Two first quarter touchdowns led host No. 16 Tarleton State to a 24-7 victory over Texas A&M-Commerce.
The Texans (4-0) accounted for 373 yards of total offense, including 253 from the air in the win. TSU quarterback Scott Grantham completed 19 of 33 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown and the running back tandem Travis Evans and Michael Sampson each scored a touchdown.
Grantham’s favorite target in the contest was Devin Guinn, who hauled in six catches for 131 yards.
Offensively, the Lions (1-4) got a career-high 76 yards on the ground from Nabil El-Amin and quarterback Terry Mayo completed 14 of 21 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown.
The favorite target for Mayo was tight end Anthony Eustace, who caught a team-high four passes for 54 yards.
The A&M-Commerce defense held the Tarleton State running attack that was averaging 222.7 yards per game to a season-low 67 yards.
Linebacker Alonzo Meinfield, defensive end Garnet Smith and defensive back Courtney Edmond led the Lions in tackles with eight.
Linebacker Faoki Fifita and defensive back Alex Contreras forced two Texan turnovers on the night as each grabbed an interception. Defensive back Elliot Jones recovered a fumble.
After both teams exchanged punts, host Tarleton State went eight plays and 76 yards for the first touchdown of the game.
The Texans converted a pair of 2nd and 7 plays on the drive, including a 10-yard run by Grantham and a 29-yard pass and catch between Grantham and Guinn. After an Evans rush took the ball to the two-yard line, he got the call again and scored the first touchdown of the game.
Following a 23-yard kickoff return by senior Trae Grimes, the Lions went to the ground game and the strength of El-Amin for five-straight plays to take the ball down to the Tarleton 18. The big play was a season-high 25-yard run by El-Amin.
After a holding penalty on the Lions, Mayo completed his second pass of the game and found Darr Nieuwoudt for his first career touchdown reception.
?With the game tied at 7, on their next possession, Grantham and Guinn connected on another pass and catch for a 56-yard reception to take the ball down to the A&M-Commerce five.
Three plays later, Sampson scored the go-ahead touchdown from the one, putting the Texans in front 14-7.
Tarleton State added to its lead on its next drive with a 33-yard field goal to go in front, 17-7.
After a scoreless third quarter, Tarleton State extended the margin to 17, 24-7, on an eight-yard touchdown reception by Shamarr Prentice to culminate an eight play and 80-yard drive for the final score.
Lions punter Daniel Swaim had another solid outing recording seven punts for 294 yards (42.0 average) with a long of 50.
For his efforts, Swaim repeated as Lone Star Conference North Division Special Teams Player of the Week.
For the season, he is averaging a conference leading 42.4 yards per kick.
The same average as three-time all-Lone Star Conference punter Chris Miller, who last kicked for the Lions in 2003.
The Lions will look to end its current two-game losing streak next week at Memorial Stadium as they host Central Oklahoma at 7 p.m. on Family Day.