WEATHERFORD, Okla. – With a Lone Star Conference North Division football title on the line, Southwestern Oklahoma State scored twice in the second half to lead the host Bulldogs to a 21-14 victory over Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday.??As a result of the win by the Bulldogs and a victory by Northeastern State over Central Oklahoma, the Lone Star Conference North Division title will be shared between the Lions, SWOSU, Northeastern State, Central Oklahoma and Southeastern Oklahoma.??SWOSU (6-5, 3-2 LSC North) quarterback Steve Day completed 19 of 31 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs outgained A&M-Commerce, 370-273.??A&M-Commerce (5-6, 3-2 LSC North) running back Nabil El-Amin went over the 100-yard mark for the fifth straight game, rushing for a game-high 120 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown.??Lion sophomore quarterback Trent Miller completed 18 of 36 passes for 166 yards, an interception and a touchdown.?With the game tied at 14, Day engineered a five play, 80-yard drive for the go-ahead touchdown. Day found an open Michael Cooper for a 25-yard touchdown.?The Bulldogs got the game-tying touchdown early in the second half after both teams exchanged punts twice to start the second half. Day converted a pair of third-down plays to set up a first and goal from the 3-yard line.
On the next play, Steve Ihekona ran in from three yards out for the touchdown and Day ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14.??For the second-straight game, A&M-Commerce found itself trailing when the home team took the opening possession in for an early touchdown.
The Bulldogs went seven plays and 72 yards for the touchdown as Day completed six of seven passes, including a 36-yard touchdown strike to Johnathan Haggerty. The PAT by Daniel Spenser failed.??After the Lions were forced to punt on their first drive, A&M-Commerce came back on its second possession, relying solely on El-Amin.
The junior from Rochester, N.Y., ran for six yards and after an incompletion, El-Amin navigated his way around the right side of the field for a 41-yard touchdown run. The point-after-attempt by Chris Quiroga put the Lions in front 7-6.??In the final drive of the second half, Miller connected with wide receiver Chris Miller to move the ball down the SWOSU 11.
After a holding and personal foul call on A&M-Commerce, facing a third and 30, senior wide receiver Meldrick Grice found an opening in the SWOSU prevent defense and hauled in a reception between two Bulldogs’ defensive backs for a 36-yard touchdown.
The PAT by Quiroga put the Lions in front 14-6 as the two teams headed into halftime.
Punter Daniel Swaim earned Lone Star Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for the fourth time this season against the Bulldogs booting eight kicks for 327 yards with one landing inside the 20-yard line.
The game marks the end of the 2007 season for A&M-Commerce.?