A&M-Commerce Lions at Houston Baptist Huskies
Saturday, November 9th • 3 p.m.
Strake Jesuit Crusader Stadium • Houston, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (6-3), Houston Baptist (3-3)

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

Opening Kick
A&M-Commerce hits the road for the final time in 2013, making the trek south to take on Division I FCS opponent Houston Baptist Saturday at 3 p.m. at Strake Jesuit Preparatory College Crusader Stadium. The game against the Huskies marks the second-straight season the Lions have played a game against a Division I foe as Houston Baptist is hosting A&M-Commerce in its first-ever Homecoming game.

Lions on the Web
Fans unable to make it to Houston for Saturday's game against the Huskies can still catch every Lion play. A live video stream as well as live stats for the game will be available at HBUHuskies.com with links to both available at LionAthletics.com as well. 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. Twitter followers can also get in-game updates through the A&M-Commerce Football Twitter account @Lions_FB.

Scouting the Huskies
Roster • Statistics
2013: 3-3 overall
Last Week: Defeated Texas College 49-7 in Houston
Last Three Games: W vs. Texas College (49-7), L at Incarnate Word (24-3), L vs. Abilene Christian (69-12)
Head Coach: Vic Shealey (Richmond, 1984). First season at Houston Baptist (3-3, .500)
Key Offensive Players:
• #15 Ka'Darius Baker (Fr., QB): 75-of-130 passing (57.7%) for 891 yards (148.5 avg.), 3 TDs, 3 INTs, long of 70
• #5 B.J. Kelly (Fr., RB): 81 rushes for 435 yards (5.4 avg.), 4 TDs, long of 49
• #3 Craig Bell (R-Fr., RB): 59 rushes for 290 yards (4.9 avg.), 5 TDs, long of 32
• #2 Darian Lazard (R-Jr., WR): 17 catches for 203 yards (11.9 avg.), 1 TD, long of 70
• #81 Wesley Lewis (Fr., WR): 13 catches for 220 yards (16.9 avg.), 2 TDs, long of 40
Key Defensive Players:
• #40 Garrett Dolan (Fr., LB): 58 tackles (32 solo), 4.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 INT, 1 PBU
• #36 Terrell Brown (Fr., LB): 51 tackles (30 solo), 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 INT, 2 PBU
• #22 Cody Moncure (Fr., S): 46 tackles (32 solo), 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU
• #24 Taylor Thompson (Fr., DB): 35 tackles (21 solo), 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 4 INTs, 1 PBU, 1 FR
• #20 Keith Ewing (R-So., LB): 22 tackles (11 solo), 5.0 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 1 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR
Synopsis: Houston Baptist is in its inaugural season of football in 2013 and have posted a 3-3 record with a team comprised primarily of freshmen and sophomores. The Huskies have logged wins over Wayland Baptist (52-28), Oklahoma Baptist (34-3) and Texas College (49-7) with the trio of losses coming to Division I FCS national runner-up Sam Houston State (74-0) and former Lone Star Conference foes Abilene Christian (69-12) and Incarnate Word (24-3). Offensively, Houston Baptist's strength is their running game as the Huskies are averaging 160.7 yards per game on the ground, compared to 156.2 yard passing as HBU is averaging 25.0 points per game. Defensively, the Huskies are allowing 34.2 points per game, giving up 199.7 yards per game on the ground and 162.8 yards per game through the air.

Series Information
A&M-Commerce and Houston Baptist meet for the first time this Saturday as the Huskies are in their first season of competing in football. The Lions have gone head-to-head against 10 other current Southland Conference schools, posting a 136-108-5 (.556) all-time record.

Late Ram Touchdown Spoils Homecoming, 25-20
A&M-Commerce's offense struggled for the first three quarters against Angelo State Saturday evening, managing just seven points and 143 total yards through the first 45 minutes of play. Trailing 19-7 heading into the final quarter, the Lions finally woke up, racking up 146 yards of offense and 13 points, rallying to take the lead over the Rams 20-19 midway through the fourth. But Angelo State would rally to notch the go-ahead touchdown with 1:30 remaining, then intercepted A&M-Commerce's final comeback attempt at midfield to preserve the victory, marking the seventh-straight Homecoming defeat for the Lions.

Johnson Cracks 1,000...
One of the highlights of the season for A&M-Commerce has been the play of wide receiver Vernon Johnson. With his eight catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday, Johnson became just the second player in program history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season, sitting at 1,022 and just 37 yards shy of surpassing James Epps' program record of 1,058 set in 1996. Johnson has had six 100-yard receiving games in eight appearances this year with 12 touchdown receptions, tying Lion Hall of Famers George Daskalakes (1969)  and Gary Compton (1990) for the most touchdown catches in a single season, while his 51 catches is just eight shy of setting the new program single-season mark, currently held by Victory Bennett (2004) and Taylor Fore (2011).

...As Does Stewart
Junior quarterback Harrison Stewart struggled against Angelo State Saturday but still completed 19 of his 36 attempts for 256 yards and a pair of touchdowns. For the season, Stewart has completed 61.1% of his passes, which is currently fourth all-time for highest completion percentage in program history, throwing for 1,017 yards and eight touchdowns.

Which is Nothing Compared to Frosch
Senior punter Cameron Frosch, who earlier this season became the program's all-time leading punter, reached another impressive career milestone in the game Saturday at Angelo State. With his eight punts for 282 yards, Frosch eclipsed the 10,000-yard punting mark for his career, currently sitting at 10,164 punting yards. To put that in perspective, he has racked up enough yards during his career to clear Mount Everest's 29,029 foot summit (9,676 yards), punting the football just shy of six miles. Frosch currently sits fourth in the Lone Star Conference in punting average in 2013, booting the football 40.5 yards per punt.

Tuaau Causing Headaches
Junior nose tackle Charles Tuaau has quickly established himself as one of the top defensive players in the conference, and had a breakout game against Angelo State Saturday. The Wahiawa, Hawaii native recorded a career-best 12 tackles, including five tackles for loss against the Rams. Perhaps Tuaau's most memorable play came in the third quarter when he broke through the offensive line and tackled both the Ram quarterback and running back on the same play for one of his five tackles for loss on the afternoon. For the 2013 season, Tuaau has recorded 19.5 tackles for loss, ranking him second nationally in the category, while also leading the Lone Star Conference in sacks with 10.

Claggett Eclipses 200
With his seven tackles against Angelo State Saturday afternoon, senior linebacker Matt Claggett reached a monumental career milestone of his own, surpassing 200 career tackles in a Lion uniform. A fifth-year senior from Rockwall, Claggett now sits at 201 stops, marking the third-straight season that an A&M-Commerce linebacker has hit 200 career tackles (Cory Whitfield in 2011 and Danny Mason in 2012). Claggett's 49 tackles in 2013 is his second-best single-season performance, trailing just his 61 tackle performance as a sophomore in 2011.

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 has been perfect on the year in extra points, hitting all 40 of his attempts, while connecting on nine of his 13 field goal attempts. He has tallied 67 points on the year, averaging 7.4 points per game and ranking eighth in the conference, while setting the program's single-game scoring record for a kicker, recording 18 points in the win over McMurry.

Offensive Attack Among Program's Best
Through the first nine 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 327 points through the first nine games, ranking third all-time for points in a season behind the 1990 (398 points) and 1991 (351 points). With two games remaining, A&M-Commerce is averaging 36.3 points per game, which currently ranks as the highest point per game average in program history, just 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 Second in Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Voting
A&M-Commerce fans have made their voices hear loud and clear as head coach Colby Carthel has moved up to second in the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year voting. Trailing only Concord's Garin Justice, Carthel has rocketed up the charts as fans can vote for their favorite coach by "liking" Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year on Facebook, then casting their vote on a daily basis. The top-15 vote-getters move on to the national ballot where a committee with decide who is the 2013 Coach of the Year with the winning school receiving $50,000 to donate to a charity of its choice and $20,000 going towards the alumni relations department.

• Vote For Colby!

Homecoming Heartbreakers
Head coach Colby Carthel has preached all season that if A&M-Commerce can go undefeated in Homecoming games, the Lions will have a successful season. The Lions will play five games that fall on Homecoming dates this season, having already played the party crasher for Southeastern Oklahoma, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Tarleton State. Saturday's game at Houston Baptist marks the Huskies' inaugural Homecoming date as the Lions are 3-1 in Homecoming competitions this season, dropping its own to Angelo State last Saturday.

Lions Against The Southland Conference
While A&M-Commerce and Houston Baptist meet for the first time Saturday, the Lions have a rich tradition against the majority of the current Southland Conference membership. Four of the current football playing institutions (Abilene Christian, Incarnate Word, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin) are former Lone Star Conference rivals as A&M-Commerce has squared off against 10 of the conference's football-playing institutions. In the program's history, the Lions are 136-108-5 against current Southland Conference schools, a .556 winning percentage, including an all-time mark of 43-12-1 against Stephen F. Austin and 39-23-1 against Sam Houston.
       
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 (118.2 ypg), PAT percentage (100.0%) and sacks (37) while sitting second overall in kickoff returns (23.8), punt returns (14.2) and interceptions (10). 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 (2.44) and sacks (1.25) per game with Tevin Moore ranking second and third in the respective categories. Vernon Johnson is among the LSC leaders in five different categories, ranking first in receiving yards (127.8) and all-purpose yards (181.0) and is second in kick return average (35.5) and receptions per game (6.4).  Ronald Fields continues to lead the LSC in passes defended (1.44) while Deric Davis leads the LSC in passing efficiency (258.5) with Harrison Stewart sitting fifth at 137.8 .

Looking Ahead
A&M-Commerce closes out the 2013 regular season at Memorial Stadium when the Lions take on Eastern New Mexico on Saturday, November 16th. The Lions and Greyhounds have proven to be two of the most improved teams in the Lone Star Conference during the season as the 2013 A&M-Commerce seniors will be recognized prior to the game. Kickoff against Eastern New Mexico is set for 2 p.m.

For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above