WINONA, Minn. – The fifth-seeded Texas A&M University-Commerce football team defeated fourth-seeded Winona State University, 20-6, in the Super Region Four quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Football Championship on Saturday at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium.
 
The Lions advance to the Super Region Four semifinal round for the second consecutive season with a record of 10-1. Winona State's season ends with a record of 10-2.
 
A&M-Commerce will play on Saturday, November 25, against top-seeded Central Washington (11-0) at Tomlinson Field in Ellensburg, Wash. Official kickoff time will be announced shortly.
 
The win was A&M-Commerce's first road playoff victory since 1990.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lion defense limited the Warriors to 227 yards and six points. WSU came into the game averaging 35.8 points per game.
- The Lion offense gained 456 yards, with 308 yards through the air and 148 yards on the ground.
- The Lions won the turnover battle 3-1 against a Winona team that was ranked fifth nationally in turnover margin entering the contest.
- Brucks Saathoff, Dominique Ramsey, and Alex Shillow each had interceptions for the Lions. Saathoff was the Lions' leading tackler with eight stops.
- Quarterback Luis Perez completed 28-of-41 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
- Vincent Hobbs was on the receiving end of both touchdowns. He had five catches for 57 yards.
- Running back Carandal Hale carried the ball 23 times for 106 yards.
- Kristov Martinez was 2-of-3 on field goal attempts, with made kicks of 46 and 22 yards. The 46-yard field goal in the third quarter tied his career long.
- The Lion defense broke up nine passes, sacked the WSU quarterback three times, and made eight tackles for loss.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions held the Warriors to a three-and-out on the opening drive of the game and proceeded quickly into WSU territory, but the drive bogged down and a fourth down attempt was stopped.
 
The A&M-Commerce defense forced a three-and-out by WSU on the second drive and responded with a strong drive to get on the scoreboard. Perez completed 6-of-6 passes on the drive and found Hobbs in the endzone from nine yards out to make it a 7-0 game at the 7:20 mark of the first quarter after a Martinez PAT.
 
After another Warrior three-and-out, the Lions needed a fourth down conversion to keep their ensuing drive alive, with Perez finding Hobbs in space for a 20-yard completion on fourth-and-9. That duo hooked up again for the Lions' second touchdown of the day with 2:26 to go in the first quarter on a 4-yard scoring pass from Perez to Hobbs, making it 14-0.
 
That 14-0 scoreline would roll into the second quarter, where the Warriors picked up their initial first down of the day on their fourth drive. WSU drove deep into Lion territory, where Saathoff snagged his first interception of the season at the 1-yardline, returning it 25 yards.
 
After the Lions punted for the first time on the day, Winona State constructed an eight-play, 57-yard drive that ended with the Warriors' first points, as Carter McCauley banked in a 27-yard field goal off of the left upright with 6:45 left in the first half.
 
The Lions were forced to punt on their next drive, but immediately got the ball back on a Ramsey interception, which he returned to the Winona 18. A&M-Commerce drove inside the WSU five, but the ball was lost in a pile-up just short of the Warrior goal line and the hosts came away with possession.
 
The Lions' final drive of the half came up empty after Martinez narrowly missed a 37-yard field goal at the end of the half, leaving the score at 14-3.
 
After the break, the Lions lit up the scoreboard again, as Martinez tied his career-long field goal with a 46-yarder, pushing the Lion lead to 17-3 with 11:47 left in the third quarter.
 
The A&M-Commerce secondary snuffed out another deep Warrior drive when Alex Shillow came down with the Lions' third interception of the day at the Warrior 2-yardline.
 
Another Winona drive had the brakes slammed on it by the Lion defense inside the 10, as the hosts came away with only a field goal. McCauley's 26-yarder with 38 seconds left in the third quarter made it a 17-6 game.
 
After the teams traded punts, the Lions used big completions to move downfield. Perez opened up the drive with a 38-yard completion to Wilson, then moved into the redzone on a 30-yard pass to Wimberly. A nine-play, 85-yard drive was capped by a 22-yard Martinez field goal to make it a 20-6 lead with 7:25 to play in the game.
 
Winona State trailed by two scores with time to cut into the lead and manufactured a 15-play drive that included two fourth down conversions. Their final crack at fourth down was stopped short by a Saathoff tackle, and the Warriors were short by the length of the ball.
 
The Lions still needed to run out the clock, and the Warriors looked like they would have a chance to get the ball back before Hale burst through the left side for 33 yards on third-and-10 to seal the win.