8 lead in the set. The Lions tied the score at ten before WT scored four more points in a row to lead 14-10 halfway through the match.

Oliver had two kills for the Lions as they attempted to climb out of the hole. However, WT took its largest lead of the match, driving its lead up to seven points after consecutive aces. The Lions then began a rally of their own, scoring four points in a row to cut the lead to just three. Little had back-to-back kills as the lead cut to two points. However, the Lions could not finish the comeback and fell 25-22 to send the match to a deciding fifth set.

It was a hotly contested final set as neither team would falter early. The teams traded the first eight points. The Lions then took four of the next five points to build an 8-5 lead at the halfway mark, prompting a WT timeout. Five different Lions owned kills in the set as the Lions made their lead to as many as six. WT fought back with three points in a row, but the Lions held on and won the fifth set 15-11, winning the match.

FOOTBALL

LSC’s top two passing attacks meet as No. 11 Lions welcome Western N.M. for Homecoming – YouTube Interview w/ HC Colby Carthel

COMMERCE – The No. 11 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions’ football team plays its first home game in four weeks on Saturday, welcoming Western New Mexico University to Memorial Stadium for the annual Homecoming contest.

WHO: Western New Mexico University at Texas A&M University-Commerce
WHERE: Commerce | Memorial Stadium
WHEN: 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 14
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the Lone Star Conference schedule. Western New Mexico is 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the LSC
RANKINGS: Texas A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 11 in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll and the D2Football.com Media Poll. WNMU is unranked.

LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network — KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.LionAthletics.com/live
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast

TICKETS: Available by visiting WeAreLionsTix.com, calling (903) 468-8756, or visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House

LIONS LOOK TO REBOUND ON HOMECOMING
• The Lions try to get back on the winning trail after last week’s 47-42 loss at Midwestern State.
• A&M-Commerce was down by four scores before coming back and cutting the lead to five points in the final minutes of the game.
• Five different Lions scored touchdowns in the game, and nine different players had receptions.
• Luis Perez set a school single-game record for completions with 43.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE MUSTANGS
• The Lions and Mustangs are meeting for the second time in the history of the two programs.
• A&M-Commerce took a 38-24 win over WNMU in Silver City last season.

STILL PUSHING #ToTheTop
• With the loss, the Lions fell to No. 11 in the nation in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.
• A&M-Commerce has been ranked in 33 straight AFCA polls, dating back to the 2015 preseason poll.
• This game is A&M-Commerce’s 39th all-time appearance in the AFCA poll since its inception in 2000.

LSC LANDMARK ON HORIZON
• The next conference victory for the Lions will be their 300th Lone Star Conference victory in football action.
• Based on available records in the LSC media guide, A&M-Kingsville has won the most conference games in LSC history at 301.

CARTHEL 5TH IN SCHOOL HISTORY IN WINS
• Head coach Colby Carthel now ranks fifth in A&M-Commerce history in coaching wins with 38 wins.
• However, he will be in fifth for a while, as his 38 wins are just over half of J.V. Sikes’ 63 wins in fourth place.

1	Ernest Hawkins	1964-85	132-92-6
2	Eddie Vowell	1986-98	74-71-1
3	Bob Berry	1935-41, 46-50	72-34-8
4	J.V. Sikes	1954-63	63-34-4
5	Colby Carthel	2013-pres.	38-15
6	M.A. Smith	1951-53	30-2-1

SUCCESS ON THE BOUNCEBACK
• Under head coach Colby Carthel, the Lions have only lost consecutive games three times in five seasons.
• The Lions’ last four losses – including last year’s loss to Midwestern State – have been followed by wins.
• A&M-Commerce has not lost consecutive games since the 2015 postseason, when the Lions lost the LSC Playoff Championship game, followed by a loss to Ferris State in the NCAA Playoffs.
• Two of the three back-to-back loss occurrences came in the 2013 season, the first under Carthel.
• Nine times in the last five seasons, a Lion loss has been immediately followed by a win.

HOMECOMING SUCCESS
• The Lions have gone 3-1 in Homecoming games under Carthel. The last three seasons have seen Lion victory on Homecoming.
• The Lions are 47-33-1 all-time in Homecoming contests.
• The 91-13 win over McMurry on Homecoming 2014 broke a skid of six consecutive Homecoming losses.
• The first Homecoming game in Memorial Stadium was a 12-0 win over Sam Houston State in 1950.
• The only tie was a scoreless draw with Sam Houston State in 1946.
• This is – obviously – the first time A&M-Commerce and WNMU have met on Homecoming.
• The Lions are 6-2 on Homecoming against New Mexican teams.

PEREZ KEEPS CLIMBING THE PASSING CHARTS
• Preseason All-American quarterback Luis Perez only needs two pass completion to become the A&M-Commerce all-time leader in that category. His 43 completions at Midwestern State marks a new school record.
• With one touchdown pass, Perez will become the second Lion with 50 career touchdown passes. Three touchdown passes will give him the career lead.
• He has moved up to sixth in school history in passing yards at 4,854. He needs 146 yards to go over 5,000 in his career. He needs 1,002 yards in the next five guaranteed games to take the all-time lead.
• He is tied for the lead in the conference in passing TDs this season with 17 which ranks sixth nationally. He is tied with today’s opposition quarterback in WNMU’s Javia Hall.
• He ranks fifth in the nation in completions per game (26), eighth in passing efficiency (170.9), 25th in passing yards (1,528), 11th in yards per game (305.6), 10th in points responsibility (110), and 4th in points responsibility per game (22.0).

CAREER PASSING YARDAGE LEADERS
1.	5,955	Bob Bounds	1987-91
2.	5,800	Kyle Mackey	1980-83
3.	5,635	Terry Skinner	1973-77
4.	5,362	Tyrik Rollison	2013-14
5.	5,016	Harrison Stewart	2013-15
6.	4,854	Luis Perez	2016-pres.
7.	4,616	Wade Wilson	1977-80
8.	4,529	Jim Dietz	1967-70
9.	4,378	Royce Slechta	1985-88
10.	3,913	Adam Farkes	2009-10
11.	3,763	Cole Cayce	1993-96

 

CAREER PASSING COMPLETION LEADERS
1.	375	Bob Bounds (375-706-36)	1987-91
2.	374	Luis Perez (374-566-11)	2016-pres.
3.	372	Kyle Mackey (372-751-44)	1980-83
4.	367	Terry Skinner (367-813-45)	1973-77
5.	353	Adam Farkes (353-700-30)	2009-10
6.	345	Harrison Stewart (345-633-14)	2013-15
7.	343	Tyrik Rollison (343-550-14)	2013-14
8.	338	Wade Wilson (338-668-26)	1977-80
9.	327	Royce Slechta (327-753-50)	1985-88
10.	284	Cole Cayce (284-531-21)	1993-96

 

CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWN LEADERS
1.	51	James Gray	1951-53
2.	49	Luis Perez	2016-pres.
3.	48	Harrison Stewart	2013-15
4.	43	Jim Dietz	1967-70
	43	Tyrik Rollison	2013-14
6.	42	Kyle Mackey	1980-83
7.	34	Wade Wilson	1977-80
8.	33	Royce Slechta	1985-88
	33	Terry Skinner	1973-77
10.	32	Bob Bounds	1987-91

• He ranks second in Division II and 10th in all of the NCAA in career passing efficiency.
  • He also ranks second in Division II in pass completion percentage.MARTINEZ MOVES UP SCORING CHARTS
  • Kicker Kristov Martinez ranks 13th among career leaders in Division II in scoring with his 239 career points.
  • Martinez is currently the leader in scoring amongst kickers in the Lone Star Conference with 38 total points and 7.6 points per game.
  • Martinez is 5-for-5 on field goal attempts and 23-for-24 on PAT attempts through five games in 2017.
  • In his sophomore season, Martinez connected on 18-of-24 field goals with a long of 46 yards. He also made 55-of-58 point after touchdown attempts. He recovered his own onside kick against Tarleton and had 20 touchbacks on 80 kickoffs.
  • His 109 points are the second-most in the Lone Star Conference and the most amongst kickers.
  • That 109 points rank as the fourth-most in a season in A&M-Commerce history.
  • He has scored 235 points in his career, which moves him up to second in A&M-Commerce history.
  • He needs one PAT to become the school’s all-time leader in that category.
  • The A&M-Commerce all-time leader in scoring is Billy Watkins, who scored 281 points from 1990-93 on 134 PATs and 49 field goals.
  • Martinez moved up to third on the career field goal list with a pair of 30-yarders at UNA.

CAREER SCORING LEADERS
1.	281	Billy Watkins (134 PAT, 49 FG)	1990-93
2.	239	Kristov Martinez (134 PAT, 35 FG)	2015-pres.
3.	224	David Dell (104 PAT, 40 FG)	1995-98
4.	222	Aundra Thompson (37 TD)	1972-75
5.	219	Saul Martinez (126 PAT, 31 FG)	2013-14
6.	216	Marvin Brown (36 TD)	1951-52
7.	210	Ricky Dirks (35 TD)	1981-84
8.	208	Leonard Allen (121 PAT, 29 FG)	1973-76
9.	180	Cary Noiel (30 TD)	1978-81
	180	Gary Compton (30 TD)	1986-90

 

CAREER PATs MADE LEADERS
1.	134	Billy Watkins (134-143)	1990-93
	134	Kristov Martinez (134-141)	2015-pres.
3.	126	Saul Martinez (126-130)	2013-14
4.	121	Leonard Allen (121-134)	1973-76
5.	105	Kevin Garman (105-113)	1981-84
6.	104	David Dell (104-111)	1995-98
7.	93	Mark Regian (93-70)	1968-71
8.	55	Randy Weston (55-62)	1999-02
	55	Lloyd Corder (55-69)	1951-52
10.	51	A. Abo-Mahmood (51-55)	2009-10

 

CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE LEADERS
1.	49	Billy Watkins (49-84)	1990-93
2.	40	David Dell (40-61)	1995-98
3.	35	Kristov Martinez (35-48)	2015-pres.
4.	31	Saul Martinez (31-38)	2013-14
5.	29	Ha’a Bento (29-44)	2004-05
	29	Leonard Allen (29-52)	1973-76
7.	26	Randy Weston (26-37)	1999-02
8.	21	Kevin Garman (21-41)	1981-84
9.	16	Mark Regian (16-29)	1968-71
10.	14	A. Abo-Mahmood (14-20)	2009-10

AIRING IT OUT
• Two of the top passing offenses in the land will meet at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Western New Mexico is the national leader in that category, while the Lions rank 10th in passing yardage.

Rk	Team	Att	Cmp	Int	Yds	TD	YPG
1	Western N.M.	302	171	10	2,170	18	361.7
2	Bowie St.	208	144	2	2,131	24	355.2
3	Shepherd	193	129	3	1,771	20	354.2
4	Adams St.	307	170	5	2,111	21	351.8
5	Ohio Dominican	209	155	1	2,095	18	349.2
6	Slippery Rock	229	138	4	2,041	22	340.2
7	Merrimack	263	148	13	1,696	10	339.2
8	LIU Post	202	150	6	1,612	19	322.4
9	Emporia St.	238	149	1	1,923	16	320.5
10	Tex. A&M-Commerce	192	137	6	1,585	17	317.0

BEHIND THE LINE
• The Lion defense has had exceptional success penetrating the line of scrimmage and tackling opponents for loss.
• A&M-Commerce ranks 14th nationally in tackles for loss per game.

FIREWORKS AFTER A SCORE
• The Lions have excelled on kickoffs, both when kicking the ball away, and when receiving the kickoff.
• A&M-Commerce is 4th in the nation in kickoff return average at 28.42 yards per return.
• The Lions are also 2nd in the league and 7th nationally in kickoff return defense, allowing 14.86 yards per return.
• Opponents have averaged starting at the 26.8-yard line on kickoffs, while the Lions average starting on the 39.2-yard line after kickoffs.
• Martinez has had touchbacks on 16 of 33 kickoffs.

ON THE SCOREBOARD
• The Lions rank in the top 25 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
• At 39.6 points scored per game, the Lions are 2nd in the LSC and 19th in the nation.
• 17.8 points allowed per game, the Lions rank 1st in the LSC and 24th in the nation.

HOOKS ATOP PUNT RETURN LEADERBOARD
• Preseason All-American return man Shawn Hooks ranks first in the Lone Star Conference with an average of 12.5 yards per punt return this year.
• No LSC player has returned a punt for a touchdown at this point in the season.
• Tarleton’s Daniel McCants has two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

MULTI-FACETED ALL-AMERICAN
• All-American tackle Jared Machorro has been fantastic on the left side of the offensive line, which could have been expected.
• Likely unexpected? He ranks third in the LSC in average punt yardage at 41.0 yards per (his only) punt.
• That’s just awesome.

JAMES THROWER IS 2017 INDUCTEE TO LONE STAR CONFERENCE HALL OF HONOR
• The 2017 inductee to the Lone Star Conference Hall of Honor is former Texas A&M University-Commerce three-sport standout, James Thrower.
• Thrower will be honored at the first media timeout of the game tonight by President Dr. Ray Keck, AD Tim McMurray, and LSC Commissioner Jay Poerner.

CROSS COUNTRY

Laura Alicke named LSC Cross Country Female Freshman of the Week for the second time.

 

RICHARDSON– For the second time this season, Texas A&M University-Commerce runner Laura Alicke has been named the Lone Star Conference Female Cross Country Freshman of the Week. The award was announced Thursday by the conference office.

Alicke– from Bad Lausick, Germany– was the top freshmen finisher at the Lois Davis Invitational, where she finished second on the team and third overall. She finished with a time of 19:43 in the 5K. Alicke has finished as the top A&M-Commerce freshman in each of her races this season. This effort was the first top-five finish of her collegiate career. The Lions finished second overall as a team at the meet.

Alicke and the Lion Cross Country teams will next race in the Lone Star Conference Championship, set to take place Oct. 21 at L.E. Ramey Golf Course in Kingsville. The women’s 6K race is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. followed by the men’s 10K race at 10 a.m.

LSC FEMALE CROSS COUNTRY FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Sept. 14 – Erman Jepleting, West Texas A&M
Sept. 21 – Laura Alicke, Texas A&M-Commerce
Sept. 28 – Kaycie Cormier, Western New Mexico
Oct. 5 – Erman Jepleting, West Texas A&M (2)
Oct. 12 – Laura Alicke, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)

WOMEN’S GOLF

Makena Thomas named LSC Women’s Golfer of the Week.

RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s golfer Makena Thomas has been named the Lone Star Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week. The conference announced the award Thursday.
Thomas– a sophomore from San Antonio– shot a career-best round of 1-over par 73 on Tuesday with three birdies to help the Lions place fourth at the DBU Women’s Classic. She finished in a tie for 11th place on the individual leaderboard with a 10-over 226 (79-74-73). Thomas’ 73 Tuesday is the lowest round by a Lion this season, and her 226 three-round total was the second-best 54-hole score in school history. Her second round score of 74 combined with her third round score of 73 set a career best for Thomas over 36 holes. With her performance, the Lions were able to finish as the lowest scoring LSC team in the tournament, edging Midwestern State by two strokes.
Thomas and the Lions have two top-4 finishes so far this season. The women’s team will finish their fall season at the Henderson State/GIC Invitational on Oct. 23-24 at the Hot Springs Country Club Park Course in Hot Springs, Ark.

LONE STAR CONFERENCE WOMEN’S GOLFER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 14 – Kamryn Cummings, Angelo State | Sarah Gee, Tarleton State
Sept. 21 – Ueakarn “Loukyee” Songprasert, West Texas A&M
Sept. 28 – Sarah Gee, Tarleton State (2)
Oct. 5 – Kamryn Cummings, Angelo State (2)
Oct. 12 – Makena Thomas, Texas A&M-Commerce