After eight consecutive losses to begin the season, the A&M-Commerce Lions will finally get to play with a bit of momentum when they close the season out Saturday on the road against West Texas A&M.
The Lions (1-8, 1-6 LSC) are coming off a 60-28 annihilation of Eastern New Mexico during last weekend’s Senior Night game for their first win of the year. Saturday’s game against the Buffaloes (6-3, 5-2 LSC) will kickoff from Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in Canyon at 1 p.m. A live broadcast can be heard on KETR 88.9 FM.
Last week, Marcus Graham lead the Lions to victory with a career-best 152 rushing yards with two touchdowns. After struggling to find space all season, Graham was able to jump into ninth on the school’s all-time rushing list with 1,985 total yards.
The senior needs just one yard for eighth place and can move all the way to sixth with 10 yards. He would become the sixth player in school history to rush for 2,000 yards in a career if he manages just 15 yards against the Buffaloes.
Junior quarterback J.J. Harp also had a huge game last weekend, lighting up his old team for 343 yards and three passing touchdowns with no interceptions.
Seniors Taylor Fore and Cory Whitfield continue to add to their legacies as well, and can reach some big milestones this weekend in Canyon. Fore moved into fourth on the career receptions list and enters the final game of his collegiate career needing just five catches to break the single-season reception record of 58. Fore currently has 54 catches for 548 yards this season.
Whitfield – the Lone Star Conference leader in tackles – is averaging 11 tackles per game after a career-best 15 stops against Eastern New Mexico, and needs just one more tackle to reach 100 for the season.
But more importantly, the Lions are seeking a win to help salvage the season and establish some momentum heading into the offseason. But they’ll have to stop the Buffs’ potent passing attack to do just that.
West Texas A&M lives and dies by the duo of quarterback Dustin Vaughan and receiver Brittan Golden. The sophomore gunslinger has completed 198-of-327 passes for 2,785 yards and 22 touchdowns with just four interceptions this season. The senior Golden is Vaughan’s favorite target, hauling in 45 catches for 837 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Buffaloes are 4-1 at home this season and hold a 6-5 all-time advantage over A&M-Commerce in Canyon. In a series that dates all the way back to 1923, the Lions hold a 14-11 lead as the teams enter the 26th meeting. West Texas A&M has won the last three games between the two teams, with the most recent coming in 2007.