A&M-Commerce Lions at Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas
Saturday, October 12th • 7 p.m.
Javelina Stadium • Kingsville, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (3-2, 0-2 LSC); A&M-Kingsville (2-2, 0-2 LSC)
Video: JavelinaAthletics.com
Radio: KETR 88.9 FM (listen online at KETR.org)
Live Stats: LionAthletics.com
Twitter Updates: @Lion_Athletics
A&M-Commerce Weekly Game Notes (PDF)
Opening Kick
A&M-Commerce resumes its long-standing rivalry with A&M-Kingsville on Saturday, October 12th, at 7 p.m. in Javelina Stadium in Kingsville. The Lions and Javelinas once again will wage battle in the annual Chennault Cup game as both squads are seeking their first Lone Star Conference victory of the season.
Lions on the Web
Fans unable to make it to Kingsville for Saturday's Chennault Cup showdown with the Javelinas can still catch every Lion play. Live video will be available at JavelinaAthletics.com, with a link to the stream available at the Lion Game Day Central. KETR 88.9 FM will carry the game live with Charlie Chitwood and Brock Callaway on the call, and will be streamed online at KETR.org. Live stats will be available at LionAthletics.com while Twitter followers can get in-game updates @Lion_Athletics.
Scouting the Javelinas
Roster • Statistics
2013: 2-2 overall, 0-2 Lone Star Conference
Last Week: Lost to Midwestern State, 43-10, in Wichita Falls, Texas
Head Coach: David Calloway (Langston, 1990). First season at A&M-Kingsville (2-2, .500)
Key Offensive Players:
• #33 Greg Pitre (Fr., RB): 26 carries for 230 yards (8.8 avg.), 2 TDs, long of 89
• #34 Cornelis Shackelford (Sr., RB): 40 rushes for 187 yards (4.7 avg.), 2 TDs, long of 37
• #7 Robert Armstrong (Sr., WR): 21 catches for 156 yards (7.4 avg.), 1 TD, long of 17
• #14 Dean Brantley (Sr., QB): 6-of-10 (60.0%) for 54 yards (18.0 avg.), 2 TDs, long of 32
Key Defensive Players:
• #41 Mark Severe (Jr., LB): 28 tackles (13 solo), 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 PBU, 1 FF
• #35 Brandon James (Jr., LB): 26 tackles (13 solo), 1.5 TFL, 1 QBH, 1 FR, 1 FF
• #2 Robert Williams (Sr., DE): 24 tackles (12 solo), 4.5 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBU, 3 QBH
• #99 Zane Brown (Sr., DT): 24 tackles (9 solo), 5.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 QBH
Synopsis: A&M-Kingsville heads into Saturday's game at 3-2 on the year but coming off a two-game skid, falling to fourth-ranked West Texas A&M 69-7 before dropping a 43-10 decision at Midwestern State last weekend. A&M-Kingsville opened up the year with victories at Central Washington and against McMurry, and also had a 40-37 overtime win over Monterrey Tech at the Lone Star Football Festival in a game that doesn't count toward the season results. The Javelinas' biggest question mark heading into Saturday will be at the quarterback position as A&M-Kingsville has had four different signal callers in its four official games this season, throwing for a combined 414 yards. The Javelina rushing attack has been its biggest strength on the year, averaging 223.2 yards per game with nine touchdowns.
Series Information
The rivalry between A&M-Commerce and A&M-Kingsville is the longest-standing active rivalry in program history as Saturday marks the 61st meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1930. A&M-Commerce and A&M-Kingsville have met each year since the 1954 season as the Javelinas hold a 36-23-1 edge all-time against the Lions, including winning eight of the last 10 meetings. A&M-Commerce currently holds the Chennault Cup, however, thanks to a come-from-behind 21-14 overtime victory on a rain-soaked night at Memorial Stadium in 2012 as the Lions scored with six seconds remaining in regulation to force the overtime period. A&M-Commerce has posted an 8-20 all-time mark at Javelina Stadium and have dropped five-straight in South Texas since a 30-24 victory in 2001.
Chennault Cup Series Resumes Saturday
Saturday's game in Kingsville marks the 17th Chennault Cup battle between A&M-Commerce and A&M-Kingsville, adding to what has become a fierce rivalry. Implemented in 1991, the Chennault Cup recognizes the late Lt. General Claire Chennault, the Commerce native who was a member of the famous "Flying Tigers" fighter squadron during the 1930s and was the commander of the 14th Air Force during World War II. The first two games pitted A&M-Commerce against West Alabama before the annual trophy game shifted to the yearly clash between the Lions and Javelinas in 1992. Kingsville had become the seemingly permanent home for the trophy since then as A&M-Kingsville has a 13-3 record against the Lions in Chennault Cup games, but the Lions shocked the Javelinas for a 21-14 overtime victory in 2012, capturing the cup for the first time since 2001.
Lions Withstand Lightning, Storm For 31-29 Victory
A&M-Commerce withstood a slow start, a two and a half hour lightning delay and a late surge by the Savage Storm to hold on for a riveting 31-29 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma Saturday in Durant, Okla. The Lions fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter as the Storm rolled up 150 yards of total offense in the first quarter, compared to 14 for the Lions. After pulling to within three at 17-14 heading into halftime, a cold front triggered an impressive lightning storm which delayed the game for nearly two and a half hours. But A&M-Commerce came out the aggressor in the second half, using a 76-yard touchdown pass from Tyrik Rollison to Vernon Johnson, followed by a blocked punt return for a touchdown by Dionte Taylor to build a 28-17 lead heading into the third quarter. The Lions then outlasted the Southeastern Oklahoma fourth quarter charge, stopping the Savage Storm on a pair of two-point conversion attempts to escape Durant with the 31-29 victory.
Rollison Continues To Roll
Junior quarterback Tyrik Rollison has established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the Lone Star Conference, notching his third 300-yard passing game on the season against Southeastern Oklahoma. Rollison completed 17 of his 27 passes for 323 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions and currently sits at 1,469 passing yards through the first five games, completing 58.3 percent of his passes. Rollison ranks second in the conference in passing yards per game (293.8), passing efficiency (146.9) and total offense (300.4 ypg) among league starters and remains on pace to become the first Lion quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season, which would make him the all-time single-season passing leader in program history.
Johnson Strikes Again From Long Range
Junior wide receiver Vernon Johnson has jump started the A&M-Commerce offensive attack in 2013, hauling in 24 catches for 492 yards and six touchdowns through four games. He has become Tyrik Rollison's favorite target on the year as the duo connected for a 76-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter against Southeastern Oklahoma to put the Lions on top 21-17, his second touchdown catch of 75-yards or more on the season. Johnson finished with eight catches for a career-best 182 yards and a pair of touchdowns and currently leads the Lone Star Conference in receving yards (123.0) and all-purpose yards (164.5) per game while ranking second in receptions per game (6.0 rpg) and fifth in scoring (9.0 ppg).
Frosch Tabbed LSC Special Teams Player of the Week
Senior punter Cameron Frosch had his best game of the season at Southeastern Oklahoma Saturday, booting six punts for 289 yards against the Savage Storm, averaging 48.2 yards per kick and earning him the distinction as the Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. Frosch had a long kick of 53 yards and had two punts downed inside the five-yard line, helping to pin the Storm deep in its own territory. A third team preseason All-American, Frosch ranks fourth in the Lone Star Conference in punting, averaging 40.1 yards per punt and currently sits at 9,162 yards for his career, needing just 170 yards to surpass Dan Roberson (1983-86) as the all-time punting leader in Lions program history.
Welcome to the 100 Club
A pair of Lion senior defenders reached impressive career milestones against Southeastern Oklahoma Saturday, reaching 100 tackles for their A&M-Commerce careers. Defensive back Marcus Fore had four stops against the Savage Storm, including three solo stops, giving him 102 career tackles. On the defensive line, senior Jake Williams recorded one tackle on the afternoon, pushing him to 100 for his Lion career as well. It marks the second-straight week that a Lion defensive senior joined the 100-tackle club as defensive end Tevin Moore achieved the feat last week against Midwestern State.
Moore, Tuaau Anchor Defensive Front
Senior defensive end Tevin Moore and junior nose tackle Charles Tuaau have helped made A&M-Commerce's defensive front one of the most intimidating in the Lone Star Conference. Against the Savage Storm, Moore led the Lions with nine tackles, including five solo and 1.5 tackles for loss, while Tuaau had five stops, three of which were tackles for loss with a sack. The tandem sit atop the LSC leaders in a pair of categories as Moore and Tuuau rank one-two in tackles for loss per game (1.90 and 1.80) as the pair sit tied for the conference lead in sacks per game (1.00) and helping A&M-Commerce emerge as the conference leader in both categories.
Martinez Adding Stability to Kicking Attack
Junior kicker Saul Martinez is doing exactly what he was expected to do when he was brought to Commerce - add stability to the Lion kicking attack. Through the first five games of 2013, Martinez ranks second on the team with 35 points, averaging 7.0 points per game for the Lions. He has been perfect on extra points, hitting all 23 of his attempts, while hitting four of his five field goal attempts with a long of 34 against Midwestern State.
One Streak Snapped...
A&M-Commerce's 31-29 victory at Southeastern Oklahoma Saturday ended a streak the Lions are happy to see fall by the wayside. It was the Lions' first road victory since a 31-30 victory at Central Oklahoma in 2010, snapping an 11 game losing streak and giving the seniors their first road win since their freshman seasons.
...With Another Streak in Sight
Now that A&M-Commerce's road losing streak is done away with, the Lions are looking to notch a road victory against a team from the state of Texas for the first time in nearly seven years. The last time A&M-Commerce defeated a team from the Lone Star state on the road was a 17-9 victory at Angelo State in 2006 - a span of 15 games. To put it in perspective, the last Lion head coach to win a road game in the state of Texas was during Scotty Conley's third season on the A&M-Commerce sideline.
Lions Rank Among National Leaders
Through the first four weeks of the 2013 season, A&M-Commerce continues to rank among the Division II national leaders in a pair of categories. The Lions are currently tied with Lone Star Conference foe West Texas A&M as the national leaders in tackles for loss per game, sitting at 11.6, while ranking third in the country in sacks per game at 4.8 and 15th in punt return average at 16.3 yards per return. Individually, Ronald Fields ranks fourth nationally in passes defended per game (2.2) while Tyrik Rollison currently sits 18th in passing yards (1,469) and 20th in passing yards per game (293.8). Defensively, the defensive line tandem of Tevin Moore and Charles Tuaau continue to make their mark in both tackles for loss and sacks per game as the duo is tied for 15th nationally in sacks per game (1.0) while ranking 12th (Moore - 1.9) and 17th (Tuaau - 1.8) respectively in tackles for loss per game.
Lions Among Lone Star Conference Leaders
A&M-Commerce continues to rank among the Lone Star Conference leaders in both the team and individual standings in a handful of categories. As a team, the Lions continue to rank first in punt return average (16.3 ypr) and sacks (24) while sitting second in scoring offense (35.8 ppg), passing offense (313.0 ypg) and passing efficiency (143.1). Individually, 12 Lions rank among the league leaders in 14 categories, highlighted by Vernon Johnson leading the LSC in receiving yards per game (123.0) and all-purpose yards per game (164.5) while sitting second in receptions per game (6.0), along with Ronald Fields leading the conference in passes defended (2.20). Tevin Moore remains the Lone Star Conference leader in both sacks (1.00) and tackles for loss (1.90), being joined by teammate Charles Tuaau, as Tyrik Rollison sits second in passing yards per game (293.0), passing efficiency (165.6) and total offense per game (300.4).
Looking Ahead
After two-straight road contests, A&M-Commerce finally returns home to take on former Lone Star Conference rival McMurry on Saturday, October 19th. It marks the first meeting between the two programs since the 1971 season as the Lions are 9-5 all-time against the War Hawks. The game will also mark A&M-Commerce's Breast Cancer Awareness Game with opening kick set for 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above
