COMMERCE – For the second straight week, the East Texas A&M University football team is slated to face a nationally ranked ACC team on the ACC Network as the Lions face Florida State at the historic Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

WHO: East Texas A&M at Florida State
WHERE: Tallahassee, Fla. | Doak Campbell Stadium
WHEN: Saturday, September 6 | Noon eastern (11 a.m. central)
RECORDS: Florida State is 1-0 on the season, while East Texas A&M is 0-1 
RANKINGS: Neither team is nationally ranked, though the FBS poll are not released till Tuesday morning
 
LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network – KETR 88.9 FM (http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: ACC Network | https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401754621
LIVE STATS: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=604348&vislive=tame
GAME NOTES: ETAMU | FSU
SOUTHLAND MEDIA HUB: https://www.southland.org/sports/2025/8/26/FB_0826252804.aspx
 
FULL DIVISION I MEMBERS
• East Texas A&M University received
approval from the NCAA in June 2025 for its expedited transition process to
become full NCAA Division I members and become immediately eligible for NCAA sponsored postseason events.
• The Lions are eligible for the NCAA FCS Playoffs this year as they look to make their first playoff appearance at any level since reaching the Division II Quarterfinals in 2019.

GAS TANK LEAGUE
• The Southland gets another new look this season as UTRGV plays its first season of football, which comes on the heels of SFA re-joining the SLC a year ago.
• The Lions downed SFA a year ago and play the Lumberjacks for the 60th time on October 25. Last season's contest did not affect the SLC standings.
• The first ever trip down to the Rio Grande Valley comes on November 22 for the Lions.

SLC MEMBERS IN 2025-26
Institution Offers Football in 2025?

EAST TEXAS A&M	YES
HCU	Yes
UIW	Yes
Lamar	Yes
McNeese	Yes
New Orleans	No
Nicholls State	Yes
Northwestern State	Yes
Southeastern	Yes
SFA	Yes
A&M-Corpus Christi	No
UTRGV	Yes

 
TWO STRAIGHT YEARS WITH AN ALL-AMERICAN
• East Texas A&M has played three seasons as a transitioning Division I member and have had a player earn All-America honors in two of those seasons.
• After Max Epps earned All-America distinction in 2023, Brandon Tucker was named a first team All-American last season as well as the SLC Defensive Player of the Year.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST THE SEMINOLES
• Saturday afternoon is the first ever matchup between the Lions and the Seminoles.
• The Lions are also playing their first game in the state of Florida since 1974, when they tied 7-7 in the Central
Florida Classic against Behune-Cookman in Orlando.

POTENTIAL FOR BACK-TO-BACK RANKED OPPONENTS
• SMU was ranked No. 16 in both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press polls to begin the season, the Seminoles are predicted to be ranked going into week two.
• If FSU were to be ranked, it marks the first time since the first two games of the 2023 season that the Lions play ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks.
• In 2023, the Lions fell at home to No. 16/17 UC Davis and lost at No. 9/8 Sacramento State.

NATIONAL TV LOVES THE LIONS
• Playing SMU on the ACC Network last week, East Texas A&M began its season on National Television on prime time for the second straight as they played at San Diego State on truTV in Week One last season.
• This week, the Lions have another appearance on the ACC Network at Florida State.
• The Lions are just one of two FCS programs to play their first two games of the season on National TV this season, the other being fellow Texas A&M University member Tarleton.
• The game at San Diego State last season and the ones against SMU and Florida State are the first three National TV games for the program since the 2017 Division II National Championship game.

PLAYING IN OUR BACKYARD
• Only 70 miles seperated East Texas A&M's Ernest Hawkins Field and SMU's Gerald Ford Stadium, the site of last week's contest against the Mustangs.
• It is the shortest distance the Lions traveled for a "true" road game since playing at Southeastern Oklahoma State on October 5, 2013.
• Southeastern's Paul Laird Field is 72 miles away from Ernest Hawkins Field.

JUST DO IT
• East Texas A&M signed an apparel agreement with Nike prior to the season and is now the only school in the Southland to be outfitted by Nike.
• Three of the four non-conference games this season come against Nike schools for the Lions.

PLAYING TOUGH AGAINST FIERCE COMPETITION
• Saturday will be the fourth FBS opponent that the Lions will see in the Division I era.
• Through the first two games, East Texas A&M has held two of its FBS opponents (Old Dominion, San Diego State) to a combined three points in the first half.

CONTROLLING THE CLOCK
• The Lions had possession for 38 minutes and 59 seconds last week at SMU, which is ranked third in the FCS following the first two weeks of the season.

LIONS END 2024 ON A ROLL
• East Texas A&M entered the 2024 season finale against No. 6 UIW having won two in a row and had a lead over the Cardinals in the fourth quarter.
• The Cardinals pulled away late and went to play in the FCS Quarterfinals.
• The Lions improved their win total by two last season and won two conference games for the first time since 2022, while tying the record for most wins over Division I opponents in a season.

GETTING USED TO UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
• Four of the 12 games for the Lions this season come in venues that they have not played in before, including the first three games prior to their home opener at SMU, Florida State, and Grambling.
• East Texas A&M ends the season at SLC foe UTRGV, who is playing its first season of football this season.
• Of the other three road games, the Lions play at Northwestern State and at Southeastern for the second year in a row.

A THRILLING WIN OVER SFA
• East Texas A&M has played SFA 59 times in its program history, though last season marked a special milestone for the Lions as it was the first game as "East Texas A&M" and also the first time the Lumberjacks had played in Commerce since 1983.
• The Lions pulled out a 19-14 victory, making a goal-line stop in the final minute of the game, moving to 44-14-1 all-time against the 'Jacks.
• East Texas A&M hosts SFA on homecoming this season, looking to snap a streak of two straight losses on homecoming weekend as the program had won eight in a row on homecoming weekend, being 60-37-1.

THEY GROW UP SO FAST
• This year's coaching staff for the Lions features four members that played their college football in Commerce.
• Along with head coach Clint Dolezel, quarterback coach Jeff Cleveland, offensive line coach Bob Connelly, and tight ends coach Cameron Nellor are Lion alums.

TWO SIDES TO A COIN
• From the season finale against UIW last season, the Lions bring back eight starters on offense.
• On the other end, they look to replace nine starters on defense as well as the entire special teams unit.
• In the season opener against SMU, the offense featured 10 returners, while Josh Pikl being the lone newcomer and on defense, three newcomers were part of the starting 11.

LIONS END STREAK WITH WIN OVER DEMONS
• East Texas A&M rolled over Northwestern State for the first win of the season in 2024 and also snapped a 10-game losing streak overall, dating back to last season.
• The Lions also won their first game on the road since October 15, 2022, having lost the previous 10 on the road as well.
• The win gave the Lions their first SLC win of the year as well, avoiding a 0-2 start to conference play since 2013.

SHUTOUT STREAK ENDS
• A longstanding streak for East Texas A&M came to an end against Sac State last season, being shutout for the first time since 2011.
• The Lions had played 135 games without being shutout during the stretch.
• It was also the first road shutout for Sac State since 2011.

RARE OVERTIME GAME
• The Lions fell in overtime to Grambling in last season's home opener, which was the program's first overtime game in the Division I era and first since October 9, 2021, against Saginaw Valley State.
• Over the last six seasons, the Lions have played just three overtime games, the only win being over A&M-Kingsville in 2018.

WAITING TO GET HOME AT LAST
• The first home game this season for East Texas A&M does not come till Week Five when the Lions host NC Central.
• Five weeks into the season is the longest the Lions have had to wait for a home game since the 2009 season.

PEACE TAKES COMMAND
• Quarterback Ron Peace (Malakoff) returns for his second season under center for the Lions.
• He has the highest passing yards and touchdowns among SLC quarterbacks that return to their teams this season.
• He was twice named SLC Offensive Player of the Week a year ago.
• Peace missed last week's game due to injury.

JOURDAIN IS ALWAYS OPEN
• The only returning all-conference player from a season ago for East Texas A&M is wide receiver Christian Jourdain, who is also entering his second season in the Blue and Gold.
• Last season, Jourdain ranked sixth in the SLC with 683 receiving yards and fifth with six touchdowns.

KYREE'S GOT THE CALL
• The NCAA playing rules allow for coach to player communication for the first time this season in the FCS.
• Teams are limited to just one player on offense and one on defense to receive the communication. Offensively, for the Lions, it will be the quarterback position receiving the play calls, while on defense, it will be mike linebacker Kyree Anderson.
• Anderson is one of two returning starters on defense and racked up 96 tackles, one interception, two forced fumbles last season.

RIGBY IS THE GUY
• Ozlo Rigby, a transfer from Pasadena City College, took over as the Lions' kicker on Saturday at SMU.
• He went 2 for 3 in field goal tries, hitting a 29-yarder and 32-yard kick.

T-SEVENTH IN THE PRESEASON SLC POLL
• The Lions were picked to finish in a tie for seventh in the preseason Southland Conference poll this year, receiving 59 votes, along with HCU.
• East Texas A&M won at home over HCU last season and hosts the Huskies again this year.

PRESEASON SLC POLL

Rank	Team	Points (First-Place Votes)
1	UIW	158 (15)
2	SFA	137 (3)
3	Southeastern	136 (1)
4	Lamar	112 (1)
5	Nicholls	91
6	McNeese	85
T-7	EAST TEXAS A&M	59
T-7	HCU	59
9	Northwestern State	39
10	UTRGV	24

SETTING UP FOR LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL
• The Lions's roster features 21 players that have already graduated and working towards a master's degree or a second bachelor's degree.

LIST OF LION GRADUATES
Kyree Anderson
Patrick Brown Jr.
Chandler Donaway
CJ Garnett
Jadin Jones
Christian Jourdain
Devante Keys
Koby-Sebasyen King
Sean-Krystoff King
Will Madonna
Alijah May
Paul Odidi
Ike Ojukwu
Micah Owens
Jaden Proctor
Eric Rodriguez
Kendal Septs
KJ Shankle
Michael Surface
Romello Watson
Josh Wiggins

THE PICK IS IN: LEVI DRAKE RODRIGUEZ
• On April 27, 2024, Levi Drake Rodriguez heard his name called at the NFL Draft, being drafted in the sixth round by the Minnesota Vikings.
• Rodriguez was the first NFL Draft pick for the Lions since 2000 and 31st overall to be drafted in the NFL/AFL.
• Rodriguez earned first team all-conference honors a year ago and was named to Pro Football Focus' All-America team.
• After appearing in two tackles and picking up a tackle last season, Rodriguez was announced on the Vikings' 53-man roster to begin the season.

LIONS IN THE PROS
• The Lions have two players currently on NFL rosters heading into the 2025 season.
• Rodriguez is entering his second season with the Minnesota Vikings, while Kader Kohou is entering his fourth with the Miami Dolphins.
• Kohou suffered an injury during training camp and is currently sidelined, expected to miss the 2025 season.
• Currently, defensive back King Ambers and defensive lineman Celestin Haba are currently on active rosters in the Canadian Football League.

CHANGES TO THE COACHING STAFF
• The Lions have made a few changes to their coaching staff heading into the year.
• Tony McClain adds the role of being the team's special teams coordinator along with being the running backs coach.
• Offensively, Jeff Cleveland takes over as the full-time quarterbacks coach, Bob Connelly serves as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator, while Cameron Nellor is elevated to tight ends coach and Matt Moriarty moves over to assistant offensive line coach.
• On the defensive side, Luke Jaicks is the new
cornerbacks coach, while Bryce Bailey moves over to safeties coach.

FUTURE FBS GAMES ON THE BOOKS
• The string of games against FBS continues for the Lions as they are scheduled to play at Tulsa next season on September 19, 2026, at Louisiana on September 11, 2027, and at North Texas on September 16, 2028.

RARE FEAT FOR THE LIONS
• The Lions won their first three conference games in the Southland and Division I in 2022, becoming just the fourth program to start conference play 3-0 during its first season in NCAA Division I AA/FCS, joining UAlbany (DII), Dayton (DIII), and Gardner-Webb (DII).
 

Yr.	Team	Conf.	Strk	Final Record
1983	Dayton	Pioneer	W6	6-0
1999	UAlbany	Northeast	W5	6-1
2002	Gardner-Webb	Big South	W3	3-0
2022	EAST TEXAS A&M	SOUTHLAND	W3	3-3