A&M-Commerce Lions vs. Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds
Saturday, November 16 • 2 p.m.
Memorial Stadium • Commerce, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (7-3, 2-3 LSC); Eastern New Mexico (6-3, 4-1 LSC)

Live Video: LionAthletics.com
Radio: KETR 88.9 FM (listen online at KETR.org)
Live Stats: LionAthletics.com
Twitter Updates: @Lions_FB
A&M-Commerce Game Notes (PDF)

Opening Kick
A&M-Commerce closes out the 2013 season this Saturday, hosting a resurgent Eastern New Mexico team on Saturday, November 16th at Memorial Stadium. Opening kick against the Greyhounds is set for 2 p.m. as Saturday's game marks the Lions' Senior Day for the 2013 season.

Lions on the Web
Fans unable to make it to Memorial Stadium for Saturday's game against the Greyhounds can still catch every Lion play. A live video stream will be available at LionAthletics.com, powered by Stretch Internet,with a subscription required. 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 are available at LionAthletics.com while Twitter followers can get in-game updates through the A&M-Commerce Football Twitter account @Lions_FB.

Scouting the Greyhounds
2013: 6-3 overall, 4-1 Lone Star Conference play
Last Week: Defeated 12th-ranked Midwestern State, 40-21, in Blackwater Draw, N.M.
Last Three Games: W vs. #12 Midwestern State (40-21), W at #8 West Texas A&M (39-38), W vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville (13-10)
Head Coach: Josh Lynn (Eastern New Mexico, 2002). Second season at ENMU (9-10, .474)
Key Offensive Players:
• #15 Jeremy Buurma (R-So., QB): 86-of-159 passing (54.1%) for 1,423 yards (158.1 avg.), 8 TDs, 3 INTs
• #28 Jordan Wells (Jr., RB): 83 rushes for 611 yards (7.4 avg.), 3 TDs, long of 64
• #6 Christian Long (Sr., FB): 108 rushes for 432 yards (4.0 avg.), 9 TDs, long of 17
• #7 E'lon Spight (Jr., RB): 56 rushes for 233 yards (4.2 avg.), 3 TDs, long of 25
• #81 Jacob Johnson (Jr., WR): 32 catches for 571 yards (17.8 avg.), 2 TDs, long of 47
Key Defensive Players:
• #32 Seth Bailey (R-Jr., LB): 74 tackles (37 solo), 4.5 TFL, 3 INTs, 4 PBU, 2 QBH
• #8 Julian Yearwood (Jr., LB): 62 tackles (31 solo), 3.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 5 PBU, 2 FR
• #11 Benjamin Langford (Jr., LB): 59 tackles (41 solo), 9.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 3 PBU, 2 FF, 2FR
• #4 Kevin Reaves (Jr., DB): 54 tackles (37 solo), 4.5 TFL, 2 INT, 8 PBU, 1 FF
• #52 Christopher Barnard (Sr., LB): 51 tackles (26 solo), 8.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks, 9 QBH, 2 FF
Synopsis: Eastern New Mexico has emerged as the surprise team in the Lone Star Conference, knocking off top-15 ranked opponents in back-to-back weekends. The Greyhounds rallied late for a 39-38 victory at eighth-ranked West Texas A&M on November 2nd, then raced out to a commanding 28-0 lead before upending 12th-ranked Midwestern State in Blackwater Draw this past weekend. Eastern New Mexico has won five-straight and currently sits tied with Tarleton State in the drivers seat for the LSC championship. The Greyhounds' strength comes in their running game as Eastern New Mexico is averaging 245.2 rushing yards per game with seven players rushing for over 100 yards on the season. On defense, the Greyhounds are giving up just 356.1 yards of total offense, including 204.1 through the air.

Series Information
A&M-Commerce and Eastern New Mexico meet for the 27th time this Saturday as Eastern New Mexico holds a slim 14-12 edge in the all-time series. The Greyhounds hold a one-game winning streak after outlasting the Lions in a 7-3 defensive shootout last season in Portales, one year after A&M-Commerce dominated Eastern New Mexico 60-28 in the 2011 season finale at Memorial Stadium. The Greyhounds have had the upper hand in recent seasons, winning seven of the last three meetings, but A&M-Commerce has been consistently tough to handle at home, posting a 10-3 all-time mark against Eastern New Mexico at Memorial Stadium

Lions Dominate Division I Opponent Houston Baptist, 55-21
A&M-Commerce notched another milestone in the memorable 2013 season as the Lions dominated Division I FCS opponent Houston Baptist 55-21 at Strake Jesuit Crusader Stadium in Houston Saturday afternoon. The Lions racked up 545 yards of total offense, led by Harrison Stewart's 383 passing yards and five touchdown throws, all of which were career-highs. Wide receiver Seth Smith had three of the Lions' six total touchdown receptions on the night as Jordon Jenkins, Hayden Marsh and Stacy Howard pulled in the other three. Fellow wide receiver Vernon Johnson also logged his seventh 100-yard receiving day, pulling in 10 catches for 180 yards as the Lions improve to 7-3 on the year and notching the first victory over a current Division I opponent in program history.

Johnson Stands Alone
Junior wide receiver Vernon Johnson had another highlight night against Houston Baptist Saturday, and in the process elevated his status as one of the top all-time receivers in program history. Johnson pulled in 10 catches for 180 yards, his seventh 100-yard receiving performance of the season. He now holds the A&M-Commerce single-season records for both receiving yards and total receptions, sitting at 1,202 receiving yards on 61 catches in 2013. Johnson passed James Epps' 1,058 receiving yards in 1996 while surplanting Victor Bennett (2004) and Taylor Fore's (2011) 58 catches in a single season as he needs just one more touchdown reception to hold all three single-season receiving records for A&M-Commerce.

Impressive Night For Stewart
Junior quarterback Harrison Stewart recovered nicely from his first collegiate loss with a dominating performance against Houston Baptist Saturday evening. Stewart completed 23 of his 40 passes for a career-best 383 yards and five touchdowns, sitting just one touchdown shy of the single-game record set by Jim Gray against Austin College in 1952. On the season, Stewart has completed 61.1 percent of his passes, which currently ranks him fifth all-time in program history, throwing for 1,402 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Huskies Still Chasiing Smith
Junior wide receiver Seth Smith had the breakout game he was waiting for, and did it in a major way. The Ennis native hauled in six catches for 115 yards as three of those receptions went for touchdowns. Smith opened up the game with a 45-yard touchdown reception just 56 seconds into the game, then had touchdown catches of 34 and 16 yards to help the Lions roar past the Huskies 55-21. On the season, Smith is the Lions' second-leading receiver, pulling in 47 catches for 508 yardsa and five touchdowns - all of which are new career highs.

Tuaau, Moore Remain Feared Combo
A&M-Commerce's defensive line remains one of the top units in all of Division II as the Lions rank second nationally in tackles for loss per game and third in sacks per game. Two of the main components of that formula have been junior nose tackle Charles Tuaau and senior defensive end Tevin Moore, both of which rank among the conference and national leaders in both tackles for loss and sacks. Tuaau is the LSC leader in both categories with 11 sacks and 20 tackles for loss, ranking second and seventh nationally respectively. Moore isn't far behind as he has notched 15.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, ranking in the top-40 in both categories as well in addition to being tied for second on the A&M-Commerce roster in total tackles (54).

Martinez Remaining Consistent
Junior kicker Saul Martinez has been a key contributor for the A&M-Commerce's success in 2013 as the Pittsburg native has added some much needed consistency to the Lion kicking game. Martinez had another perfect outing against Houston Baptist Saturday, connecting on all seven of his extra point attempts as well as hitting both of his field goal attempts, giving him 13 points on the night against the Huskies. The single-game kicking all-time leader with his 18 points against McMurry on October 19th, Martinez is one of only two LSC players to be a perfect 100 percent on his extra point attempts (47-of-47) and is ranked third in field goal percentage at 73.3% (11-of-15).

Offensive Attack Among Program's Best
Through the first 10 games of the 2013 season, A&M-Commerce's offensive attack has proven to be one of the most productive in program history. The Lions have scored 382 points through the first 10 games, ranking second all-time for points in a season behind the 1990 (398 points) and on the verge of becoming the most prolific offensive team the Lions have ever fielded. With one game remaining, A&M-Commerce is averaging 38.2 points per game, which currently ranks as the highest point per game average in program history, edging out the 36.2 points per game averaged by the 1990 team. The 2013 Lions are currently on pace to become just the fourth team in program history to average 30 points or more per game, joining the 1968 (31.8 ppg), 1990 (36.2 ppg) and 1991 teams (31.9 ppg).

Carthel Remains Second in Coach of the Year Voting
Head coach Colby Carthel remains second in the Division II standings of the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award voting as the Lions have emerged as one of the top turnaround teams in all of college football. After back-to-back 1-9 seasons, Carthel and the Lions have surged to a 7-3 record, including a pair of wins against ranked opponents as well as a victory over a Division I opponent, and have secured the program's first winning season since 2001. Fan voting continues as Carthel remains in second place in the Division II voting behind Garin Justice of Concord. Fans can cast their vote daily by "liking" Liberty Mutual's Coach of the Year on Facebook, then casting their ballot for coach Carthel. The top-15 vote getters will move on to the finals where a committee will determine the 2013 Coach of the Year, with the winning coach's institution receiving $50,000 to donate to a charity of their choice as well as $20,000 for the alumni development center.

• Vote For Colby Here!

Saturday Marks Final Home Game for 15 Lions
With the 2013 regular season coming to a close this Saturday, 15 A&M-Commerce Lions will play their final game at Memorial Stadium. A unique group of Lions, it contains a handful of players who endured the back-to-back 1-9 seasons, but also played a key role in helping A&M-Commerce record one of the top turnarounds in all of NCAA football in 2013. Each of the players will be recognized prior to the start of the game against Eastern New Mexico Saturday.
       
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 rank first in the LSC in rushing defense (126.1 ypg), PAT percentage (100.0%) and sacks (42) while sitting second overall in kickoff returns (23.4) and punt returns (13.7) . Individually, 11 Lions rank among the Lone Star Conference leaders in 15 categories, highlighed by Charles Tuaau leading the LSC in both tackles for loss (2.00) and sacks (1.10) per game while Vernon Johnson is among the LSC leaders in five different categories, ranking first in receiving yards (133.6) and all-purpose yards (180.9) and is second in kick return average (35.5) and receptions per game (6.8).  

For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above