COMMERCE - The No. 11 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions' football team plays its first home game in four weeks on Saturday, welcoming Western New Mexico University to Memorial Stadium for the annual Homecoming contest.
WHO: Western New Mexico University at Texas A&M University-Commerce
WHERE: Commerce | Memorial Stadium
WHEN: 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 14
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the Lone Star Conference schedule. Western New Mexico is 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the LSC
RANKINGS: Texas A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 11 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and the D2Football.com Media Poll. WNMU is unranked.
LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network -- KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (
http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: http://www.LionAthletics.com/live
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
TICKETS: Available by visiting
WeAreLionsTix.com, calling (903) 468-8756, or visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House
LIONS LOOK TO REBOUND ON HOMECOMING
• The Lions try to get back on the winning trail after last week's 47-42 loss at Midwestern State.
• A&M-Commerce was down by four scores before coming back and cutting the lead to five points in the final minutes of the game.
• Five different Lions scored touchdowns in the game, and nine different players had receptions.
•
Luis Perez set a school single game record for completions with 43.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE MUSTANGS
• The Lions and Mustangs are meeting for the second time in the history of the two programs.
• A&M-Commerce took a 38-24 win over WNMU in Silver City last season.
STILL PUSHING #ToTheTop
• With the loss, the Lions fell to No. 11 in the nation in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.
• A&M-Commerce has been ranked in 33 straight AFCA polls, dating back to the 2015 preseason poll.
• This is A&M-Commerce's 39th all-time appearance in the AFCA poll since its inception in 2000.
LSC LANDMARK ON HORIZON
• The next conference victory for the Lions will be their 300th Lone Star Conference victory in football action.
• Based on available records in the LSC media guide, A&M-Kingsville has won the most conference games in LSC history at 301.
CARTHEL 5TH IN SCHOOL HISTORY IN WINS
• Head coach
Colby Carthel now ranks fifth in A&M-Commerce history in coaching wins with 38 wins.
• However, he will be in fifth for a while, as his 38 wins are just over half of J.V. Sikes' 63 wins in fourth place.
| 1 |
Ernest Hawkins |
1964-85 |
132-92-6 |
| 2 |
Eddie Vowell |
1986-98 |
74-71-1 |
| 3 |
Bob Berry |
1935-41, 46-50 |
72-34-8 |
| 4 |
J.V. Sikes |
1954-63 |
63-34-4 |
| 5 |
Colby Carthel |
2013-pres. |
38-15 |
| 6 |
M.A. Smith |
1951-53 |
30-2-1 |
SUCCESS ON THE BOUNCEBACK
• Under head coach
Colby Carthel, the Lions have only lost consecutive games three times in five seasons.
• The Lions' last four losses - including last year's loss to Midwestern State - have been followed by wins.
• A&M-Commerce has not lost consecutive games since the 2015 postseason, when the Lions lost the LSC Playoff Championship game, followed by a loss to Ferris State in the NCAA Playoffs.
• Two of the three back-to-back loss occurrences came in the 2013 season, the first under Carthel.
• Nine times in the last five seasons, a Lion loss has been immediately followed by a win.
HOMECOMING SUCCESS
• The Lions have gone 3-1 in Homecoming games under Carthel. The last three seasons have seen Lion victory on Homecoming.
• The Lions are 47-33-1 all-time in Homecoming contests.
• The 91-13 win over McMurry on Homecoming 2014 broke a skid of six consecutive Homecoming losses.
• The first Homecoming game in Memorial Stadium was a 12-0 win over Sam Houston State in 1950.
• The only tie was a scoreless draw with Sam Houston State in 1946.
• This is - obviously - the first time A&M-Commerce and WNMU have met on Homecoming.
• The Lions are 6-2 on Homecoming against New Mexican teams.
PEREZ KEEPS CLIMBING THE PASSING CHARTS
• Preseason All-American quarterback
Luis Perez only needs two pass completion to become the A&M-Commerce all-time leader in that category. His 43 completions at Midwestern State marks a new school record.
• With one touchdown pass, Perez will become the second Lion with 50 career touchdown passes. Three touchdown passes will give him the career lead.
• He has moved up to sixth in school history in passing yards at 4,854. He needs 146 yards to go over 5,000 in his career. He needs 1,002 yards in the next five guaranteed games to take the all-time lead.
• He is tied for the lead in the conference in passing TDs this season with 17 which ranks sixth nationally. He is tied with today's opposition quarterback in WNMU's Javia Hall.
• He ranks fifth in the nation in completions per game (26), eighth in passing efficiency (170.9), 25th in passing yards (1,528), 11th in yards per game (305.6), 10th in points responsibility (110), and 4th in points responsibility per game (22.0).
| CAREER PASSING YARDAGE LEADERS |
| 1. |
5,955 |
Bob Bounds |
1987-91 |
| 2. |
5,800 |
Kyle Mackey |
1980-83 |
| 3. |
5,635 |
Terry Skinner |
1973-77 |
| 4. |
5,362 |
Tyrik Rollison |
2013-14 |
| 5. |
5,016 |
Harrison Stewart |
2013-15 |
| 6. |
4,854 |
Luis Perez |
2016-pres. |
| 7. |
4,616 |
Wade Wilson |
1977-80 |
| 8. |
4,529 |
Jim Dietz |
1967-70 |
| 9. |
4,378 |
Royce Slechta |
1985-88 |
| 10. |
3,913 |
Adam Farkes |
2009-10 |
| 11. |
3,763 |
Cole Cayce |
1993-96 |
| CAREER PASSING COMPLETION LEADERS |
| 1. |
375 |
Bob Bounds (375-706-36) |
1987-91 |
| 2. |
374 |
Luis Perez (374-566-11) |
2016-pres. |
| 3. |
372 |
Kyle Mackey (372-751-44) |
1980-83 |
| 4. |
367 |
Terry Skinner (367-813-45) |
1973-77 |
| 5. |
353 |
Adam Farkes (353-700-30) |
2009-10 |
| 6. |
345 |
Harrison Stewart (345-633-14) |
2013-15 |
| 7. |
343 |
Tyrik Rollison (343-550-14) |
2013-14 |
| 8. |
338 |
Wade Wilson (338-668-26) |
1977-80 |
| 9. |
327 |
Royce Slechta (327-753-50) |
1985-88 |
| 10. |
284 |
Cole Cayce (284-531-21) |
1993-96 |
| CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWN LEADERS |
| 1. |
51 |
James Gray |
1951-53 |
| 2. |
49 |
Luis Perez |
2016-pres. |
| 3. |
48 |
Harrison Stewart |
2013-15 |
| 4. |
43 |
Jim Dietz |
1967-70 |
|
43 |
Tyrik Rollison |
2013-14 |
| 6. |
42 |
Kyle Mackey |
1980-83 |
| 7. |
34 |
Wade Wilson |
1977-80 |
| 8. |
33 |
Royce Slechta |
1985-88 |
|
33 |
Terry Skinner |
1973-77 |
| 10. |
32 |
Bob Bounds |
1987-91 |
• He ranks second in Division II and 10th in all of the NCAA in career passing efficiency.
• He also ranks second in Division II in pass completion percentage.
MARTINEZ MOVES UP SCORING CHARTS
• Kicker
Kristov Martinez ranks 13th among career leaders in Division II in scoring with his 239 career points.
• Martinez is currently the leader in scoring amongst kickers in the Lone Star Conference with 38 total points and 7.6 points per game.
• Martinez is 5-for-5 on field goal attempts and 23-for-24 on PAT attempts through five games in 2017.
• In his sophomore season, Martinez connected on 18-of-24 field goals with a long of 46 yards. He also made 55-of-58 point after touchdown attempts. He recovered his own onside kick against Tarleton and had 20 touchbacks on 80 kickoffs.
• His 109 points was the second-most in the Lone Star Conference, and the most amongst kickers.
• That 109 points ranks as the fourth-most in a season in A&M-Commerce history.
• He has scored 235 points in his career, which moves him up to second in A&M-Commerce history.
• He needs one PAT to become the school's all-time leader in that category.
• The A&M-Commerce all-time leader in scoring is Billy Watkins, who scored 281 points from 1990-93 on 134 PATs and 49 field goals.
• Martinez moved up to third on the career field goal list with a pair of 30-yarders at UNA.
| CAREER SCORING LEADERS |
| 1. |
281 |
Billy Watkins (134 PAT, 49 FG) |
1990-93 |
| 2. |
239 |
Kristov Martinez (134 PAT, 35 FG) |
2015-pres. |
| 3. |
224 |
David Dell (104 PAT, 40 FG) |
1995-98 |
| 4. |
222 |
Aundra Thompson (37 TD) |
1972-75 |
| 5. |
219 |
Saul Martinez (126 PAT, 31 FG) |
2013-14 |
| 6. |
216 |
Marvin Brown (36 TD) |
1951-52 |
| 7. |
210 |
Ricky Dirks (35 TD) |
1981-84 |
| 8. |
208 |
Leonard Allen (121 PAT, 29 FG) |
1973-76 |
| 9. |
180 |
Cary Noiel (30 TD) |
1978-81 |
|
180 |
Gary Compton (30 TD) |
1986-90 |
| CAREER PATs MADE LEADERS |
| 1. |
134 |
Billy Watkins (134-143) |
1990-93 |
|
134 |
Kristov Martinez (134-141) |
2015-pres. |
| 3. |
126 |
Saul Martinez (126-130) |
2013-14 |
| 4. |
121 |
Leonard Allen (121-134) |
1973-76 |
| 5. |
105 |
Kevin Garman (105-113) |
1981-84 |
| 6. |
104 |
David Dell (104-111) |
1995-98 |
| 7. |
93 |
Mark Regian (93-70) |
1968-71 |
| 8. |
55 |
Randy Weston (55-62) |
1999-02 |
|
55 |
Lloyd Corder (55-69) |
1951-52 |
| 10. |
51 |
A. Abo-Mahmood (51-55) |
2009-10 |
| CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE LEADERS |
| 1. |
49 |
Billy Watkins (49-84) |
1990-93 |
| 2. |
40 |
David Dell (40-61) |
1995-98 |
| 3. |
35 |
Kristov Martinez (35-48) |
2015-pres. |
| 4. |
31 |
Saul Martinez (31-38) |
2013-14 |
| 5. |
29 |
Ha'a Bento (29-44) |
2004-05 |
|
29 |
Leonard Allen (29-52) |
1973-76 |
| 7. |
26 |
Randy Weston (26-37) |
1999-02 |
| 8. |
21 |
Kevin Garman (21-41) |
1981-84 |
| 9. |
16 |
Mark Regian (16-29) |
1968-71 |
| 10. |
14 |
A. Abo-Mahmood (14-20) |
2009-10 |
AIRING IT OUT
• Two of the top passing offenses in the land will meet in Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Western New Mexico is the national leader in that category, while the Lions rank 10th in passing yardage.
| Rk |
Team |
Att |
Cmp |
Int |
Yds |
TD |
YPG |
| 1 |
Western N.M. |
302 |
171 |
10 |
2,170 |
18 |
361.7 |
| 2 |
Bowie St. |
208 |
144 |
2 |
2,131 |
24 |
355.2 |
| 3 |
Shepherd |
193 |
129 |
3 |
1,771 |
20 |
354.2 |
| 4 |
Adams St. |
307 |
170 |
5 |
2,111 |
21 |
351.8 |
| 5 |
Ohio Dominican |
209 |
155 |
1 |
2,095 |
18 |
349.2 |
| 6 |
Slippery Rock |
229 |
138 |
4 |
2,041 |
22 |
340.2 |
| 7 |
Merrimack |
263 |
148 |
13 |
1,696 |
10 |
339.2 |
| 8 |
LIU Post |
202 |
150 |
6 |
1,612 |
19 |
322.4 |
| 9 |
Emporia St. |
238 |
149 |
1 |
1,923 |
16 |
320.5 |
| 10 |
Tex. A&M-Commerce |
192 |
137 |
6 |
1,585 |
17 |
317.0 |
BEHIND THE LINE
• The Lion defense has had exceptional success penetrating the line of scrimmage and tackling opponents for loss.
• A&M-Commerce ranks 14th nationally in tackles for loss per game.
FIREWORKS AFTER A SCORE
• The Lions have excelled on kickoffs, both when kicking the ball away, and when receiving the kickoff.
• A&M-Commerce is 4th in the nation in kickoff return average at 28.42 yards per return.
• The Lions are also 2nd in the league and 7th nationally in kickoff return defense, allowing 14.86 yards per return.
• Opponents have averaged starting at the 26.8 yard line on kickoffs, while the Lions average starting on the 39.2 yard line after kickoffs.
• Martinez has had touchbacks on 16 of 33 kickoffs.
ON THE SCOREBOARD
• The Lions rank in the top 25 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
• At 39.6 points scored per game, the Lions are 2nd in the LSC and 19th in the nation.
• A 17.8 points allowed per game, the Lions rank 1st in the LSC and 24th in the nation.
HOOKS ATOP PUNT RETURN LEADERBOARD
• Preseason All-American return man
Shawn Hooks ranks first in the Lone Star Conference with an average of 12.5 yards per punt return this year.
• No LSC player has returned a punt for a touchdown at this point in the season.
• Tarleton's Daniel McCants has two kickoff returns for touchdowns.
MULTI-FACETED ALL-AMERICAN
• All-American tackle
Jared Machorro has been fantastic on the left side of the offensive line, which could have been expected.
• Likely unexpected? He ranks third in the LSC in average punt yardage at 41.0 yards per (his only) punt.
• That's just awesome.
JAMES THROWER IS 2017 INDUCTEE TO LONE STAR CONFERENCE HALL OF HONOR
• The 2017 inductee to the Lone Star Conference Hall of Honor is former Texas A&M University-Commerce three-sport standout James Thrower.
• Thrower will be honored at the first media timeout of the game tonight by President
Dr. Ray Keck, AD
Tim McMurray, and LSC Commissioner Jay Poerner.
• Thrower is the sole inductee to the 2017 class of the LSC Hall of Honor, which recognizes outstanding individuals who have brought pride and honor to the conference through their contributions as an athlete or who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to the betterment of the conference as a coach or administrator.
• Thrower, who is the 12th Lion to be enshrined, was chosen by a panel of athletic administrators throughout the league.
• Thrower, class of 1970, was a three-sport athlete at East Texas State University, where he participated on the Lions' football, basketball and track and field teams, and majored in English and physical education.
• The Camden, Ark. native came to ETSU on a basketball scholarship, but it was on the football field that he truly excelled. As a three-year starter on the football team, he intercepted 12 passes for 135 yards. He also earned a varsity letter in basketball and two in track and field as a member of the 440-yard relay team and in the high jump.
• Following his playing days at ETSU, Thrower went on to a six-year career in the NFL. He spent three seasons as a defensive back with the Philadelphia Eagles, and an additional three seasons as a defensive back for the Detroit Lions.
• After a knee injury in 1975, Thrower transitioned into corporate America serving as a loan executive and as an executive assistant to the board chairman of the NAACP. Thrower formerly served on the City of Detroit Board of Water Commissioners and is the president and CEO of Jamjomar, Inc. He and his wife, Marla, are both owner/operators of numerous McDonald's franchises - Marla in the Detroit metropolitan area and James in the New Orleans area.
• The Throwers are very active in other corporate and community groups including the McDonald's Operators National Advertising Committee, National Black McDonald's Association, Ronald McDonald Children's Charities, National Football League Alumni Players Association, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Golden Heritage, and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. They are members of Oak Grove African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and have four children, James II, Jamar, Joni, and Marissa. Each of the Thrower children are also McDonald's owners/operators, totaling 29 franchises owned and operated in the family.
• Thrower and his wife Marla are proud to have provided the leadership gift to the Thrower Student-Athlete Success Center, which is the premier academic and success support center for student-athletes in all of Division II. He was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus at A&M-Commerce in 2012, and was inducted into the Lion Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
| TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE INDUCTEES TO THE LSC HALL OF HONOR |
| Inductee |
Sport |
Induction Year |
| Jesse Hawthorne |
Administrator |
1996 |
| Delmer Brown |
Coach/Trainer |
2000 |
| Wade Wilson |
Football |
2003 |
| Ernest Hawkins |
Coach |
2004 |
| Lewis Ingraham "L.I." Smith |
Administrator |
2005 |
| Sam McCord |
Football |
2006 |
| Dr. Bill Crabtree |
Coach |
2007 |
| Arthur James |
Football |
2008 |
| Harvey Martin |
Football |
2010 |
| Dwight White |
Football |
2011 |
| Autry Beamon |
Football |
2012 |
| James Thrower |
Football, Basketball, Track & Field |
2017 |
SCOUT TEAM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
• The Lions will announce scout team players of the week each Tuesday for the 2017 season. Winners so far this year are:
On October 14 in Texas A&M-Commerce/East Texas State Football (4-4) :
• 1950 - The Lions meet Abilene Christian for a neutral site game in Stamford, but are shut out 19-0.
• 1961 - The Lions are handed a 14-0 home loss by Sam Houston State.
• 1967 - A tough road trip for ET to A&I ends in a 24-6 loss.
• 1972 - East Texas travels to the Piney Woods and puts a 21-9 win on Stephen F. Austin. It is the Lions' fifth win in a row.
• 1978 - The Lions host Howard Payne and roll to a 34-0 shutout victory.
• 1989 - East Texas hosts West Texas and pulls out a 21-20 victory for the home crowd.
• 1995 - The Lions rebound from a loss an put a 51-7 drubbing on West Texas at home.
• 2006 - A&M-Commerce treks north to Tahlequah and are narrowly tripped up by Northeastern State, 20-17.
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Lion Athletics Mission: Committed to a "Best in Class" student-athlete experience
