The Texas A&M Commerce Lions took on the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs for the last game of the season. But for 21 of the Lions it may have been the last colliegate football game they ever play. All 21 seniors wanted their last game to be a memorable one. They helped the Lions to a 21-3 win over the Bulldogs.
Seniors Courtney Edmond, Ricky Hope, and Andrew Gamboa had a game they can someday tell their children about. They combined for 28 tackles with 13 of them being solo tackles. Edmond added an interception, giving him three for the season. Hope forced a fumble and added to his sack total with two against the Bulldogs. The Lions’ defense held the Bulldogs to only 40 yards rushing on 28 carries. This was the second time the defense didnt’t allow an offense touchdown this season. The offense contributed to the win with senior Nabil El-Amin rushing for 98 yards and one touchdown, giving him four on the year. Even though Terry Mayo didn’t start at quarterback for the Lions, he still had a decent game with 124 passing yards in just one half of playing time.
The Bulldogs started the game with the ball. They came out on the right note when John Haggerty caught a 22 yard pass in Lions’ territory. The Lions stopped the Bulldogs from getting any further when Gamboa forced an imcomplete pass on 4th and 6. Redshirt junior Trent Miller got the start at quarterback for the Lions and wasted little time proving he is the quarterback for next season. In just four plays, he led the Lions down the field to grab the lead early. Willie Thornton caught a 44-yard pass for the touchdown, his tenth of the year, to make the score 7-0. The Lions’ defense forced a three-and-out after the score and controlled the first quarter.
Terry Mayo saw some action in the second quarter, but looked rusty as the Lions did nothing with the ball leading into . The Lions’ defense was the dominant force in the game. Hope got his second sack of the game, giving him 11 on the year, after the Bulldogs got after first down off of a screen play from Luke Lundy. The Bulldogs finally got on the board with a field goal after they forced the Lions to punt out of their own endzone to make the score 7-3 heading into halftime.
The Lions’ offense struggled to get anything going in the third quarter, but the defense continued to control the game. They forced two turnovers in the quarter with junior A.J. Billings getting his second interception of the year and Hope recovering a fumble. After the fumble recovery by Hope, the Lions’ offense got a shot in the arm. El-Amin scored a “no look touchdown”.
On the first play of the drive, he took a simple run 51 yards for the touchdown. It was his longest run of the season as he gave the Lions a 14-3 led heading into the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs wanted to try and comeback, but the Lions’ defense was too strong. They forced another interception when Edmond made an incredible play on the ball. The Lions converted the turnover into seven points. Mayo caught his first touchdown pass after a reverse pass thrown by Taylor Fore to make the lead 21-3. The Lions defense slammed the door on the Bulldogs when senior Luke Higgins recovered a fumble on a bad option play. The Lions forced five or more turnovers for the second time this year. Every senior got to be a part of the 21-3 win.
The Lions finished the year at 5-5 and 3-2 in the Lone Star Conference.