COMMERCE - The No. 9 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions' football team hosts The University of Texas of the Permian Basin this Saturday in a jam-packed day of action, with the final home game of the 2017 regular season kicking off at 4 p.m..
WHO: The University of Texas of the Permian Basin at Texas A&M University-Commerce
WHERE: Commerce | Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium
WHEN: 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 4
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the Lone Star Conference schedule. UT Permian Basin is 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the LSC.
RANKINGS: Texas A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 9 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and the D2Football.com Media Poll. UT Permian Basin is unranked.
LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network -- KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (
http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: 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 CELEBRATE SENIORS AND HISTORY vs. UTPB
• The Lions have a jam-packed pregame prior to the final home game of the 2017 season, as A&M-Commerce hosts The University of Texas of the Permian Basin.
SENIOR DAY
• The Lions will celebrate the careers of 21 seniors at 3:35 p.m.:
• OL
Jon Aguilar, DL
Anthony Ameperosa, LB
Travon Blanchard, DL
Kieston Carter, WR
D'Arthur Cowan, WR
Shawn Hooks, A
Austin Jordan, LB
Christopher Laskowski, DL
Devonta Leary, OL
Jared Machorro, QB
Jacob Norton, QB
Luis Perez, DB
Trey Porter, QB
Gabriel Rodriguez, DL
Ewing Simmons, LB
Anthony Smith, DB
Yusef Sterling-Lowe, OL
Poet Thomas, DB
Javon Tillman, RB
Richard Whitaker, and WR
Buck Wilson.
DEDICATION OF ERNEST HAWKINS FIELD
• Just before kickoff, the official dedication of
Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium will take place.
• Coach Ernest Hawkins was hired as an assistant football coach at East Texas State University sixty years ago, and was promoted to the position of head football coach for the Lions in 1964. He went on to the most prolific coaching career in ET history.
• He is the winningest coach in program history with 132 wins and he led the Lions to four Lone Star Conference Championships in 1966, 1969, 1972, and 1983. He was named LSC Coach of the Year in each of those four seasons.
• The 1972 team won the NAIA National Championship right here in Memorial Stadium and Coach Hawkins was named the National Coach of the Year.
• He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at his Alma Mater, Texas Tech in 1975, the Lion Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988, and the Lone Star Conference Hall of Honor in 2004.
• Thanks to the contributions of donors to the Hawkins Legacy Campaign, the Texas A&M System Board of Regents recently approved the naming of the football field at Memorial Stadium to
Ernest Hawkins Field.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE FALCONS
• The Lions and UTPB are meeting for the second time in the history of the two programs.
• A&M-Commerce won the first meeting, 58-21, in Odessa's Ratliff Stadium despite playing only three quarters due to storms.
• The Lions rolled up 591 yards of offense on the night into the morning.
• Weather is predicted to be warm, but no precipitation, and both teams hope to make this the first 60-minute contest in the series.
STILL PUSHING #ToTheTop
• The Lions have held steady at No. 9 in the nation in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.
• A&M-Commerce has been ranked in 36 straight AFCA polls, dating back to the 2015 preseason poll.
• This is A&M-Commerce's 42nd all-time appearance in the AFCA poll since its inception in 2000.
LIONS TIED FOR LSC LEAD IN ALL-TIME WINS
• The Lion victory over West Texas A&M was their 302nd Lone Star Conference victory in football action.
• With A&M-Kingsville's loss at Eastern N.M. last week, A&M-Commerce and the Javelinas are tied for the all-time lead in LSC wins at 302.
• The Lions have two LSC games left this year, while the Javelinas only have one, playing out of conference in Week 11.
CARTHEL 5TH IN SCHOOL HISTORY IN WINS
• Head coach
Colby Carthel now ranks fifth in A&M-Commerce history in coaching wins with 40 wins.
• However, he will be in fifth for a while, as his 40 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. |
41-15 |
| 6 |
M.A. Smith |
1951-53 |
30-2-1 |
THREE-HEADED MONSTER
• As you will read below,
Luis Perez is very good at throwing the football to his teammates, who in turn, are quite adept at finding the endzone.
• Three of the top four receivers in the Lone Star Conference in terms of receiving touchdowns are Luis' friends.
•
Darrion Landry is tied with Texas A&M-Kingsville's Jordan Thomas for the lead in the conference with eight touchdown catches.
• Tied for third in the league in touchdown receptions are
D'Arthur Cowan and
Buck Wilson with seven apiece.
PEREZ SETS SCHOOL RECORD, LEADS THE NATION
• After 387 passing yards in Canyon against WT,
Luis Perez' passing average has vaulted him to the top of the Division II ranks. He is one of 10 passers in Division II averaging over 300 yards passing per game.
| Rk |
Team |
Cl. |
Gms |
A-C-I |
TD |
Yds |
Avg |
| 1 |
Luis Perez, A&M-Commerce |
Sr. |
8 |
301-217-6 |
29 |
2,648 |
331.0 |
| 2 |
Connor Jessop, Shepherd |
Sr. |
8 |
273-181-4 |
30 |
2,597 |
324.6 |
| 3 |
Javia Hall, Western N.M. |
Sr. |
8 |
389-215-11 |
19 |
2,584 |
323.0 |
| 4 |
Tanner Garry, Slippery Rock |
Sr. |
9 |
352-210-7 |
26 |
2,889 |
321.0 |
| 5 |
Amir Hall, Bowie St. |
Jr. |
9 |
296-198-4 |
38 |
2,888 |
320.9 |
| 6 |
Brook Bolles, Central Mo. |
Jr. |
9 |
330-181-11 |
18 |
2,843 |
315.9 |
| 7 |
Grant Russell, Ohio Dominican |
Sr. |
8 |
254-185-2 |
19 |
2,491 |
311.4 |
| 8 |
Y. Gavalas, LIU Post |
Sr. |
8 |
282-207-7 |
29 |
2,468 |
308.5 |
| 9 |
Braxton Marstall, Emporia St. |
Sr. |
8 |
313-196-2 |
20 |
2,442 |
305.3 |
| 10 |
Nick Rooney, Adams St. |
Jr. |
7 |
307-186-6 |
19 |
2,106 |
300.9 |
• With his 29th completion of the game, 216th completion of the season, and 466th completion of his career, Perez completed a 23-yard pass to
Buck Wilson.
• This put him at 5,971 career yards, becoming the all-time leading passer at A&M-Commerce in yardage, completions, and touchdowns.
• Also impressive is that Perez only ranks sixth in career attempts.
• We will have more record watches for his potential season records next week, but he ranks 4th in a season in completions (217) and touchdowns (29), 5th in a season in yards (2,646), and 8th in attempts (301).
| CAREER PASSING YARDAGE LEADERS |
| 1. |
5,972 |
Luis Perez |
2016-pres. |
| 2. |
5,955 |
Bob Bounds |
1987-91 |
| 3. |
5,800 |
Kyle Mackey |
1980-83 |
| 4. |
5,635 |
Terry Skinner |
1973-77 |
| 5. |
5,362 |
Tyrik Rollison |
2013-14 |
| 6. |
5,016 |
Harrison Stewart |
2013-15 |
| 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. |
467 |
Luis Perez (467-690-11) |
2016-pres. |
| 2. |
375 |
Bob Bounds (375-706-36) |
1987-91 |
| 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. |
61 |
Luis Perez |
2016-pres. |
| 2. |
51 |
James Gray |
1951-53 |
| 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 third in Division II and 10th in all of the NCAA in career passing efficiency.
| Rk |
Team |
Div |
Cl. |
Gms |
A-C-I |
TD |
Yds |
QBR |
| 1 |
Connor Jessop , Shepherd |
D-II |
Sr. |
25 |
347-235-4 |
41 |
3,602 |
191.60 |
| 2 |
Ricky Bautista , Chapman |
D-III |
Sr. |
16 |
374-265-8 |
36 |
3,701 |
181.47 |
| 3 |
Chase Burton , Franklin |
D-III |
Sr. |
35 |
1,145-767-20 |
110 |
10,570 |
172.74 |
| 4 |
Joe Germinerio , Brockport |
D-III |
So. |
18 |
378-267-10 |
29 |
3,660 |
171.99 |
| 5 |
Baker Mayfield , Oklahoma |
FBS |
Sr. |
42 |
1,329-912-27 |
111 |
12,608 |
171.81 |
| 6 |
Miles Thompson , Hendrix |
D-III |
So. |
14 |
357-231-6 |
34 |
3,343 |
171.43 |
| 7 |
Broc Rutter , North Central (IL) |
D-III |
So. |
20 |
586-381-9 |
54 |
5,390 |
169.62 |
| 8 |
Bryan Schor , James Madison |
FCS |
Sr. |
35 |
612-426-17 |
53 |
5,520 |
168.40 |
| 9 |
Lenny Williams , Indiana (PA) |
D-II |
Jr. |
30 |
564-365-10 |
44 |
5,419 |
167.62 |
| 10 |
Luis Perez , A&M-Commerce |
D-II |
Sr. |
21 |
690-461-11 |
61 |
5,974 |
165.52 |
SENIORS LOOK TO TIE SCHOOL RECORD
• With one more win, the senior class will tie the school record for wins in a four-year period with the Tangerine Bowl runs of the early 1950s.
| Years |
Record |
| 1951-54 |
36-5-2 |
| 2014-17 |
35-10 |
| 2013-16 |
35-14 |
| 1957-60 |
34-7 |
| 1972-75 |
32-13-1 |
| 1936-39 |
31-8 |
| 1990-93 |
31-16-1 |
MARTINEZ IS NEW PAT LEADER
• Kicker
Kristov Martinez ranks 12th among career leaders in Division II in scoring with his 264 career points.
• Martinez is currently the leader in scoring amongst kickers in the Lone Star Con at 7.9 points per game. ENMU's Bailey Hale took the lead in total points at 65 - two points ahead of Martinez - in Thursday night's win for the Greyhounds at West Liberty.
• He has scored 264 points in his career, which ranks second in A&M-Commerce history.
• 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. |
264 |
Kristov Martinez (150 PAT, 38 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. |
150 |
Kristov Martinez (150-157) |
2015-pres. |
| 2. |
134 |
Billy Watkins (134-143) |
1990-93 |
| 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. |
38 |
Kristov Martinez (38-54) |
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 |
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 3rd in the nation in kickoff return average at 28.63 yards per return.
• The Lions are also 2nd nationally in kickoff return defense, allowing 13.28 yards per return.
• Opponents have averaged starting at the 27.2 yard line on kickoffs, while the Lions average starting on the 38.5 yard line after kickoffs.
• Martinez has had touchbacks on 28 of 53 kickoffs.
WILSON TAKES IT TO THE HOUSE
•
Buck Wilson returned a first quarter kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown against West Texas A&M, earning LSC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
• He is the fourth Lion on record with a 100-yard touchdown. He is the 25th player in LSC history with a 100-yard kickoff return. He is the seventh player in Division II this season with a 100-yard kickoff return.
| Bob Sloan |
vs. Midwestern State, 1950 |
| Marvin Brown |
vs. Midwestern State, 1951 |
| Gary Berry |
vs. Sam Houston State, 1958 |
| Buck Wilson |
at West Texas A&M, 2017 |
• Wilson averages 35.7 yards per kickoff return on nine returns. The NCAA requires returners to have 1.2 returns per game to qualify for the statistical rankings. Wilson averages 1.125 returns per game.
• If he met the return quantity qualification, Wilson would rank third in the nation in kick return yardage.
ON THE SCOREBOARD
• The Lions rank in the top 15 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
• At 39.9 points scored per game, the Lions are 2nd in the LSC and 15th in the nation.
• At 16.0 points allowed per game, the Lions rank 1st in the LSC and 14th 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 13.1 yards per punt return this year.
• The only LSC player who has returned a punt for a touchdown this year was
Jay Bias' five-yard punt block return for a score in the fourth quarter against Western N.M.
MULTI-FACETED ALL-AMERICAN ALONG WITH ACTUAL PUNTING INFO
• 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 10th in the LSC in average punt yardage at 35.5 yards per punt.
• That's just awesome.
•
Tristan Perry ranks fourth in the conference with a 40.3 yard punting average.
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 NOVEMBER 4 IN EAST TEXAS/A&M-COMMERCE FOOTBALL (6-1) :
• 1961 - ET welcomes Southwest Texas to Memorial Stadium and gets by the Bobcats with a 14-7 win.
• 1967 - The Bearkats of Sam Houston State come calling and the Lions roll to a 31-8 victory.
• 1972 - The Lions get back on the winning path with a 24-14 win at home over Angelo State for an important LSC victory on the way to the national championship.
• 1978 - ET takes an impressive 32-17 victory over the Javelinas of Texas A&I in Kingsville.
• 1989 - A tough road trip for the Lions ends in a 35-8 loss at Angelo State.
• 1995 - ET picks up its fourth of five straight victories with a key 24-21 win at Angelo State.
• 2006 - The Lions close out the season with a 13-7 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State.
– 30 –
Lion Athletics Mission: Committed to a "Best in Class" student-athlete experience
