COMMERCE - The No. 8 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions' football team takes the second-longest road trip in program history on a holiday weekend for the NCAA Division II Super Regional Semifinal round of the playoffs at No. 7 Central Washington.

WHO: Texas A&M University-Commerce at Central Washington University
WHERE: Ellensburg, Wash. | Tomlinson Stadium
WHEN: Noon PST (2 p.m. CST) on Saturday, November 25
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 10-1 overall. Central Washington is 11-0 overall.
RANKINGS: A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 8 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and the D2Football.com Media Poll. Central Washington is ranked No. 7 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and No. 10 in the D2Football.com Media Poll.
SEEDINGS: A&M-Commerce is the fifth seed in Super Region Four and defeated fourth seed Winona State in the regional quarterfinal, 20-6. Central Washington is the top seed in Super Region Four and had a bye in the first round. The winner of this game advances to the regional final to play the victor of the matchup between second seed Minnesota State-Mankato and third seed Midwestern State.

LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network -- KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: HERE
LIVE STATS: HERE
TICKETS: HERE

VISIT PLAYOFF CENTRAL FOR INFORMATION ON WATCH PARTIES, ETC.

LIONS WIN ON THE ROAD, ADVANCE AGAIN
• The Lions' 20-6 win at Winona State was their first playoff victory on the road since a 1990 first round victory at Grand Valley State.
• A&M-Commerce has advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs for the fourth time in its five appearances in the tournament.
• This marks the seventh time in program history that the Lions have won five or more true road games (non-neutral), including a six-win road season in 2016. The Lions also had six road wins in 1951, 1953, and 1980. The Lions had five road wins in 1957 and 1990. 
• Each of those seasons with the exception of 1951 concluded with a postseason appearance.
 
STILL PUSHING #ToTheTop
• The Lions ended the regular season at No. 8 in the nation in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.
• A&M-Commerce has been ranked in 38 straight AFCA polls, dating back to the 2015 preseason poll. 
• This is A&M-Commerce's 44th all-time appearance in the AFCA poll since its inception in 2000.
• Central Washington is the fourth nationally-ranked team the Lions have faced this season, all inside the top 12.
•A&M-Commerce is the fourth nationally-ranked team the Wildcats have faced, none inside the top 15,
 
CARTHEL 5TH IN SCHOOL HISTORY IN WINS
• Head coach Colby Carthel now ranks fifth in A&M-Commerce history in coaching wins with 44 wins.
• However, he will be in fifth for a while, as his 44 wins are still 19 behind 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.	44-15
6	M.A. Smith	1951-53	30-2-1

 
WASHINGTON IS FAR AWAY ^TM
• Travel notes are always fun in the playoffs, and the Lions got a doozy this week, with the third-longest possible road trip in Division II football from Commerce.
• When Portland State was still in Division II, that playoff game was 2,068 miles away. 
• Using Google Maps, Ellensburg is 2,035 miles from Commerce. That is direct driving with no trip through the SeaTac Airport.
• The only farther possible trips in Division II football for the Lions would be Simon Fraser (Burnaby, British Columbia - 2,271 miles) and Western Oregon (Monmouth, Ore. - 2,127 miles).
• A trip to Humboldt State in Arcata, Calif., is somehow one mile shorter than a trip to Ellensburg.
 

Site	Years	Miles One-Way
Portland, Ore.	1995 (NCAA)	2,068
Ellensburg, Wash.	2017 (NCAA)	2,035
Davis, Calif.	1999	1,771
Big Rapids, Mich.	2015 (NCAA)	1,109
Orlando, Fla.	1952, 1953, 1957, 1958 (Tangerine)	1,062
Fargo, N.D.	1997	1,060
Allendale, Mich.	1990, 2016 (NCAA)	1,047

 
AGAINST THE GNAC
• This will be a short note. The GNAC was initiated in 2001 and the Lions have never played any present or past member in football action.
• Since rejoining Division II for the 1998 season, the Wildcats have played LSC foes seven times, with a 2-5 record and a 1-1 playoff mark. 
 
GO WEST, YOUNG MAN
• This will be the Lions' fourth all-time game against a team from the Pacific time zone.
• The Lions dropped the 1995 playoff game at Portland State and went 0-2 in a home-and-home series with UC Davis, playing the Aggies in Davis in 1999.
 
WHAT'S THIS STUFF?
• With the proliferation of artificial surfaces at all levels of football, the Lions rarely play on a natural surface anymore. Western New Mexico's Ben Altamirano Field is the only grass surface remaining in the Lone Star Conference, with the opening of Eastern New Mexico's Greyhound Stadium in 2016.
• Central Washington's Tomlinson Stadium has a natural surface, surrounded by a track.
• The last non-conference game the Lions played on a grass field was the 2011 trip to Upper Iowa to start that season. Somehow, this is the second straight week that the Peacocks from Fayette, Iowa, have worked their way into the game notes.
 
SENIORS BREAK SCHOOL RECORD
• With the win at Tarleton, the senior class broke the school record for wins in a four-year period. The previous record stood since the Tangerine Bowl runs of the early 1950s. 
• That record extended with the win at Winona State to 38 games won in a four year span.
 

Years	Record
2014-17	38-10
1951-54	36-5-2
2013-16	35-14
1957-60	34-7
1972-75	32-13-1
1936-39	31-8
1990-93	31-16-1

 
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.
• Two Lion receivers tied for third in the Lone Star Conference in terms of receiving touchdowns, with another in fourth.
• Darrion Landry, and Buck Wilson each have nine receiving touchdowns this season. D'Arthur Cowan is right behind them with eight. All eight of Cowan's touchdown receptions have come in LSC play.
 
PEREZ' OUTSTANDING SEASON AND CAREER LEAD TO HARLON HILL NOMINATION
• Lion quarterback Luis Perez earned his second consecutive nomination for the Harlon Hill Trophy on Monday. 
• He was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He also earned First Team All-Lone Star Conference honors for the second consecutive season.
• A Lion quarterback has earned first team all-LSC honors a total of 17 times since the league's formation in 1931.
• He became the Lions' fourth quarterback to repeat as a first team all-LSC selection, joining Bobby Bounds (1990-91), LSC Hall of Honor member Wade Wilson (1979-80), and R.A. Hitt (1933-34), who was the second-ever all-LSC quarterback.
 

LION FIRST TEAM ALL-LSC QUARTERBACKS
2016, 2017	Luis Perez
1996	Cole Cayce
1990, 1991	Bobby Bounds
1982	Kyle Mackey
1979, 1980	Wade Wilson
1977	Terry Skinner
1972	Will Cureton
1960	James Williams
1959	Sam McCord
1954	Bobby Fox
1953	Jim Gray
1948	Bobby Griffin
1933, 1934	R.A. Hitt

 

SUPER REGION FOUR HARLON HILL TROPHY NOMINEES
Player	Pos	Ht	Wt	Cl	School
Dennis Gardeck	LB	6-0	230	SR	Sioux Falls
Ja'Quan Gardner	RB	5-7	205	SR	Humboldt State
Chad Hovasse	WR	6-1	215	JR	Adams State
Cameron Mayberry	RB	5-11	200	SO	Colorado Mines
Luis Perez	QB	6-3	220	SR	A&M-Commerce
Layton Rabb	QB	6-5	225	JR	Midwestern State
Paul Revis	WR	5-9	175	SR	Western Oregon
Shane Zylstra	WR	6-4	215	SO	Minnesota State

 
• Perez' passing average has vaulted him to the top of the Division II ranks. He is one of nine passers in Division II averaging over 300 yards passing per game.
• He is the only quarterback in the top 10 of this ranking to still be playing in the Division II playoffs after Shepherd and Bowie State were bounced in the first round.
• The next closest in yards per game remaining in the playoffs is Midwestern State's Layton Rabb in 15th at 284.9 ypg.
 

Rk	Team	Cl.	Gms	A-C-I	TD	Yds	Avg
1	Luis Perez, A&M-Commerce	Sr.	11	426-305-6	38	3,737	339.7
2	Connor Jessop, Shepherd	Sr.	11	394-249-9	40	3,532	321.1
3	Tanner Garry, Slippery Rock	Sr.	11	437-268-9	32	3,522	320.2
4	Amir Hall, Bowie St.	Jr.	11	381-249-4	41	3,519	319.9
5	Grant Russell, Ohio Dominican	Sr.	10	305-221-3	30	3,182	318.2
6	Brook Bolles, Central Mo.	Jr.	11	396-223-12	21	3,485	316.8
7	Nick Rooney, Adams St.	Jr.	10	441-271-10	29	3,153	315.3
8	Y. Gavalas, LIU Post	Sr.	10	363-257-8	37	3,087	308.7
9	Javia Hall, Western N.M.	Sr.	10	458-255-12	24	3,006	300.6
10	Chas Stallard, Central Okla.	Sr.	11	361-238-6	28	3,209	291.7

 
• He did not play high school football, and was a competitive bowler, with 12 perfect 300 games to his name.
• He now has 14 games of 300-plus passing yards in his career, including nine straight games.
• He has not thrown an interception in 254 attempts. If the opposition does not pick him off in his next 26 passes, he will surpass a Division II record that has stood since 1996 by  New Haven's Jesse Showerda (280).
 

SINGLE SEASON PASSING TOUCHDOWN LEADERS
1.	38	Luis Perez	2017
2.	32	Luis Perez	2016
3.	31	Tyrik Rollison	2014
4.	30	Harrison Stewart	2015
5.	22	James Gray	1952

 
• Perez only needs 28 yards passing to become the school's single season passing yardage leader.
 

SINGLE SEASON PASSING YARDAGE LEADERS
1.	3,764	Tyrik Rollison	2014
2.	3,737	Luis Perez	2017
3.	3,326	Luis Perez	2016
4.	3,173	Harrison Stewart	2015
5.	2,861	Buster Faulkner	2004

 
• Perez is also the Lion career leader in three major passing categories.
 

CAREER PASSING YARDAGE LEADERS
1.	7,063	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

 

CAREER PASSING COMPLETION LEADERS
1.	549	Luis Perez (549-815-11)	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

 

CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWN LEADERS
1.	70	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

 
• He ranks first in Division II and ninth in all of the NCAA in career passing yards per game.
 

Rk	Team	Div	Cl.	Gms	A-C-I	Yds	TD	Yds/Gm
1	Luke Falk , Washington St.	FBS	Sr.	42	2,000-1,367-36	14,117	118	336.1
2	Mason Rudolph , Oklahoma St.	FBS	Sr.	40	1,372-863-26	12,829	88	320.7
3	Josh Rosen , UCLA	FBS	Jr.	29	1,151-698-26	9,100	57	313.8
4	Devlin Hodges , Samford	FCS	Jr.	32	1,280-883-24	9,905	78	309.5
5	Baker Mayfield , Oklahoma	FBS	Sr.	45	1,422-974-29	13,796	122	306.6
6	Gage Gubrud , Eastern Wash.	FCS	Jr.	28	1,005-654-27	8,568	74	306.0
7	Chase Burton , Franklin	D-III	Sr.	38	1,255-842-20	11,579	121	304.7
8	Riley Ferguson , Memphis	FBS	Sr.	23	829-519-18	6,899	61	300.0
9	Luis Perez , A&M-Commerce	D-II	Sr.	24	815-549-11	7,063	70	294.3
10	Ryan Sample , Benedictine (IL)	D-III	Sr.	30	1,133-647-34	8,806	82	293.5

 
KICKIN' IT WITH KRISTOV
• Kicker Kristov Martinez was named the Lone Star Conference's first team All-Conference kicker.
• He became the all-time leading scorer with an LSC Player of the Week effort in the regular season finale at Tarleton. 
• He scored 15 points in that game and has scored 10 points or more in five games this season. The four field goals at Tarleton tied a school single game record.
• He has scored 96 points this season. The late Saul Martinez scored 134 points in 2014 to set the school single season record.
•Martinez was also an LSC All-Academic selection for the second consecutive season. He is majoring in management.
 

CAREER SCORING LEADERS
1.	297	Kristov Martinez (162 PAT, 45 FG)	2015-pres.
2.	281	Billy Watkins (134 PAT, 49 FG)	1990-93
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

 

CAREER PATs MADE LEADERS
1.	162	Kristov Martinez (160-167)	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

 

CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE LEADERS
1.	49	Billy Watkins (49-84)	1990-93
2.	45	Kristov Martinez (45-61)	2015-pres.
3.	40	David Dell (40-61)	1995-98
4.	31	Saul Martinez (31-38)	2013-14
5.	29	Ha'a Bento (29-44)	2004-05
	29	Leonard Allen (29-52)	1973-76

 
FIREWORKS AFTER A SCORE
• The Lions have excelled on kickoffs, both when kicking the ball away, and when receiving the kickoff.
• The Lions rank 1st nationally in kickoff return defense, allowing 12.08 yards per return.
• A&M-Commerce is 3rd in the nation in kickoff return average at 27.65 yards per return.
 
WILSON TAKES IT TO THE HOUSE
• Buck Wilson was named the first team all-LSC kick return man. He 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 31.7 yards per kickoff return on 11 returns. The NCAA requires returners to have 1.2 returns per game to qualify for the statistical rankings. Wilson averages 1.0 returns per game.
• If he met the return quantity qualification, Wilson would rank fourth in the nation in kick return yardage.
 
MACHORRO NAMED O-LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
• All-American tackle Jared Machorro was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year.
• The senior was named first team all-LSC after leading the offensive line to a dominant season that saw the Lions qualify for the NCAA Division II playoffs for the third consecutive season. 
• This is the second consective season he has earned first team all-LSC honors. 
• Machorro is the sixth Lion to win Offensive Lineman of the Year honors since the award was instituted in 1985, and the first A&M-Commerce player to do in a single-division LSC.
• He also ranks 11th in the LSC in average punt yardage at 35.5 yards per  punt.
• That's just awesome.
• Actual punter Tristan Perry ranks fourth in the conference with a 39.6 yard punting average.  He was named all-LSC honorable mention.
 
HOBBS EARNS TOP HONORS
• Tight end (or A in the Lions' system) Vincent Hobbs caught both important touchdown passes from Luis Perez in the first quarter of the first round playoff victory at Winona State.
• He was named first team all-Lone Star Conference when the league honors were released last week.
• He is the first Lion tight end to be named first team all-conference since Corey Goodall in 2006. 
• The short list of Lion tight ends named first team all-conference include Gary Compton (1988 & 1990), Javier Cardenas (1983 & 1984), Dudley Slice (1972), and Tom Black (1967).
 
ON THE SCOREBOARD
• Both of the teams in today's matchup excel in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
• The Lions rank 8th nationally in scoring defense at 14.1 points per game, and will go up against CWU's offense ranked 12th nationally at 40.2 points per game.
• The Lion offense ranks 20th nationally in scoring at 38.5 points per game, and the Wildcat defense allows 16.1 points per game to rank 16th nationally.
 
PASS PROTECTION WILL BE KEY
• The CWU defense has been monstrous in getting to the quarterback this season, earning 58 sacks in 11 games for a 5.27 average - by far the national leader.
• No other team has 45 total or 4.3 average sacks.
• Award winners on the Lion offensive line who will need to be prepared include LSC Offensive Lineman of the Year and first team all-LSC tackle Jared Machorro, second team all-LSC guard Poet Thomas, and second team all-LSC center Jon Aguilar.
 
ALL-LEAGUE HONORS, THEN A PICK
• Middle linebacker Brucks Saathoff earned first team all-Lone Star Conference honors on Friday after he led the Lions in the regular season with 59 stops including three tackles for loss and two sacks. He forced a fumble, had a pass breakup, and five quarterback hurries. 
• He had a season-high 12 tackles in the win at West Texas A&M, winning LSC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
• After earning all-Conference honors, Saathoff was the defensive leader for the Lions at Winona State with a key goal line interception, as well as eight tackles and a tackle for loss.
 
LIONS ALL-TIME IN THE POSTSEASON

Jan 1, 1953	vs. Tennessee Tech	W 33-0	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Jan 1, 1954	vs. Arkansas State	T 7-7	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Jan 1, 1958	vs. Mississippi Southern	W 10-9	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Dec 31, 1958	vs. Missouri Valley	W 26-7	Tangerine Bowl	Orlando
Nov 25, 1972	Central State (Okla.)	W 54-0	NAIA Semifinal	Commerce
Dec 9, 1972	Carson-Newman	W 21-18	NAIA Champion Bowl	Commerce
Dec 6, 1980	at Central Arkansas	W 27-21	NAIA Quarterfinal	Conway, Ark.
Dec 13, 1980	Elon	L 6-14	NAIA Semifinal	Commerce
Nov 17, 1990	at Grand Valley State	W 20-14	DII First Rd	Allendale, Mich.
Nov 24, 1990	at Pittsburg State	L 28-60	DII Quarterfinal	Pittsburg, Kan.
Nov 23, 1991	Grand Valley State	W 36-15	DII First Rd	Commerce
Nov 30, 1991	at Pittsburg State	L 28-38	DII Quarterfinal	Pittsburg, Kan.
Nov 18, 1995	at Portland State	L 35-56	DII First Rd	Portland, Ore.
Dec 13, 2013	vs. Harding	L 3-44	Live United Bowl	Texarkana, Ark.
Dec 6, 2014	vs. East Central	W 72-21	Heart of Texas Bowl	Copperas Cove
Nov 21, 2015	at Ferris State	L 30-48	DII Regional Qtr	Big Rapids, Mich.
Nov 19, 2016	Colorado Mesa	W 34-23	DII Regional Qtr	Commerce
Nov 26, 2016	at Grand Valley State	L 32-55	DII Regional Semi	Allendale, Mich.
Nov 18, 2017	at Winona State	W 20-6	DII Regional Qtr	Winona, Minn.
Nov 25, 2017	at Central Washington	-	DII Regional Semi	Ellensburg, Wash.

 
BIG MIKE MAKES BIG PLAYS
• Defensive end Michael Onuoha caught eyes all season as a disruptive force in the Lion front.
• He had 35 tackles with six tackles for loss and two sacks, along with five quarterback hurries. He had a season-high seven tackles at Midwestern State. That included an important tackle for loss to force a turnover on downs in a comeback effort.
• At Winona State, Onuoha was constantly putting pressure on Warrior quarterback Derek Beenken and came away with a strip sack, and two tackles for loss in a four tackle effort while WSU only ran 61 plays.
 
VERSATILE STERLING-LOWE
• Cornerback Yusef Sterling-Lowe was named first team all-Lone Star Conference after a highly successful season in both run and pass defense.
• He was named the LSC Defensive Player of the Week with two interceptions at A&M-Kingsville. 
• He had 27 regular season tackles as a cornerback with a season-best eight stops against Eastern New Mexico.
•At Winona, he had a key pass breakup.
 
ALSO ON THE HONORS LIST
• Other players earning all-LSC honors were wide receivers Darrion Landry and Buck Wilson, defensive tackle D.D. Fletcher, outside linebacker Kieston Carter, safeties Chris Smith and Alex Shillow, and long snapper Austin Jordan on the second team.
• Earning all-LSC honorable mention were wide receiver D'Arthur Cowan, running back Carandal Hale, return specialist Shawn Hooks, defensive tackle Peyton Searcy, inside linebacker Neema Behbahani, outside linebacker Travon Blanchard, cornerback Darent White, and punter Tristan Perry.
• Garrett Blubaugh joined Martinez on the LSC All-Academic team.
 
COMMON OPPONENTS
• The two teams in today's game share two common opponents, having both played A&M-Kingsville and North Alabama.

	vs TAMUK	vs UNA
A&M-Commerce	W 38-7 (A, Wk4)	W 8-7 (A, Wk1)
Central Washington	W 34-10 (A, Wk1)	W 17-10 (H, Wk8)

 
ON THIS DAY IN ET/A&M-COMMERCE FOOTBALL HISTORY (2-1)
• 1920 - The Lions drop their season finale at Sam Houston St. 12-7.
• 1954 - ET takes down Sul Ross 27-6 at home to claim the Lions' fourth consecutive LSC title in J.V. Sikes' first season.
• 1972 - The Lions roll top-ranked Central State (Okla.) 54-0 in the NAIA National Semifinal in Commerce. ET collected 519 yards of total offense in a game that saw eight NAIA playoff records broken or tied. Lion tailback Kenneth Parks scored three touchdowns and rushed for 246 yards on 31 carries.