COMMERCE - The No. 8 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions hit the road eastward for a key matchup at Delta State University on Saturday. The Lions and Statesmen are meeting for the second straight year in what is anticipated to be one of the best matchups in the nation for Week Two.
WHO: Texas A&M University-Commerce at Delta State University
WHERE: Cleveland, Miss. | Parker-McCool Stadium
WHEN: 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 10
RECORDS: Texas A&M-Commerce is 1-0 after a 62-0 win over University of Faith. Delta State is 1-0 after a 50-29 win over Kentucky Wesleyan.
RANKINGS: Texas A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 8 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and No. 16 in the D2Football.com Media Poll. Delta State is receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches' Poll.
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STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
• The Lions have now won their home opener in each of their first four seasons under head coach
Colby Carthel.
• The first game of the Carthel era was a 51-6 win over Sul Ross State in 2013, followed by the record-breaking 98-20 rout of East Texas Baptist in 2014.
• The third straight home-opening win came in 2015 with a 48-17 win over Adams State.
• Last week's 62-0 win over University of Faith made it four straight in home openers under Carthel.
LIONS ARE PRESEASON FAVORITE
• The Lions have won the last two Lone Star Conference regular season titles and picked up 19 of 28 available first place votes. The Lions' 269 points in the poll placed them above second-ranked Midwestern State with 254 points and eight first place votes.
• Texas A&M-Commerce won all six LSC regular season games last season on the way to the Lions' first NCAA berth since 1995.
• A&M-Commerce has won its last seven regular season LSC games and the last six regular season LSC games played at Memorial Stadium.
COOPER ON THE LOOSE
• Senior running back
Richard Cooper (Angleton HS) enters the 2016 season ranked sixth in school history in career rushing yardage with 11 games of 100 or more rushing yards in his storied career.
• He is one of the top returning running backs in Division II this season in multiple categories.
NCAA Division II Career Ranks for Returning Leaders (entering 2016 season)
| Category |
Stat |
D2 Rank |
SR4 |
| Total Rushing Yardage |
2,170 |
15th |
3rd |
| Yards Per Game |
86.1 |
10th |
3rd |
| Yards Per Carry |
6.1 |
9th |
4th |
• Cooper was named the Lone Star Conference's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in July after earning the LSC's Offensive Back of the Year award in his junior season.
• He is widely considered to be an All-American candidate this year as he looks to climb up the A&M-Commerce record books.
DEPTH STEPS UP
• Despite an abundance of talent returning from the 2015 playoff squad, not many Lions were in the starting lineup for the Ferris State playoff game.
• Only six A&M-Commerce players were starters in the snow in Michigan, all on the offensive side of the ball.
RECEIVERS LOOK FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS
• Senior wide receivers
Lance Evans and
Darby Smith were two of the top receivers in the Lone Star Conference in 2015 and will look to build on outstanding numbers from last season.
• Evans (Mansfield HS) ranked third in total receiving yardage with 986 yards on 50 catches and also ranked fourth in the conference in receiving yards per game with 82.2. His 19.7 yards per catch average was tops in the league amongst players with double digit catches and his eight touchdown catches tied for third in the league.
• Evans was a first team all-Lone Star Conference honoree in 2015
• Smith (Ennis HS) finished sixth in the league with 72.3 receiving yards per game with 868 yards on his 45 catches. His total yardage ranked fourth in the league, right behind Evans. He also scored eight receiving touchdowns to tie for third in the league and his 19.3 yards per catch average tied for second in the conference amongst regulars.
• Smith was a second team all-Lone Star Conference honoree in 2015.
WEEK ONE AFCA RANKING TIES PROGRAM-BEST
• The Lions are ranked eighth in the nation in Division II according to the American Football Coaches Association Coaches Poll this week.
• The ranking of eighth is tied for the-best ranking for A&M-Commerce since the AFCA Division II Poll began in 2000.
• The Lions were also ranked eighth nationally on October 26, 2015, and have now been ranked in 15 straight polls, going back to the 2015 preseason poll.
• This is A&M-Commerce's 21st all-time appearance in the AFCA Top 25.
ALL-LSC STARS RETURN TO LINEUP
• Of A&M-Commerce's 27 all-Lone Star Conference players from 2015, 10 return to the lineup for the 2016 campaign.
RARITY RETURNING
• A&M-Commerce All-American running back
Richard Cooper is just the fifth Lion running back to come back for the season following a 1,000-yard season.
• Three Lions repeated their 1,000-yard season with another such milestone year.
| ARTHUR JAMES |
| 1968 |
Jr. |
1,538 yards |
| 1969 |
Sr. |
1,334 yards |
| AUNDRA THOMPSON |
| 1974 |
Jr. |
1,086 yards |
| 1975 |
Sr. |
1,796 yards |
| RICKY DIRKS |
| 1982 |
So.. |
1,070 yards |
| 1983 |
Jr. |
1,299 yards |
| 1984 |
Sr. |
370 yards |
| CLIFF EDWARDS |
| 2005 |
Jr. |
1,041 yards |
| 2006 |
Sr. |
945 yards |
| RICHARD COOPER |
| 2015 |
Jr. |
1,380 yards |
| 2016 |
Sr. |
??? yards |
ON A ROLL ON OPENING NIGHT (UPDATED)
• Texas A&M-Commerce is 53-44-2 all-time in season openers after winning each of the last four season openers.
• Prior to last Thursday, the last time the Lions won more than three season openers consecutively was from 1988-93, when East Texas State won six straight season openers.
• This marked the third straight year the Lions have opened on a Thursday night and the fourth straight year A&M-Commerce opened the season at home.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE STATESMEN
• The Lions and Statesmen are meeting for the seventh time, with the series split evenly at 3-3 after Delta's win at Memorial Stadium in 2015.
• Delta State has won both previous meetings in Cleveland in 1979 and 1994.
| 9/9/78 |
DELTA STATE |
W |
17-6 |
Commerce |
| 9/22/79 |
at Delta State |
L |
19-31 |
Cleveland |
| 10/16/93 |
DELTA STATE |
W |
19-14 |
Commerce |
| 10/16/94 |
at Delta State |
L |
14-19 |
Cleveland |
| 9/13/13 |
vs. Delta State |
W |
45-37 |
Arlington (AT&T) |
| 9/12/15 |
DELTA STATE |
L |
44-51 |
Commerce |
| 9/10/16 |
at Delta State |
- |
- |
Cleveland |
AGAINST THE MAGNOLIA STATE
• The Lions have a 5-4 record against teams from Mississippi, having played Delta State and Southern Mississippi.
• This is only the fourth time the Lions have played in the state of Mississippi.
• ETSU split a home-and-home series with Southern Mississippi in 1936 and 1937, with the Lions losing 13-6 in Hattiesburg in 1936 and winning 14-6 in Commerce in 1937.
• The Lions defeated Southern Mississippi in the 1957 Tangerine Bowl in Orlando 10-9.
• In the nine games against the two Mississippi teams, A&M-Commerce has the slightest of leads in the all-time score at 188-186.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
• The Lions hit the road this week for the first of six road games, all of substantial distance.
• With the addition of Oklahoma Panhandle State, Western New Mexico and UT Permian Basin to the Lone Star Conference, A&M-Commerce will visit all three new schools.
• Based on measurements by Google Maps, this is A&M-Commerce's second-shortest road trip of the seasason
| Opponent |
1-way mileage |
| Delta State |
362 |
| Eastern New Mexico |
476 |
| Oklahoma Panhandle State |
483 |
| Western New Mexico |
853 |
| Angelo State |
341 |
| UT Permian Basin |
418 |
| TOTAL |
2,933 |
CARTHEL'S FIRST THREE YEARS
• Head coach
Colby Carthel has had unprecedented success in his first three seasons at Texas A&M-Commerce in comparison to previous coaches for the Lions.
• Only M.A. Smith from 1951-53 and Bob Berry from 1935-37 have higher winning percentages in their first three seasons. Only Smith has more victories in the first three seasons in Commerce.
• Carthel is the only coach at A&M-Commerce to go to the postseason in each of his three seasons. Smith took the Lions to a pair of Tangerine Bowls, but did not reach the postseason in his first year.
| Coach |
First 3 Seasons |
Record |
Winning Pct |
| M.A. Smith |
1951-53 |
30-2-1 |
.924 |
| Bob Berry |
1935-37 |
22-6-1 |
.776 |
| Colby Carthel |
2013-15 |
24-12 |
.667 |
| Eddie Brister |
1999-2001 |
16-17 |
.485 |
| J.W. Rollins |
1931-33 |
11-12-2 |
.480 |
| Scottie Conley |
2004-06 |
14-16 |
.467 |
| J.V. Sikes |
1954-56 |
13-15-2 |
.467 |
| Ernest Hawkins |
1964-66 |
11-15-2 |
.429 |
| Russell Jernigan |
1921-23 |
9-13-1 |
.380 |
| Eddie Vowell |
1986-88 |
12-21 |
.364 |
| Guy Morriss |
2009-11 |
9-22 |
.290 |
| Joe Murphy |
1924-26 |
5-21-1 |
.204 |
