Texas A&M University-Commerce claimed the Lone Star Conference North Division title outright on Saturday with a 15-12 win over host Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford, Oklahoma.

A&M-Commerce (5-5, 5-0 LSC North) won its first outright LSC divisional title since 1990 when it was a member of the LSC South Division. The Lions closed out the season winning five of its last six games.

The Lions were trailing 12-7 with 9:16 left in the game when they marched six plays and 34 yards. A&M-Commerce took advantage of two personal fouls and a decision by the coaches to go for it on fourth and goal from the 1. Facing fourth and goal at the one-yard line, junior Adam Farkes scored the go-ahead touchdown with 6:24 left to give the Lions a 13-12 advantage. On the two-point conversion, Farkes found Adam Jones to extend the lead to 15-12. 

Southwestern Oklahoma State (1-10, 1-4 LSC North) took the ensuing kickoff and marched down to the A&M-Commerce 25-yard line before quarterback Steve Day mishandled a snap and Lions' defensive lineman Andreé Smith recovered the fumble.

Next, the Lions ran on the strength of Marcus Graham to run out the clock to close out the game and to pick up the win. Facing a third and two, Graham broke loose a 34-yard gain to seal the win. For the afternoon, he finished with 26 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown.

A&M-Commerce junior Cory Whitfield led the Lions defense that held an opponent to under 100 yards rushing for the seventh time on the season. The Palestine, Texas native made 14 tackles including 10 solos. After a seven-sack effort, last week, the defense followed that up with an eight-sack effort on Saturday. Senior Anthony DeGrate had 3.5 sacks for minus 18 yards and William Green had two more sacks for minus nine yards.

A&M-Commerce found itself behind early on two field goals by the Bulldogs' Chad McIntosh of 23 and 48 yards, respectively for a 6-0 advantage. Late in the second quarter, the Lions took its first lead on a one-yard touchdown run by Graham for a 7-6 advantage with 1:21 to go in the opening half.

The Lions were up 7-6 until Day connected with John Haggerty for 27-yard touchdown pass completion. SWOSU elected to go for two after the touchdown and that attempt failed to set the stage for the heroics by Farkes and the Lions. Farkes finished the afternoon with 21 of 36 passing for 206 yards and on the ground; he had five carried for minus eight yards and a touchdown.