No. 17 West Texas A&M 45, A&M-Commerce 14
Location: Memorial Stadium · Commerce, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (1-9, 1-7 LSC); West Texas A&M (9-2, 7-1 LSC)
COMMERCE, Texas – A&M-Commerce closed out the 2012 football season with a 45-14 loss to 17th-ranked West Texas A&M Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. The Lions close out the year with a 1-9 overall record, finishing 1-7 in Lone Star Conference play.
West Texas A&M racked up 510 yards of total offense, including 311 through the air, with A&M-Commerce generating 337. The Lions had their most productive rushing game of the season, racking up 120 yards on 31 carries, led by 72 from Jamar Mosley on 12 rushes.
Through the air, Kevin Vye completed 15-of-31 passes for 217 yards, finding Garrett Smith five times for 51 yards. Tyler Rawlings hauled in the most receiving yards for A&M-Commerce, tallying 81 yards on four catches with Tevin Godfrey matching Smith's 51 yards on four catches.
Defensively, A&M-Commerce was once again led by senior linebacker Danny Mason, who closed out his stellar Lion career with 15 tackles, including eight solo, finishing the year as the Lone Star Conference's leading tackler. Stephen Ford added six tackles along with a sack while Marlin Terrell and Joel Wren each had five stops.
Punter Cameron Frosch remained one of the Lions most potent weapons on special teams, reeling off eight punts and averaging 44.6 per kick, highlighted by a 61 yarder and pinning the Buffs inside their 20 on three occasions.
A&M-Commerce was looking for a strong finish to a disappointing 2012 season and hoping to send the 10 Lion seniors out in style. But West Texas A&M set the tone early in the game as after holding the Lions to a three-and-out on their first possession, the ensuing punt was blocked and returned 25 yards for a Buff touchdown, putting West Texas A&M on top 7-0 three minutes into the game.
After another three-and-out for A&M-Commerce, the Buffs found pay dirt once again, covering 47 yards in nine plays and finishing with a five-yard touchdown run to up its lead to 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Late in the first half, A&M-Commerce finally began to find its groove, putting together a five-play 56-yard drive which culminated in an 11-yard touchdown run by Mosley as the Lions cut the gap to 14-7 with 2:11 remaining until halftime.
But West Texas A&M made sure to regain momentum heading into the break, covering 73 yards in nine plays on its ensuing possession as the Buffs added a 15-yard touchdown run with 35 seconds remaining in the half, taking a 21-7 lead into halftime.
The Buffs extended that advantage to 28-7 midway through the third off a 13-yard touchdown pass, capping a 10-play drive that started at their own two-yard line.
A&M-Commerce answered back with with a touchdown drive of its own, moving 75 yards in five plays as Wayne Chapman punched it in from five yards out, pulling the Lions to within two touchdowns at 28-14 with 3:43 remaining in the third. But on the first play of West Texas A&M's ensuing drive, the Buffs thwarted the upset bid as Dustin Vaughan connected with Torrence Allen for 72 yards on the first play, building a 35-14 lead after three quarters.
West Texas A&M would add another touchdown and a field goal in the fourth, sealing the 45-14 victory over A&M-Commerce, notching its sixth-straight win over the Lions. Vaughan completed 20-of-29 passes for 278 yards and the two touchdowns with Khiry Robinson rushing for 110 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns of his own. Allen was the Buffs' leading receiver, hauling in four catches for 103 yards and a touchdown.
A&M-Commerce closes out the season with a 1-9 overall record and a 1-7 mark in Lone Star Conference action for the second-straight season. The Lions now head into the offseason with a number of question marks at a handful of positions, but also with a strong core of underclassmen ready to make their mark on the program.
