Texas A&M University-Commerce dropped a 30-14 decision to Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana at Turpin Stadium on Saturday night.?
In the loss, the Lions 0-1 outgained the Demons by 302 to 289 but it was two fumbles and an interception that led host NSU to the victory.
Northwestern State quarterback John Hundley threw for 83 yards and a touchdown and ran for another 83 yards and a touchdown in the win. Texas A&M-Commerce quarterback Terry Mayo completed 16 of 39 passes for 279 yards and two touchdown passes to Willie Thornton.
The tandem of Mayo and Thornton combined for 141 yards including a 65-yard touchdown strike in the second quarter and a 48-yard reception in the third quarter. ??
In the loss, A&M-Commerce running backs Nabil El-Amin and James Jamison each had over 100 yards of all-purpose yardage.
El-Amin added 127 and Jamison added 112.
Senior linebacker Andrew Gamboa anchored a Lions defense with 12 tackles and senior safety Alex Contreras added nine tackles, forced and recovered a fumble. Senior punter Daniel Swaim punted the ball seven times for an average of 46.7 yards a kick. ?
After the two teams exchanged touchdowns, NSU went ahead 10-7 on a 29-yard field goal by Robert Weeks after a 14 play, 53-yard drive.
Following the ensuing kickoff, the Lions had a snap that went into the end zone and recovered by the Demons’ Josh Daniels for a 17-7 advantage with 6:15 left in the opening half.
In the third quarter, the Demons extended the margin to 17, 24-7, when safety Gary Riggs stepped in front of a Mayo screen pass for a 29-yard interception return.
The Lions managed to cut the deficit to 14, 24-14, when Mayo found Thornton for his second touchdown reception of the contest. On the reception, Thornton fought off the NSU defender and bobbled it before coming down with it to complete the 48-yard touchdown strike. Northwestern State put the final points of the board in the fourth quarter when Hundley scored on a three-yard touchdown run and the point-after attempt failed.??
Next, A&M-Commerce will take on Angelo State for its home opener on Saturday, September 6 at Memorial Stadium at 7:00 p.m.