Commerce, Texas – No. 18 A&M-Commerce went head-to-head with No. 10 Delta State coming within inches of a game-tying score as time expired only to see the pass fall incomplete and the Statesmen survive with a 51-44 Saturday night in Memorial Stadium.
 
Turning Point
Collin Floyd caught a 23-yard touchdown pass on a fade route from Tyler Sullivan with 1:09 left to play to break a tie game at 44. The scoring play gave the Statesmen a 51-44 lead. It was their first lead since the 10:44 mark in the first quarter.  A&M-Commerce drove all the way down to the Delta State 11 yard line, but had the game-tying pass hit off the receiver's hands as Delta State sealed the win.
 
Highlights
- Harrison Stewart completed 29 of his 50 pass attempts for 422 yards and four touchdowns.
 
- Richard Cooper averaged 5.4 yards per carry after accumulating 135 yards on 25 carries.
 
- Lance Evans hauled in a team-high seven catches for 97 yards and three TDS, while Darby Smith paced the Lions with 110 yards.  Smith caught six passes and had one touchdown.
 
- Derrick Morgan also broke the century mark with 103 yards on three catches.
 
- Buck Wilson returned five kicks for 181 yards for an average of 36.2 yards per return.  His longest on the evening was 54 yards.
 
- The Lions churned out 560 yards of offense with 422 yards threw the air and 138 on the ground.
 
- Defensively, Charles Woods paced the Lions with 12 tackles including 10 solo tackles.  Woods also hauled down an interception.
 
- B.J. Mills led the Lions with one and a half tackles for loss.  Four other Lions recorded one tackle for loss with Tre'von Taylor notching the only sack.
 
- Darian Lindsey recorded the Lions other INT in the game, while Dionte Taylor broke up five passes.
 
Summary
1st Quarter
- Delta State struck first with a three yard rushing touchdown from D'Juan Bellaire following a 7-play 57-yard drive that lasted 1:32.
 
- A&M-Commerce pulled even when Cooper scampered 19 yards for a touchdown with 10:44 left in the first ending a three-play 75-yard drive that lasted 51 seconds.  Cooper had a massive 49-yard run on the drive.
 
- Kristov Martinez connected on back-to-back field goals to give the Lions a 13-7 lead.  Martinez hit kicks from 31 yards and 23 yards.  Wood's INT led the Martinez' first field goal, and an A&M-Commerce fourth down stop led the second boot.
 
- Vince Sciorrotta hit a 35-yard field goal to cut the Lion lead down to 13-10.  Delta State's points came after halting a Lion drive on downs.
 
2nd Quarter
- Evans hauled in his first TD of the game on a 17-yard pass from Stewart.  The score ended a five-play, 62-yard drive.
 
- D'Juan Bellaire punched it in the endzone from three yards out. It was an 8-play, 75-yard drive that led the short touchdown run.
 
- Evans caught a 20-yard pass from Stewart to give the Lions a 27-16 lead. The Lions benefited from a methodical eight-play, 65-yard drive.
 
- Delta State answered with a one yard run by Eddie McCadney following a Lions interception right before the half. The Statesmen's had the benefit of an INT to set up a short field for the two-play, 12-yard drive.
 
3rd Quarter
- Stewart found Evans for the duo's third TD strike of the game to open the scoring in the 3rd. The score ended a five-play 87-yard drive.   Stewart connected with Macon for 72 yards to set up the score.
 
- Tyler Sullivan answered the bell with a quarterback sneak to pull the Statesmen within four points, 34-30.  This time the Statesmen strung together a long 10-play, 81-yard drive.
 
- Chase Thrasher drilled a 44-yard field goal to pushed the Lions lead out to seven point, 37-30, with 2:33 left in the 3rd quarter. Wilson's 51-yard kickoff return allowed the Lions to start the drive from the Delta State 32-yard line.
 
- Patrick Bethley knotted the game at 37 with a 21-yard TD catch from Sullivan.
 
4th Quarter
- Darby Smith broke the tie with a 65-yard touchdown catch on the first play of quarter.
 
- Jarvis York hauled in a 32-yard pass from Sullivan with a 3:36 left to play to tie the game at 44.
 
- Delta State converted the game-winning score on a 23-yard pass from Sullivan to Collin Floyd with 1:09 left.
 
- The Lions drove down to the Delta State 11 yard line with 11 seconds left aided by plays of 24 yards on a Stewart to Cooper pass and a 22 yard Stewart to Macon pass.  With the clock dwindling following the restart Delta State called a timeout with one second left.  The game-tying pass bounced out of the fingertips of the outstretched receiver in the endzone.
 
Inside the box score
- Woods' INT tied a career-high.
 
- Evan's 97 yards and three scores was a career-high … His seven passes caught was also a career-high.
 
- Smith eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards for the first time in his career.
 
- Lindsey picked off a pass for the third time in his Lion career.
 
- Cooper's 25 rush attempts and 135 yards on the ground were both career-highs … His 49 yard run was the longest of his career … Cooper is the first back to rush for 100 or more yards in back-to-back games in the Carthel-ere.
 
- Stewart set a new personal best with his 422 passing yards … He was one pass attempt and one completion shy of tying career-marks. 
 
- Taylor's five pass break ups was the most by a Lion all the way through the 2011 season … Taylor also matched the most pass break ups in the NCAA DII through the first week of the season … The Lions 10 pass break ups was the most through the same time frame.
 
- Mills notched a career-high with seven tackles.
 
- Delta State's 496 yards through the air are the most passing yards given up by the Lions from available records dating back to 2011.
 
- With the loss, the Lions fall to 3-3 all-time against the Statesmen and 1-1 on the season in 2015.
 
What's Next
The Lions hit the road for the firs time in 2015 with a trip down to Kingsville to faceoff in their first Lone Star Conference game of the season against the Javelinas on September 19 at 7 p.m.in Javelina Stadium.
 
Fans can follow all the action from the 2015-16 season on www.LionAthletics.com, through twitter @Lion_Athletics and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LionsAthletics.