The tandem of quarterback Terry
Mayo and wide receiver Willie Thornton connected on three first
half touchdowns to lead Texas A&M University-Commerce to a
38-14 win over Eastern New Mexico on Saturday night.
Thornton etched his named into the
record book with 266 yards receiving, eclipsing the 12-year old
mark of 259 yards held by James Epps. He also tied Epps' record of
four touchdown receptions against Eastern New Mexico in 1996.
Mayo finished the night with a
career-high 360 yards and 5 touchdowns. The 360 yards are the most
since Lions' quarterback Buster Faulkner threw for a school record
445 against Northeastern State on September 18, 2004. The five
touchdowns are the most since a school record six touchdowns were
thrown by James Gray in 1952 against Austin College.
In addition to the offensive
fireworks, the A&M-Commerce defense stifled the Greyhounds'
spread offense for 211 yards - 133 of coming in the second half.
Eastern New Mexico quarterbacks Cory Baker and J.J. Harp combined
to complete 17 of 51 passes for three interceptions; however, the
ground game for the Greyhounds was limited seven yards on 23
carries.
The Lions offense racked up 545
yards of total offense, the most in the Scotty Conley era and since
a 549-yard effort against Central Oklahoma on September 15, 2001.
The win snaps a three-game losing streak in the series history
against the Greyhounds. In the win, A&M-Commerce raises its
record to 2-2 and Eastern New Mexico falls to 1-3.
A&M-Commerce got on the board
first after an interception by junior Cory Whitfield, two plays
later, Mayo connected with Thornton for a 15-yard touchdown strike
on a post play for the first points scored by A&M-Commerce in
the first quarter in 2008. The Lions missed the ensuing extra point
for the 6-0 advantage.
A&M-Commerce added to its lead
when Mayo found a wide open Thornton for a 47-yard touchdown pass
reception and a successful extra-point attempt put the Lions in
front 13-0. The Lions extended its lead to 15-0 when redshirt
freshman Marcus Graham blocked a Tim Hall punt out of the end zone
for a safety.
Mayo and Thornton teamed up again,
in the second quarter, on a 98-yard touchdown strike that put
A&M-Commerce in front by a 22-0 margin. The Lions extended its
lead to 29-0 on an 8 play, 78-yard drive towards the end of the
second quarter. During the drive Mayo went 4-for-4 to three
different receivers, culminating with an 18-yard touchdown
reception to Ernest Quander in the back of the end zone.
Early in the fourth quarter, the
Greyhounds dodged the shutout on a 17-yard touchdown reception by
Darian Dale from J.J. Harp after an A&M-Commerce fumble.
The Lions closed out the scoring on
a safety when Luke Higgins and DeCarlas Lue forced Harp to unleash
a pass in the end zone. Despite dodging the sack, the officials
called Harp for grounding and resulting in the second safety of the
contest for the Greyhounds. With 3:14 left in the game, Harp and
Dale connected on a second touchdown for Eastern New Mexico to
close out the scoring.
A&M-Commerce is on the road for
its next three games, starting with a matchup against Central
Oklahoma at 6 p.m. in Edmond, Oklahoma.
