A&M-Commerce 51, Sul Ross State 6
Memorial Stadium • Commerce, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (1-0); Sul Ross State (0-1)
Up Next: vs. Delta State • Friday, Sept. 13 • Arlington, Texas • 5 p.m.

COMMERCE, Texas – The Colby Carthel era got off to an emphatic start as A&M-Commerce dominated Sul Ross State from the opening whistle, rolling the Lobos in a 51-6 season-opening victory at Memorial Stadium.

"We started off a little slow, but once we found our groove, we really got rolling," said Carthel. "For a first game, I thought we had a good effort. There were some execution mistakes, but we also saw a lot of guys step up and make plays, which is a good sign. Now we need to take this momentum and carry it forward."

It was a stellar debut for junior quarterback Tyrik Rollison, who completed 25 of his 38 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns in his Lion debut while leading the Lions with 42 rushing yards on the night. He spearheaded an A&M-Commerce which racked up 493 yards of total offense on the night, over 200 yards better than the Lions' 2012 average of 260.7.

It was a joint effort among the A&M-Commerce receiving corps as 10 different Lions hauled in passes, led by Stacy Howard's five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown and Taylor Peasha racking up 80 yards on four receptions with a score. Garrett Smith (43 yards) and Aaron Wingfield (39 yards) each had four catches on the night, including a score from Wingfield, while Hayden Marsh had the other touchdown, finishing with two catches for 28 yards.

On the ground, the Lions showed life that had been missing in previous seasons as the running back by committee finished with 111 yards on 36 carries in the season opener. Behind Rollison was Ki-Janaven Garrett's 33 yards on six carries with a touchdown, followed by 15 yards each from both Salim Zongo and Aaron Fields.

In 2012, Sul Ross State averaged 48.8 points and 590 yards per game, but the A&M-Commerce held the Lobos in check, holding them to just six points on 106 total yards. The Lions' defensive unit combined for an astonishing 22 tackles for loss on the evening, including eight sacks.

Sophomore Cole Pitts was the Lions' leading tackler with five, followed by four each from Davarus Shores and LaMonte Johnson, including 1.5 sacks in his debut. Senior Jeremy Dotson finished with 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack while Charles Tuau posted 1.5 sacks on the night as well.

In front of a spirited crowd, the Lions threatened early in the first quarter, getting down to the one-yard line. But A&M-Commerce had to settle for a field goal from Saul Martinez, giving the Lions the 3-0 lead with just under nine minutes to play in the first.

That remained the score late into the quarter when the A&M-Commerce began to find its groove. Rollison connected with Marsh on a 21-yard touchdown pass in the waning seconds of the first, giving the Lions the 10-0 lead after the first.

A&M-Commerce's defense then put the team in prime position as Sul Ross State was set to punt out of its own endzone early in the second half. But the snap was fumbled by punter Logan Fox and pounced on by Shores, putting the Lions up 17-0 with 7:38 remaining in the half.

Sul Ross State would respond on its next possession, using a 60-yard kickoff return to set up great field position, then punching it into the endzone seven plays later to cut the deficit to 17-6 – a score that would hold through the remainder of the half.

After exchanging drives early in the third quarter, Rollison and the A&M-Commerce found its groove and put the pedal to the floor. The Lions would score three touchdowns in a five-minute span as Rollison tossed a 10-yard swing pass to Wingfield for his first collegiate touchdown, a 26-yard strike to Howard three minutes later before a 37-yard snag by Peasha with 1:41 remaining, breaking the game open at 38-6.

In case there was any doubt about the outcome, those doubts were quickly squashed as on the first play of Sul Ross' ensuing drive, C.J. Johnson recorded an interception and scampered 29 yards into the endzone to put A&M-Commerce in cruise control at 45-6.

A&M-Commerce put the icing on the cake early in the fourth quarter as Garrett rushed four yards for his first collegiate touchdown, extending the Lions' lead to 51-6 and putting the exclamation point on a dominating Lion victory.

It was the first meeting between the Lions and the Lobos since 1975 as A&M-Commerce continued to control the all-time series, improving to 19-5-3 all-time against Sul Ross State. The Lions also notched a victory in their season opener for the first time since defeating Upper Iowa 33-10 in 2010.

With the much-anticipated season opener now in its rear view mirror, A&M-Commerce now prepares for a return trip to AT&T Stadium in Arlington next week, facing Delta State in the 2013 Lone Star Football Festival. The Statesmen had an impressive showing Saturday as well, recording a 24-14 victory over Division I opponent Mississippi Valley State. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. Friday afternoon.