Mustangs trample Lions in Harvey Martin blowout

Momentum was the flavor of the day during the Harvey Martin Classic at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday. When the A&M-Commerce Lions had it, they could not do enough, but when Midwestern State took it away, the Mustangs kept it for good, reeling off 42 straight points on their way to a 63-17 rout in the Lone Start Conference opener for both teams.

The Lions (0-2 overall, 0-1 in LSC) used a bit of trickery on the first play from scrimmage to set up an early touchdown, but let a couple of other big opportunities slip away, and momentum left with them. Head Coach Guy Morriss said it all came down to execution.

"We took advantage of some of their mistakes early in the game and scored early," Morriss said. "As the game went on, I think they started executing and we didn't and things started snowballing and got out of control."

Senior quarterback Yogi Gallegos put the Lions on the board early, finding senior Adorian Arthur in the corner of the end zone for a 1-yard score. Jacob O'Neil added the PAT to give the Lions a 7-0 lead just five minutes into the game. The Mustangs (2-0 overall, 1-0 in LSC) answered right back to tie the game, moving the ball 71 yards in 12 plays and scoring on Keidrick Jackson's 6-yard plunge, one of four rushing touchdowns by Jackson in the contest.

The Lions caught a break later in the quarter when MSU fumbled a punt deep in its own territory, and sophomore Corvellas Cage pounced on it for the Lions at the 16. A&M-C couldn't take advantage, instead missing on a 36-yard field goal attempt and giving possession back to the Mustangs. The Lions received another great chance on the next series, as the MSU punter fumbled the snap and covered it up at Mustangs 26, where the  Lions took over and took a 10-7 lead on a 19-yard field goal by O'Neil early in the second period.

Jackson put the Mustangs in front for good on the next Midwestern drive, diving in from a yard out to make it 14-10 after one of nine PAT's converted by Greg Saladino. The Lions made their first big mistake of the game on their next series, when punter Cameron Frosch fumbled a snap and ended up giving the ball to MSU on the Lions 16. The Mustangs needed just four plays to turn it into points, as Jackson scored from a yard out to make it 21-10.

Lester Bush added another MSU touchdown late in the second quarter to make it 28-10, and A&M-C missed out on a scoring chance to end the half when O'Neil's field goal attempt from 38 yards hit off the right upright. Morriss said the Lions never gave themselves a chance but hurt themselves in many ways.

"We keep on doing things to kill ourselves. We didn't tackle well today, throw and catch the ball well, or run the ball like we wanted to," Morriss said. "When we fumbled the punt and gave them the touchdown, heads started to droop and we couldn't get our momentum back. I credit Midwestern, they put us in that situation."

While the Mustangs added five more touchdowns in the second half, the Lions continued to sputter on offense. Senior receiver Taylor Fore, who pulled in a game-high seven catches for 85 yards and a touchdown, said the lack of execution killed their momentum. "We're just not executing well enough on offense to continue drives," Fore said. "Third downs in the first half really kicked our butts and we just weren't picking them up."

The A&M-C defense had a tough day as well, allowing 592 total yards, including 369 on the ground. Senior linebacker Cory Whitfield led all tacklers with 10, but said the defense had no excuse for its performance.

"No real excuse, we just have to execute better, we didn't execute as a whole defense," Whitfield said. "The no huddle was challenging for us because we hadn't seen it yet. We gave them a lot of first downs, it was our fault."

The Lions managed to gain 421 total yards, with 334 coming through the air. Gallegos hit on 18-of-33 passes for 183 yards and the early score, and redshirt junior J.J. Harp took over in the second half and shook off an early interception to pass for 127 yards and a score on 12-of-20 passing. Harp hooked up with Fore on a 29-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Midwestern State quarterback Brandon Kelsey sparked the Mustang offense, passing for 163 yards and rushing for 70 more. The Mustangs had five rushers gain at least 60 yards. Marcus Graham led the Lions rushing effort with 50 yards on 11 carries, while Tyler Rawlings and Kenzee Jackson hauled in five catches each. Matt Claggett and Danny Mason each had seven tackles for the Lions.

The Lions will have a short week to prepare for their next contest, as they play host to Ouachita Baptist on Sept. 22.