Commerce, Texas – No. 15 A&M-Commerce (5-1, 4-0) outlasted No. 16 Angelo State (4-2, 1-2) 38-35 in a game that lived up to the expectations of being billed as the NCAA Division II Game of the Week after going down to the wire Saturday night in Memorial Stadium like the repeating the same pattern as the previous four meetings between the two Lone Star Conference programs. 
 
Turning Point
- With the Lions leading 31-21 in a stagnate third quarter between the two teams, Davarus Shores broke through the line and blocked a punt that lead to a Dionte Taylor scoop and score from two yards out. The score gave the Lions a 38-21 lead with 11:22 left in the 3rd quarter. It was the final score for the Lions in the game proving to be the game-winning points.
 
Highlights
- Richard Cooper ran for 101 yards on 23 carries with one touchdown.
 
- Theo Wofford, the nation's leader in yards per carry, gained 86 yards on 12 carries for a 6.8 yards per carry average.
 
- Harrison Stewart completed 17 of his 27 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown. Gabriel Rodriguez connected on both of his pass attempts including a touchdown strike.
 
- Darby Smith led the Lions with seven catches for 93 yards and one score.  Derrick Mason added six catches for 30 yards and a TD.
 
- Chase Thrasher pinned the Rams inside their own 20 four times in the game.  He averaged 38.8 yards on nine punts.
 
- The Lions intercepted ASU quarterback Kyle Washington twice in the game. Chris Smith and Demarlon Morris each came away with INTs. Morris returned his for 26 yards and a touchdown.
 
- A&M-Commerce out gained Angelo State on the ground with 148 yards compared to 121 yards for the Rams.
 
- Cole Pitts and Steven Baker tied for the team-high with seven tackles each.  Each player also accounted for a pass breakup, and Pitts recorded a sack.
 
- Charles Woods led the Lions with two pass break ups. Woods also accounted for five tackles including a half a tackle for a loss. 
Summary
1st Quarter
- Angelo State capped off a methodical 10-play, 85-yard drive with a two-yard run by Washington with 8:27 left in the quarter to open the scoring in the game.
 
- A&M-Commerce answered three plays later with a nine-yard touchdown run by Cooper to the tie the game at seven. Stewart connected on a 15-yard strike to Smith then found Lance Evans down the down for a 46-yard pass to set up the Cooper score.
 
- Wofford highlighted a six-play, 44-yard drive with three rushes including a bruising 24-yard run. Rodriquez capped off the drive, which was set up by a Smith interception, with a one-yard touchdown pass to Macon.  The score gave the Lions a 14-7 lead with 3:03 left in the quarter.
 
2nd Quarter
- Morris picked off a pass and scampered 26-yards for a touchdown to give the Lions a 21-7 lead with 13:39 left before the half.
 
- Angelo State cut the deficit down to 21-14 with a quick strike 58-yard touchdown pass from Washington to Mark Munson with 9:51 left in the quarter.
 
- A&M-Commerce responded with a 7-play, 75-yard drive that ended when Smith caught a pass off the defensive back's hands and ran 27 yards for the score.  The score gave the Lions a 28-14 with 7:11 left in the second quarter.
 
- ASU took advantage of strip sack by Matthew Gholston and Clayton Callicuttat fell on the loose ball in the end zone for the score to trim the margin down to 28-21 with 3:02 left in the quarter.
 
- The Lions added an 18-yard field goal by Kristov Martinez to end a 10-play, 72-yard drive that lasted 2:43 right before the half to take a 31-21 lead into the break.
 
3rd Quarter
- A&M-Commerce opened the scoring in the second half with a blocked punt by Davarus Shores. Dionte Taylor picked up the ball and ran two yards into the end zone for the touchdown.  The score gave the Lions a 38-21 lead.
 
4th Quarter
-  After a quiet third quarter, ASU ended a 12-play, 81-yard drive that last 2:42 and resulted a Trevor Stafford two-yard touchdown run.
 
- The Rams trimmed the margin down to three points, 38-35, with 5:22 left to play when Donovan Thompson caught a 30-yard pass from Washington and somehow managed to get a foot down in the end zone despite being drilled by a Lion player. The score ended a seven-play, 71-yard scoring drive.
 
Inside the box score
- Cooper continues his rushing supremacy. He turned in his fifth straight 100-yard performance with his 101 yards. The final 22 yards came on the Lions last real offensive play of the game, a 22-yard run that sealed the win.  On the season, Cooper has taken 125 carries for 832 yards and six touchdowns.  He averages 138.7 yards per game after entering the weekend the eighth in the NCAA in yards per game.  Cooper needs just 168 more yards to become the first running back to surpass 1,000 yards in a season since Cliff Edwards ran for 1,041 yards in 2005. All told, Lion football has only seen a back run for a 1,000 yards 12 times and by nine different players in the program's 96 seasons.
 
- Wofford kept his season rushing average at 101.7 yards per game after his 82 yards on 12 carries Saturday.  Wofford, who entered leading nation in yards per carry at 9.6, saw his average dip slightly to 9.1 yards per carry following the completion of Saturday's game.
 
- Chris Smith picked off his team-high third pass of the season. Smith is now tied for the league lead in INTs.
 
- Morris' INT was his second of his career and his first career score. His last interception came at Stephen F. Austin on September 13, 2014. 
 
-  Stewart threw his 35th career touchdown with his 27-yard strike to Darby Smith.
 
What's Next
- The Lions will travel to West Texas A&M for a Saturday, October 17 kickoff in Canyon at 5 p.m. WT will enter the game after a 24-17 loss on the road at Midwestern State.
 
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