No. 21 Lions face a rematch with No. 3 Tarleton in Regional Quarterfinal.

COMMERCE – For the fifth straight season, the Texas A&M University-Commerce football team has qualified for the NCAA Division II Football Championship and the No. 21 Lions will face a rematch with the No. 3 Tarleton State University Texans in the regional quarterfinal round to start the playoffs. 

WHO: Texas A&M University-Commerce at Tarleton State University

WHERE: Stephenville | Memorial Stadium

WHEN: 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 23

RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 9-2 overall and went 7-1 in the Lone Star Conference. Tarleton is 11-0 overall and went 8-0 in the LSC.

RANKINGS: A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 21 in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll and No. 20 in the D2Football.com Media Poll. Tarleton is ranked No. 3, in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll and No. 5 in the D2Football.com Media Poll.

LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network — KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (http://www.ketr.org)

LIVE VIDEO: https://tarletonsports.com/showcase?Live=1532

LIVE STATS: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=288030

TICKETS: https://www.ticketracker.com/SelectSection.aspx?eventId=145808 

ALL-TIME vs. THE TEXANS

• The Lions are 15-14 all-time in the trophy game, with an 8-7 record in Stephenville.

• It is the third time the Lions and Texans have met in a non-regular season game.

• A&M-Commerce won a Lone Star Conference playoff semifinal in 2014 by a 56-49 score in Commerce. Tyrik Rollison threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns, Joe Bergeron had three rushing touchdowns and 139-yard on 20 carries, Ricky Collins had five catches for 160 yards and two scores, and Leo Migo had 14 tackles, including a goal-line stand with no time on the clock to seal the win.

• Last season, Tarleton held on a for a 34-28 win in the regional semifinal in Stephenville. Kane Wilson threw for 388 yards, and Garrett Blubaugh had 21 tackles in the game. 

SENIORS SUCCEED OVER CAREER SPAN

• The 2019 senior class claimed the school record for wins by a class with win No. 44 in the game No. 52.

• The UTPB game gave this year’s class the school record for most games played by a senior class.

• This year’s senior class is also in second behind with the 1951-54 class for the highest winning percentage by a class.

• Four-year playoff participants for the Lions are Neema Behbahani, Jalon Edwards-Cooper, Pierre Leonard, Brian Taylor, Mark Westbrook, and Preston Wheeler.

• Peyton Searcy and Darent White were also on the dress list for those four years but missed a postseason due to injury.

• These seniors are playing in their 10th playoff game and have seven playoff wins (7-2).

• The Lone Star Conference record for Division II playoff games won and played in a four-year-span was set by Texas A&M-Kingsville from 1992-95. That Javelina team played in 12 games and went 8-4.

• Mathematically, this year’s Lions are guaranteed the highest playoff winning percentage in a four-year-span by any LSC team.

Years	Record	Pct
2016-19	47-8	85.5
2015-18	43-10	81.1
2014-17	42-10	80.8
1951-54	36-5-2	86.0
2013-16	35-14	71.4
1957-60	34-7	82.9
1972-75	32-13-1	70.6
1936-39	31-8	79.5
1990-93	31-16-1	65.6

 

BAILIFF BEGINS ON RIGHT FOOT

• Lion Football head coach David Bailiff was hired in December 2018 as the 20th head football coach at A&M-Commerce.
• Since East Texas joined the Lone Star Conference as charter members in 1931, Bailiff is the 13th head coach of the Lions.
• He has won all six of his “firsts” games at A&M-Commerce

 

FIRSTS GAMES
First Game	NUEVO LEON	Sept. 7	W 83-0
First Road Game	at Western Oregon	Sept. 14	W 34-27
First LSC Game	EASTERN N.M.	Sept. 21	W 45-27
First LSC Road Game	at Tex. A&M-Kingsville	Oct. 5	W 33-6
First National TV Game	MIDWESTERN ST.	Oct. 12	W 54-28
First Regional TV Game	WESTERN N.M.	Oct. 26	W 62-21
First Playoff Game	at Tarleton	Nov. 23

 

• Bailiff was the head coach at Texas State University from 2004-06 and at Rice University from 2007-17. The Lions’ 2019 season is Bailiff’s 15th season as a collegiate head coach.
• As a collegiate head coach, Bailiff has led a team to the NCAA Division I National Semifinals and is making his sixth total postseason appearance with a 5-2 postseason record.
• The 2005 Texas State Bobcats were Division I National Semifinalists, and Bailiff led the Rice Owls to four bowls with a 3-1 record in those games.
• Bailiff has led teams to 10-win seasons in three seasons (one at Texas State, two at Rice). Under his watch, the Owls had the most wins in school history over a two (18), three (25), and four (30) year periods. Rice’s 18-9 mark from 2013-14 was the second-best of any FBS program in Texas.
• Bailiff’s nine wins in his first season with the Lions are the most by a first-season head coach since Milburn A. “Catfish” Smith in 1951 – a man whose name we couldn’t avoid putting in the game notes again.
• Based on our research, Bailiff has become the fourth-ever coach to qualify for the Division II playoffs, Division I-AA or FCS playoffs, and win a Division I-A or FBS bowl game.

 

Coach  D2        FCS     FBS Bowl Wins

David Bailiff      19        05        08 Texas,

TAMUC            Texas St.         12 Armed Forces,

14 Hawai’i

                                    Rice

Terry Bowden  09, 10, 11        91, 92  96 Independence,

North Ala.         Samford           97 Peach

            Auburn

15 Idaho Potato

                                    Akron

Willie Fritz        02        11, 12, 13        18 Cure

            Central Mo.      Sam Houston St.          Tulane

Joe Glenn        90, 91, 95, 96, 97,        00, 01, 02        04 Las Vegas

98, 99  Montana          Wyoming

            Northern Colo.            

 

LION COACHES IN THEIR FIRST SEASON

Year	Coach	Overall	LSC
2019	David Bailiff	9-2	7-1
2013	Colby Carthel	7-5	2-4
2009	Guy Morriss	5-5	5-4
2004	Scotty Conley	4-6	4-5
1999	Eddie Brister	4-7	4-5
1986	Eddie Vowell	2-9	1-5
1964	Ernest Hawkins	2-7	1-5
1954	J.V. Sikes	6-3-1	5-0-1
1951	M.A. “Catfish” Smith	9-2	5-0
1946	Bob Berry 2nd Stint	5-2-2	3-1-1
1942	Dennis Vinzant Only Season	4-3-1	2-0-1
1935	Bob Berry 1st Stint	6-2-1	3-1
1931	J.W. Rollins	3-6

 

WE’RE STILL GOING STREAKING!

• By qualifying for their fifth straight NCAA Division II Playoff berth in 2019, the Lions have the third-longest active playoff streak in the nation.
• Only Northwest Missouri State (16 straight) and Ferris State (six straight) have longer active playoff streaks than A&M-Commerce.
• In Lone Star Conference history, only A&M-Kingsville (1992-98, 7 straight) has a streak of more than four appearances. The Javelinas’ 1996-98 appearances were vacated by the action of the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
• The Lions have also advanced to the regional semifinal round for three consecutive seasons. 2018 national runner-up Ferris State has reached the regional semifinal four times in a row.

 

LIONS CONTINUE RANKINGS RUN

• The Lions held their grip in the top 25, rising to No. 21 nationally in the 2019 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll released Monday.
• A&M-Commerce has been ranked in 64 consecutive AFCA polls, dating back to the 2015 preseason poll.
• This is A&M-Commerce’s 70th all-time appearance in the AFCA poll since its inception in 2000.
• In the polls recognized by Division II as the top rating system, the Lions have been recognized as a nationally ranked team 119 times since joining Division II in 1981.

 

NO SMALLS FEAT

• QuarterbackMiklo Smallshas established himself as one of the most accurate and efficient passers in the LSC and Division II.
• Smalls has won the LSC Offensive Player of the Week award four times, including last week’s performance at Angelo State.
• Against the Rams, Smalls was the key factor for the Lion offense in the 17-3 win, Smalls accounted for both Lion touchdowns. His 17-yard touchdown carries in the first quarter gave the Lions a 7-3 lead they would not relinquish, and his 2-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Guice in the fourth quarter sealed the win. He completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 142 yards.
• He won LSC POTW honors against West Texas A&M, when he completed 18-of-28 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for a touchdown. He was responsible for both touchdowns in the fourth quarter, which broke a 20-all tie.
• At Tarleton, he had season highs with 29 completions, 39 attempts, and 288 yards.
• Against Midwestern State, Smalls completed 70.3 percent of his passes in the game with five touchdown passes and 186 yards through the air. He also had 24 rushing yards.
• He completed passes to nine different receivers, and all five touchdowns were caught by different receivers.
• He also won Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for his game against Eastern New Mexico, completing 13-of-15 passes for 243 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
• His passing efficiency rating of 297.413 in that game is the second-best single-game performance by a quarterback in Division II this season.
• His 86.7 completion percentage in the game is seventh-best in the nation this year of passers with 15 or more attempts in a game.
• His 69.3 percent (194-of-280) completion percentage for the season ranks sixth in Division II.
• Smalls ranks 14th in the nation in passing efficiency at 161.7.
• He also ranks in the top 25 nationally in completions per game and passing touchdowns, and the top 30 in passing yards per game, and yards per pass attempt.

 

LIONS ALL-TIME IN THE POSTSEASON

Jan 1, 1953	vs. Tennessee Tech	W 33-0	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Jan 1, 1954	vs. Arkansas State	T 7-7	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Jan 1, 1958	vs. Mississippi Southern	W 10-9	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Dec 31, 1958	vs. Missouri Valley	W 26-7	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Nov 25, 1972	CENTRAL ST. (Okla.)	W 54-0	NAIA Semifinal	Commerce
Dec 9, 1972	CARSON-NEWMAN	W 21-18	NAIA Champion Bowl	Commerce
Nov 30, 1974	vs. Bethune-Cookman	T 7-7	Central Florida Classic	Orlando
Dec 6, 1980

…

Chapron named Defensive Player of the Year; six Lions earn All-Conference awards.

GREENVILLE –Texas A&M University-Commerce middle blocker Shelley Chapron has been named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Year at the annual LSC Banquet held on Wednesday. In all, the Lions brought home five All-Conference awards, and two athletes are on the LSC All-Academic team. 

In addition to her special award, Chapron was named First Team All-Conference and made the All-Academic Team. Savannah Rutledge, Sydney Andersen, and Celeste Vela were named Second Team All-LSC while Bina Njikam was named All-Conference Honorable Mention. Joining Chapron on the All-Academic Team was Nicki Gonelli. 

Chapron– a senior from Houston (St. Pius X)– became the second player in program history to be named Defensive Player of the Year, after Sara Wedberg in 2002. Chapron had a stellar senior season, leading the LSC in total points with 435.0 and finished third in blocks with 132. She hit .395 during the regular season, ranking second overall in the conference and also finished in the top three in the conference in service aces. She had ten or more kills in 17 different matches and had five or more blocks in 14 different games. It is her first Defensive Player of the Year award and her third consecutive season as a First Team All-LSC honoree. It is also her second season as an All-Academic selection. 

Rutledge– a senior from the Woodlands (College Park)– had another standout season roaming the back row for the Lions. She had 443 digs during the regular season, finishing sixth in the LSC, and also had 109 assists to go along with 24 service aces. She had eight matches with at least 20 digs and had eight games with at least five assists. It is the second All-Conference award of her career. 

Andersen– a junior from Placentia, Calif.– had an impressive debut season for the Lions. She had 333 kills while hitting .282 on the outside. Anderson also had 71 blocks and was used as a six-rotation player at times, adding 87 digs on the season. She had at least ten kills in 20 different matches and hit over .300 in 13 various contests. It is the first All-LSC award of her career. 

Vela– a sophomore from Guadalajara, Mexico– had another strong season leading the Lion offense, earning two LSC Setter of the Week award. Limited early in the season, Vela made her debut in the Lions’ first game of conference play and did not miss a beat. She had 522 assists, averaging more than seven assists per set in the Lions 6-2 offense. She had more than 20 assists in 15 of her 21 matches played, and also had three double-doubles with double-figures in the dig. It is the second All-LSC award of her career. 

Njikam– a senior from Keller– was a potent weapon for the Lions during her senior season. Transitioning from middle blocker to outside hitter, Njikam shined, recording 278 kills while hitting .220 on the year. She also had 71 blocks on the year and was a one-time LSC Offensive Player of the Week. It is the second All-LSC award of her career. 

Gonelli– a redshirt sophomore from Round Rock (Stony Point)– was an impressive performer for the Lions in her first season of regular action. She notched 138 kills while also recording 41 blocks on the season. It is the first All-Academic award of her career. 

The Lions are the No. 1 seed in the Lone Star Conference Championship and will host the quarterfinal, semifinal and championship matches of the tournament, beginning Thursday. The Lions will face ninth-seeded Texas Woman’s on Thursday at 7:30 pm Four matches will be played at the Field House on Thursday, beginning at Noon, with two semifinal matches on Friday and the LSC Championship match on Saturday at 3:30 pm. 

For complete scheduling information, ticketing information, and more for the LSC Championship visit the A&M-Commerce Championship Central page. 

2019 LSC VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS

 

SPECIAL AWARDS

Player of the Year: Anna Demmer, UAFS

Offensive Player of the Year: Kailyn Gilbreath, Angelo State

Defensive Player of the Year: Shelley Chapron, Texas A&M-Commerce

Academic Player of the Year: Meghan Parker, Angelo State

Setter of the Year: Amanda Van Wyk, UAFS

Libero of the Year: Chandler Vogel, West Texas A&M

Newcomer of the Year: Lexie Johnston, UAFS

Freshman of the Year: Torrey Miller, West Texas A&M

Coach of the Year: Chuck Waddington, Angelo State

FIRST TEAM

Player	Team	Pos.	Yr.	Hometown
Kailyn Gilbreath	Angelo State	RS	So.	Fort Worth, Texas
Sundara Chinn	Angelo State	RS	Sr.	Houston, Texas
Meghan Parker	Angelo State	S	Sr.	San Antonio, Texas
Alexa McAndrew	St. Edward’s	OH	Grad	Eureka, Mo.
Tatyana Tuialii-Umi	Tarleton	RS	Sr.	Bell, Calif.
Adriana Darthuy	Tarleton	OH	Sr.	Marseille, France
Shelley Chapron	Texas A&M-Commerce	MB	Sr.	Houston, Texas
Nicole Murff	Texas A&M-Kingsville	L	So.	San Antonio, Texas
Trixie Oche	Texas Woman’s	MB	So.	Richardson, Texas
Anna Demmer	UAFS	OH	Sr.	Lee Summit, Mo.
Amanda Van Wyk	UAFS	S	Sr.	Tahlequah, Okla.
Lexie Johnston	UAFS	MB	Jr.	Ozark, Mo.
Travana Matthews	UT Permian Basin	MB	Sr.	Bellaire, Texas
Torrey Miller	West Texas A&M	RS	Fr.	Brownwood, Texas
Chandler Vogel	West Texas A&M	L	Jr.	Hereford, Texas

SECOND TEAM

Lindsey Ledyard	Angelo State	S	Jr.	Cedar Park, Texas
Emma Eakin	DBU	OH	Sr.	Wichita Falls, Texas
Bradi Marshall	Lubbock Christian	S	So.	Lubbock, Texas
Avery Moore	Lubbock Christian	RS	Jr.	Amarillo, Texas
Sarah Eakin	Midwestern State	MB	Sr.	Wichita Falls, Texas
Maya Smalls	St. Edward’s	MB	Fr.	San Antonio, Texas
Jasmine Sims	St. Mary’s	MB	So.	Graham, Texas
Lauren Kersey	Tarleton	RS	So.	Norman, Okla.
Mackenzie Catalina	Texas A&M International	OH	So.	Cedar Park, Texas
Celeste Vela	Texas A&M-Commerce	S	So.	Guadalajara, Mexico
Sydney Andersen	Texas A&M-Commerce	OH	Jr.	Placentia, Calif.
Savannah Rutledge	Texas A&M-Commerce	L	Sr.	The Woodlands, Texas
Courtney Noel	Texas Woman’s	MB	Sr.	Nederland, Texas
Selena Batiste	West Texas A&M	OH	Sr.	Portland, Ore.
Bria Augustine	Western New Mexico	OH	So.	Bell Flower, Calif.

HONORABLE MENTION

Sophia Berg	Angelo State	MB	So.	Austin, Texas
Haley Coulter	Angelo State	OH	Sr.	Bradenton, Fla.
Makenna Hanssen	Angelo State	L	So.	San Antonio, Texas
Riana Blount	Cameron	MB	Fr.	Henderson, Nev.
Kasey Holand	DBU	MB	Sr.	Auburn, Wash.
Sofia Tonga	Tarleton	MB	Sr.	Laie, Hawaii
Bina Njikam	Texas A&M-Commerce	MB	Grad	Keller, Texas
Talleyshia Morris	Texas A&M-Kingsville	MB	Sr.	Tulsa, Okla.
Bailey French	Texas Woman’s	L	Sr.	Copperas Cove, Texas
Katy Ranes	Texas Woman’s	S	Sr.	Copperas Cove
Rachel Williams	UAFS	OH	Sr.	Mesquite, Texas
Analise Lucio	UT Permian Basin	S	So.	Justin, Texas
Kylee Becker	UT Tyler	OH	Fr.	Liberty Hill, Texas
Lindsey Smith	West Texas A&M	MB	Sr.	Fort Worth, Texas
Gabi Lau	Western New Mexico	L	Sr.	Kailua, Hawaii

2019 LSC VOLLEYBALL ALL-ACADEMIC AWARDS

Player	Team	Yr.	Pos.	Major	Hometown
Meghan Parker	Angelo State	Sr.	S	Exercise Science	San Antonio, Texas
Sophia Berg	Angelo State	So.	MB	Biology	Georgetown, Texas
Kailyn Gilbreath	Angelo State	Jr.	RS	Kinesiology	Fort Worth, Texas
Morgan Schwarz	Lubbock Christian	Sr.	MB	Pre-PT	Burleson, Texas
Ashlee Vanfleet	Lubbock Christian	Sr.	OH	Pre-PT	Cedar City, Utah
Anabella Forncrook	Texas A&M International	So.	DS	Nursing	Vancouver, Wash.
Shelley Chapron	Texas A&M-Commerce	Sr.	MB	Public Health	Houston, Texas
Nicki Gonelli	Texas A&M-Commerce	So.	RS	Sociology	Round Rock, Texas
Emily North	Texas A&M-Kingsville	So.	S	Kinesiology	Red Oak, Texas
Courtney Noel	Texas Woman’s	Sr.	MB	Mathematics	Nederland, Texas
Trixie Oche	Texas Woman’s	So.	MB	Kines.-Exer. Science/Pre-PT	Richardson, Texas
Anna Demmer	UAFS	Sr.	OH	Media Communication	Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Megan Ashton	UT Permian Basin	Jr.	DS	Chemistry	Midland, Texas
Lindsey Smith	West Texas A&M	Sr.	MB	Psychology	Fort Worth, Texas

Lions earn 70-66 win over Hardin-Simmons.

COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team held off a late charge from Hardin-Simmons University to earn a 70-66 win in the Field House on Monday night. 

The Lions work evened their record at 2-2 overall with the win as they head into their first Lone Star Conference game of the season. A&M-Commerce will host St. Mary’s at Moody Coliseum in Dallas at 7:45 p.m. Thursday. The LSC doubleheader with the Lion women’s team was moved to SMU since A&M-Commerce is hosting the LSC Volleyball Championship quarterfinal matches in the Field House that day. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– The Lions shot 45.1 percent (23-of-51) from the field and 61.8 percent (21-of-34) from the free-throw line. A&M-Commerce made only 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) of its three-point attempts, while HSU made ten three-pointers.

– Deonta Terrell (Chicago, Ill.) led the Lions with 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

– Wayne Stewart (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench and drew six fouls.

– Rodney Brown (Beaumont – West Brook) scored 10 points and had five rebounds.

– The Lions led by as many as 17 points in the first half, but HSU’s Cowboys battled throughout and took a second-half lead. 

HEAD COACH JARET VON ROSENBERG AFTER THE GAME

Overall thoughts after the game: “I felt really good, not because we played well, but because when stuff got tough, guys got in a stance, played with a sense of urgency and just took the last six minutes. They threw in a few threes to make it interesting there at the end, and I take responsibility for that. All ten guys who played were the only guys who were available because everyone’s sick. Alex Peavy had played in one college game, Wayne Stewart has been in one practice all year, and he’s unbelievable with his energy and knowing what we do. It felt good that we flipped it and turned it around. We got to the foul line 34 times and were aggressive with what we were doing. All in all, I felt better than I thought I would.” 

On players stepping up: “With so many guys out, or in and out, the good thing about this team is they all know that if you’re not ready to play, there’s another guy on the bench. Nobody has solidified that ‘these are my minutes because I do everything right every time.’ Guys are still figuring their roles out and what they need to do. You saw it from Wayne tonight. He wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he was in the right spot all the time. Deonta just knows where he’s supposed to be, what he’s supposed to be doing, and how we’re trying to play. Those guys have an advantage early in the season, but they still have to show up and perform. I think it’s going to be a blessing that we get so many guys quality minutes this early in the season.” 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lions pounced on HSU out of the gate, scoring the game’s first eight points and not allowing a Cowboy bucket until a three-pointer five minutes into the game. Josh Winbush (Lake Charles, La.) earned a three-point play on a thunderous dunk with 14:38 to play in half, and baskets in the paint by Carius Key (Irving – MacArthur) and Vydal Bradford (Mansfield – Legacy) pushed the Lion lead to 15-3 with 13 minutes left in half. 

A personal five-point run by Brown gave the Lions their largest lead of the game at 22-5 with 11 minutes to go in the opening period, and A&M-Commerce was still up by 16 points with five minutes left before the Cowboys rode back into the picture. HSU went on a nine-point run to narrow the advantage to 36-29 with 1:40 left in half. A pair of Terrell free throws in the final minute of the period sent the Lions to the dressing room with a 38-29 lead. 

The Lions shot 53.8 percent (14-of-26) from the field in the first half and held Hardin-Simmons to 11-of-32 shooting (34.4 percent) in the period. 

The Cowboys took advantage of cold Lion shooting in the early stages of the second half to take the lead with seven minutes gone in the period. A&M-Commerce made one field goal in the opening seven minutes of the half, and HSU took a 44-42 lead at the 13:40 mark. The teams stayed within two possessions of each other for the next few minutes, and the game tied at 54-all with 5:54 to go. 

Deon Barrett (Lancaster) made a layup, Clarence Evans (Austin – Aggieland Panthers) hit a free throw, Terrell hit a basket, and Stewart scored in the paint then hammered home a fast-break alley-oop from Terrell. The 9-1 run gave the Lions a 63-55 lead with 3:27 to play. Another alley-oop from Evans to Stewart with two minutes to play made it a double-digit lead at 67-57. 

Hardin-Simmons scored seven straight points to narrow its deficit to three points at 69-66 with 11 seconds to go, but a Barrett free throw sealed the game in the dying moments. 

Miklo Smalls, Jake Viquez, named LSC Players of the Week.

RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce football student-athletes Miklo Smalls, and Jake Viquez have been named Lone Star Conference Players of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday. It is the fourth time this season Smalls has earned Offensive Player of the Week, while it is the first Special Teams Player of the Week award for Viquez. 

Smalls– a redshirt sophomore quarterback from Plano (East Senior)– was a key factor for the Lion offense in their defensive battle against Angelo State. In the Lions’ 17-3 win, Smalls accounted for both Lion touchdowns. His 17-yard touchdown carries in the first quarter gave the Lions a 7-3 lead they would not relinquish, and his 2-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Guice (Atlanta, Ga.) in the fourth quarter sealed the win. He completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 142 yards. 

Viquez, a redshirt junior from Rockwall, was vital in a close game, as the Lions won 17-3 with key field position battles. His 40-yard field goal in the fourth quarter gave the Lions a touchdown lead, and he made both PAT attempts. In a game where field position was crucial, his kickoffs and punts gave the Rams an average starting position of their 19-yard line in the first and second quarters and their 15-yard line in the fourth quarter. He had touchbacks on three of his four kickoffs and pinned the Rams inside their own 20 on two of his six punts. 

Smalls, Viquez and the No. 21 Lions qualified for the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, earning the sixth seed in Super Region 4. They return to the field on Saturday for a rematch against LSC rival No. 3 Tarleton, the second seed in the Super Region. The game will be played at 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville. 

2019 LSC FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offensive

S-9 Daniel McCants, Tarleton

S-16 Wyatt Strand, Eastern New Mexico

S-23     Miklo Smalls, Texas A&M-Commerce

S-30 Zimari Manning, Tarleton State

O-7 Paul Terry, Eastern New Mexico

O-14    Miklo Smalls, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)

O-21 Triston Williams, Midwestern State

O-28 Daniel McCants, Tarleton State (2)

N-4      Miklo Smalls, Texas A&M-Commerce (3)

N-11 Paul Terry, Eastern New Mexico (2)

N-18    Miklo Smalls, Texas A&M-Commerce (4) 

Defensive

S-9 Melik Owens, Midwestern State

S-16 Quincy Arceneaux, Eastern New Mexico

S-23 B.J. Jefferson, Tarleton

S-30 Josh Quinton, Angelo State

O-7 B.J. Jefferson, Tarleton (2)

O-14 B.J. Jefferson, Tarleton (3)

O-21 Jai Edwards, Tarleton

O-28 Mike Jones, West Texas A&M

N-4 Prince Robinson, Tarleton

N-11 Mazin Richards, Eastern New Mexico

N-18 Chris Hoad, UT Permian Basin 

Special Teams

S-9 Jaron Imbriani, Midwestern State

S-16 Tobias Harris, West Texas A&M

S-23     Dominique Ramsey, Texas A&M-Commerce

S-30 Donte Ross, Texas A&M-Kingsville

O-7 Justin Manyweather, Eastern New Mexico

O-14 Josh Wilson, Texas A&M-Kingsville

O-21 Tyler Vargas, Eastern New Mexico

O-28    Dominique Ramsey, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)

N-4 Ben Galaviz, UT Permian Basin

N-11 Tyler Vargas, Eastern New Mexico (2)

N-18    Jake Viquez, Texas A&M-Commerce

 

 

Josh Manck

Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce

Committed to a “Best in Class” student-athlete experience

Office: 903.886.5131 Mobile: 817.487.5136

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3011 | Commerce, TX 75429

Physical Address: 2600 Neal Street, Commerce, TX 75429

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Marcus Jensen

Director of Athletic Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce

Office: 903.468.3027 | Mobile: 801.624.8529

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