Tarleton State 54, A&M-Commerce 27
Location: Tarleton Memorial Stadium * Stephenville, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (0-6, 0-4 LSC); Tarleton State (2-5, 1-4 LSC)
Up Next: vs. Angelo State * Saturday, Oct. 22 * 2 p.m. * Commerce
STEPHENVILLE, Texas – A&M-Commerce trailed Tarleton State by just six points at the half, but a handful of second half miscues did in the Lions as they drop a 54-27 decision to the Texans at Tarleton Memorial Stadium in Stephenville. A&M-Commerce drops to 0-6 on the year and 0-4 in Lone Star Conference play while Tarleton State improves to 2-5 overall and 1-4 in conference play.
Quarterback J.J. Harp had an impressive night for the Lions, completing 32-of-56 passes for 354 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception. Harp completed passes to seven different receivers, led by Tyler Rawlings' best night in a Lion uniform, hauling in six catches for 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Taylor Fore pulled in seven receptions for 72 yards, pushing his career total to 106 receptions as he became just the 10th player in program history with 100 career catches and now sits eighth all-time in the Lion record books.
Kevin Bevans also had a solid night for A&M-Commerce, catching six passes for 57 yards and his first career touchdown. Adam Jones (five catches for 47 yards) and Marcus Graham (four catches for 40 yards and a touchdown) also added to the aerial attack.
But once again, it was the lack of a running game that doomed the A&M-Commerce offense. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Lions had rushed for -29 yards before finishing on the plus side with 15 total rushing yards. Jamar Mosely was the top rusher for A&M-Commerce, finishing with 22 yards on three carries with Graham able to generate just 14 yards on seven attempts.
Once again, the Lion defense was led by senior Cory Whitfield's 11.5 tackles. Fellow linebacker Danny Mason added eight tackles for A&M-Commerce with Marcus Fore and Marlin Terrell each adding 4.5 tackles in the backfield. Joel Wren posted four tackles for the Lions including a 21-yard interception return in the third quarter.
Both A&M-Commerce and Tarleton State came into the game tonight eager for a win as it was a closely contested game early on. The Texans got on the board first, scoring a three-yard touchdown run in the waning seconds of the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead. The Lions responded as Harp connected with Rawlings for a 39-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter, the longest offensive play of the year for A&M-Commerce, tying the game at 7-7.
The Texans would tally the next 10 points off a seven-yard touchdown run and a 39-yard field goal just two minutes apart, aided by a Lion fumble on the ensuing kickoff, taking a 17-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
The Lions appeared to have some momentum, using a nine-play, 63-yard drive which was capped with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Harp to Graham to cut the lead to 17-13. But all that momentum was quickly thwarted as the ensuing extra point was blocked and returned 98 yards by Tarleton, giving the Texans the 19-13 lead at the half.
A&M-Commerce was looking to make a statement early in the second half, but the Texans beat them to the punch, returning the second half kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown to make it 26-13 Tarleton. On the next possession, the Texans took the wind out of the Lions' sails, punching in another touchdown to take a commanding 33-13 lead after three.
Tarleton continued its dominance early in the fourth quarter, putting the game out of reach on the first play of the quarter with a 16-yard touchdown pass to establish a dominating 40-13 lead. The Lions continued to fight hard as they took advantage of a Texan miscue with Harp connecting to Bevans for a three-yard touchdown pass with 11:39 remaining, cutting the gap to 40-21 off a converted two-point conversion.
But any comeback attempt was quickly vanquished by Tarleton, who notched two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to build a 54-20 lead before Rawlings hauled in his second touchdown pass from Harp with four seconds left to cut the final margin to 54-27.
Tarleton State was led by quarterback Nick Stephens' 21-of-33 for 256 yards and a touchdown with running back Courtney Vaughn racking up 117 yards on the ground on 23 carries with a pair of touchdown rushes. Brad Croak led the Texan receiving corps with eight catches for 99 yards while defensively Marquis Wadley and Rufus Johnson each had 6.5 tackles.
It continues to be a rough season for A&M-Commerce as the Lions drop to 0-6 for the first time since the 1926 season. They will be looking to end that skid at home, hosting Angelo State on Saturday, October 22. The game against the Rams marks the annual homecoming tilt for the Lions as a number of festivities are planned throughout the weekend, including the 2011 Athletic Hall of Fame banquet. Kickoff against the Rams is set for 2 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
