P.O. Box 3011, Commerce, TX 75249 Phone: 903.886.5131 Fax: 903.886.1280 e-mail: bianca_gamez@tamu-commerce.edu TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE LIONS (2-3) VERSUS EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA (1-4) Norris Field Ada, Okla. Sat., Oct. 1, 2005 (Time 6:00 p.m.) A&M-Commerce Quick Facts Location: Commerce, Texas Enrollment: 8,546 President: Dr. Keith McFarland Athletic Director: Jim Johnson Nickname: Lions Colors: Blue and Gold National Affiliation: NCAA Division II Conference: Lone Star Conference Stadium: Memorial Stadium Seating Capacity: 10,000 04 Record: 4-6, 4-5, North (9th), 2-4 South (15th) Football Contact: Bianca Gamez Phone: 903-886-5131 Cell Phone: 903-366-6041 Fax: 903-468-3027 Texas A&M-Commerce 2005 Schedule & Results Confer erence ence Action Continues The Lions will head north to face conference rival East Central Oklahoma in Ada on Saturday. A&M-Commerce opened division play last week against Central Oklahoma and won 17-3. In a game that was supposed to be played at night, was moved to 12 noon due to Hurricane Rita approaching East Texas. East Central opened conference play against Northeastern losing to the Redmen 16-14. The Series This will be the 16th meeting between the Lions and the Tigers. A&M- Commerce leads the series with a 10-4-1 record. This will be the seventh time that the Lions will travel to Ada, Okla. and face the Tigers. They lead the series with a 4-2 standing in the Ada and are 4-1-1 at Memorial Stadium with an overall record of 4-3-1 in Commerce. The last time these two teams met was in 2003, when A&M-Commerce won 24-6 in Ada, Okla. East Central is one of the oldest rivals that the Lions have faced. The series dates back to 1929 where ECU beat A&M-Commerce 37-0 in Ada. The biggest win that the Lions hold over the Tigers was in 1990 with a score of 42-0. On The Air Listen to Lion Football Live On Date Team W-L Score Aug. 27 at Southern Arkansas L 14-7 Sept. 3 +Tarleton State L 17-7 Sept. 10 #Midwestern State W 27-25 Sept. 17 *at Abliene Christian L 27-18 Sept. 24 *Central Oklahoma W 17-3 (Family Day) Oct. 1 *East Central 6p.m. Oct. 8 Open Oct. 15 *at Southeastern Okla. 2p.m. Oct. 22 *Northeastern St. 2p.m. (Homecoming) Oct. 29 *West Texas A&M 2p.m. Nov. 5 *at Southwestern Okla. 6p.m. *Denotes Conference Games +Denotes Crossover Game #Denotes South Division Opponent Home Games On the Road The Lions are still looking for their first win on the road this season. Currently the team stands 0-2 away from Memorial Stadium in 2005 and 3-5 under head coach Scotty Conley. Overall A&M-Commerce stands at 178-214-11 traveling to their opponent s sites. The Tigers are also the only team that the Lions beat in the 2003 season on the road and overall. On The Web Log on to: www.lionathletics.com For all of the 2005 Lion Football Action 2
LONE STAR CONFERENCE STANDINGS NORTH DIVISION Division Overall Team W-L Pct W-L Pct Texas A&M-Commerce 1-0 1.000 2-3.400 Northeastern State 1-0 1.000 1-4.200 Southeastern Okla. 0-0.000 2-2.500 Southwestern Okla. 0-0.000 1-4.200 Central Oklahoma 0-1.000 1-4.200 East Central 0-1.000 1-4.200 SOUTH DIVISION Team W-L Pct W-L Pct Angelo State 1-0 1.000 5-0 1.000 West Texas A&M 1-0 1.000 5-0 1.000 Eastern New Mexico 1-0 1.000 3-2.600 Tarleton State 0-0.000 4-0 1.000 Texas A&M-Kingsville 0-1.000 3-1.750 Abilene Christian 0-1.000 2-2.500 Midwestern State 0-1.000 2-2.500 LSC SCHEDULE THIS WEEK S SCHEDULE Saturday, Oct. 1 * SWOSU at UCO, 2 pm # ACU at SOSU, 2:30 pm * A&M-C at ECU, 6 pm * ASU at ENMU, 7 pm * TSU at TAMUK, 7 pm * WTAMU at MSU, 7 pm * LSC Division game for both teams # Conference game for both teams All times Central LAST WEEK S RESULTS Saturday, Sept. 24 SOSU 35, at Okla. Panhandle 3 * ECU 14, at NSU 16 * ENMU 33, at ACU 30 * UCO 3, at A&M-C 17 # TSU 16, at SWOSU 9 * TAMUK 20, at WTAMU 28 * MSU 29, at ASU 30 # Conference game for both teams On the Air Saturday night s game will be broadcast on the Lion Sports Network, KETR 88.9 FM, for its 30th season. Sean McEnany returns for his second season as the play-by-play voice of Lion Football. Joining him as the color analyst this week is Lions women s basketball coach Denny Downing. Coach Downing makes his second appearance of the season as color analyst filling in for J.P. Slovak. Live e On the Web You can also follow the Lion football games via the internet. Simply log on to www.lionathletics.com and click on the Listen to Lion Athletics live button to hear the action on the world wide web. Catc tch Scotty Conley At the Lair Every Tuesday night you can catch head football coach Scotty Conley talk about the upcoming games as well as a recap of the game the week before. KETR 88.9 will broadcast it live from the Lions Lair in the Memoiral Student Center on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus. The show is from 7:00-7:30 p.m. The show can be heard as well over the world-wide web. Around the Lone Star Lone Star Conference divisional play started last weekend with two games decided by last-minute field goals and two played before crowds of 10,000-plus spectators, plus the league s highest rated team went down in defeat. West Texas A&M emerged with the biggest storyline of the weekend as the Buffaloes improved to 5-0 with a 28-20 victory over No. 3-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville, the four-time defending LSC champion. TAMUK had six turnovers in that contest, which was played in front of an LSC season-high 14,095 fans in Canyon. Angelo State also moved to 5-0, but the Rams needed some late heroics to do so. ASU trailed 23-7 entering the fourth quarter but capped an improbable comeback with just 3.5 seconds left as a 20- yard field goal lifted the Rams to a 30-29 win over Midwestern State. Northeastern State started North Division play in similar fashion as the Redmen squeaked past East Central, 16-14, on a 24-yard field goal with 38 seconds remaining. This weekend s slate calls for more exciting matchups as WTAMU travels to Midwestern State, undefeated Tarleton State visits TAMUK and Angelo State goes on the road to face Eastern New Mexico. After beating TAMUK last weekend, the Buffs will face an MSU squad that tied TAMUK for last year s South title, while Tarleton and TAMUK hook up in a contest that features the LSC s two winningest programs over the past six seasons. ASU looks to stay undefeated against an ENMU team that has won three in a row.
The he Last Time The Lions faced the Tigers last in 2003 under head coach Eddie Brister. It was the only win that A&M-Commerce had on the road and for the season in 2003. At Ada two years ago, the Lions dominated the entire game from beginning to end. Former kicker Jason Hankins started it off with a field goal to give A&M-Commerce a 3--0 lead. The Lion defense then stepped in and forced East Central to punt on seven consecutive possessions. Quarterback Miles Durham came in replacing current quarterback Jonny Louvier, who threw a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter to give the Lions a 17-0 edge over the Tigers at halftime. The only time East Central was able to score was in the third quarter when quarterback Pete Darnell connected to wide receiver Stephen Langford on a 16-yard pass. The PAT failed. The Lions did not score in the third but came back in fourth quarter and scored a touchdown in the starting minutes when Tay Weatherspoon intercepted a Tigers pass and ran it back for 25 yards and six points. About East Central The Tigers are coming off a heartbreaking 16-14 loss to Northeastern State last week. Kicker Brett Sowers booted a 24-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game to give the Redmen the lead and win in north division play. The Tigers came back in the third quarter and put 14 points on the board to take a 14-7 lead, but the Redmen came back and responded scoring nine unanswered points to win the game, breaking a 14-game skid that dated back to 2003. The loss now places East Central with a 1-4 record and a last place standing in the north division. Against the North The North division is no stranger to Texas A&M University-Commerce. The Lions have faced North Division foes dating back to 1919, when they faced Southeastern Oklahoma and tied 0-0. Overall, the Lions hold outstanding records against the North Division teams, with a combined 37-20-2 standing. About East Central Location: Ada, Oklahoma Enrollment: 4,400 Founded: 1909 President: Dr. Bill Cole Athletic Director: Dr. Tim Green Nickname: Tigers Colors: Orange and Black Stadium: Norris Field Seating Capacity: 5,000 Affiliation: NCAA Division II Conference: Lone Star (North Div.) Team Information 2004 Record: 6-4 2004 LSC Record: 5-4 (tie 6th) Star Returners: WR Willie Lane, TB King Bennett, LB Andrew O Neill, LB James Callins Coaching Staff About Head Coach McCarty Head Coach: Tim McCarty McCarty is in his second season as head coach of the Tigers. In his Alma Mater: Fort Hays State ( 85) initial season, he turned ECU s football program around with a 6-4 Record at ECU: 6-4 (2nd year) overall record and a tie for third place in the Lone Star Conference North Career Record: 29-32, 22nd year Conference. It was East Central s first winning season since 2001. vs. A&M-Commerce: 0-0 McCarty was named KCAC Coach of the Year and NAIA.Net s National vs. Scotty Conley: 0-0 Coach of the Year for his efforts in 2003 as head coach at Tabor College. Starters Returning: 7 offense, 6 This will be the first time he will go up against head coach Scotty defense, 0 specialist Conley. Lions Against The North Central Oklahoma 14-8-0 East Central 10-4-1 Northeastern St. 3-1-0 Southeastern Okla. 4-5-1 Southwestern Okla. 6-2-0 Texas A&M University-Commerce 2005 Schedule Aug. 27 Bacone W 21-7 Sept. 3 @ West Texas A&M 6 p.m. Sept. 10 Texas A&M-Kingsville 6 p.m. Sept. 17 @Eastern New Mexico 7 p.m. Sept. 24 @Northeastern *6p.m. Oct. 1 A&M-Commerce* *2 p.m. Oct. 8 @Southwestern* 6 p.m. Oct. 15 Central Oklahoma* 6 p.m. Oct. 22 @Midwestern State+ 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 Open Nov. 5 Southeastern* 1:00 p.m. +- LSC South Crossover Game * - LSC North Division Game
American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches Poll September 27, 2005 Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prv. 1. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) (15) 4-0 615 1 2. North Dakota (10) 5-0 610 2 3. East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 4-0 547 6 4. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) 4-1 522 7 5. Valdosta St. (Ga.) 4-1 501 8 6. Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) 4-0 490 9 7. Northwest Missouri St. 4-1 447 10 8. South Dakota 5-0 427 14 9. Tuskegee (Ala.) 4-0 421 11 10. Arkansas Tech 4-0 379 12 11. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 5-0 362 13 12. Texas A&M-Kingsville 3-1 337 3 13. Michigan Tech 4-0 284 15 14. North Alabama 4-0 266 18 15. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 3-1 265 5 16. Nebraska-Omaha 3-1 245 4 17. Albany St. (Ga.) 3-1 240 16 18. Tarleton St. (Texas) 4-0 230 17 19. Northwood (Mich.) 4-1 183 19 20. Bloomsburg (Pa.) 5-0 178 21 21. Edinboro (Pa.) 3-1 150 20 22. West Texas A&M 5-0 127 NR 23. Shepherd (W.Va.) 5-0 91 25 24. Delta St. (Miss.) 3-2 67 23 25. Presbyterian (S.C.) 4-1 60 NR Others Receiving Votes: Wingate (N.C.), 20; Angelo St. (Tex.), 15; West Chester (Pa.), 11; North Carolina Central, 8; Washburn (Kan.), 8; California (Pa.), 7; Central Arkansas, 5; Harding (Ark.), 4; C.W. Post (N.Y.), 3. Texas A&M University-Commerce Gaskamp who was named second-team All-Big 12 as a player for Texas, is known for being the big blocker for former Longhorn running back Ricky Williams. Roberts comes from Oklahoma State, where he assisted and coordinated a summer workout program and worked in the strength and conditioning program in 2004-2005. The Cowboys were first in the Big 12 for forcing turnovers with 26 recoveries for a plus-17 in turnover margin. A Familiar Face To the Staff Defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen returns for his sixth season of A&M-Commerce football. In his five years here, the Lions defense had never ranked below seventh in the Lone Star Conference. In 2003, Cauthen led his defensive unit to a fourth place ranking in the LSC and 41st in NCAA Division II in total defense. Under Scotty Conley This is the second season for the Lions under the direction of Scotty Conley. Conley came to A&M-Commerce in January 2004 and posted a 4-6 record after the Lions ended the 2003 season with a 1-10 record under former head coach Eddie Brister. In three of the six losses in 2004, Conley s squad lost by just three points or less. As A Coach Conley led the Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals to the 1997 National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship. He was named the NJCAA National Coach of the Year and American Football Quarterly Junior College Coach of the Year after directing TVCC to a perfect 12-0 record with a Red River Bowl victory over Garden City (Kan.) Counting It Down Conley is close to reaching 10 wins as a Lions head coach. The win can possibly come during the final home game of the season against West Texas A&M. Currently Conley has six victories under his belt and with 10, he would rank as one of the top five coaches in Lion history to post a total of 10 wins in just two years as a head football coach. A New Staff Three new full-time assistants have been added to the Lions coaching staff in 2005. Offensive coordinator Kevin Goodwin, offensive line coach Russell Gaskamp and defensive line coach Justin Roberts were appointed by Conley this year. Goodwin is no stranger to A&M-Commerce. He is returning for his second stint of service and first as offensive coordinator. He was the Lions graduate assistant in 1999, coaching receivers. Gaskamp served for two years as recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach for Sam Houston State. 2005 Coaching Staff Head Coach: Scotty Conley Alma Mater: A&M-Commerce (1970) Overall Record: 4-6, 1 year (32-12, 4 years JC) Record at A&M-Commerce: 4-6 Assistant Coaches: Defensive Coordinator: Joe Cauthen Offensive Coordinator: Kevin Goodwin Offensive Line: Russell Gaskamp Defensive Line: Justin Roberts
Leading the North th A&M-Commerce currently leads the north division standings after their first conference win last Saturday against Central Oklahoma. The last time that the Lions won their first division game dates back to 2001 when they beat south division rival Texas A&M-Kingsville. In The he Zone A&M-Commerce s offense ranks in the top 10 of the LSC stats in the red zone. The Lions are 9-for-13 from the 20-yard line and closer, scoring 48 points. They have scored five touchdowns and are 4-for-6 in field goals with a 69.2 percentage overall. The majority of their touchdowns have been scored on the ground near the goal line and two in the air. Defensively, the Lions are among the top five in the conference rankings. The defense has allowed just seven touchdowns in five games and are 12- for-17 in stopping their opponents in the red zone with a 70.6 percentage. The defense has caused one fumble in the red zone and have allowed one touchdown get by them in the air. RED ZONE OFFENSE G RedZone % TDs R/P FG-AT Fumb/Int/Downs/Other 1. Northeastern State.. 5 10-11 90.9 5 2/3 5-6 0/ 0/ 0/ 0 2. Angelo State... 5 16-18 88.9 11 8/3 4-5 1/ 0/ 0/ 0 3. West Texas A&M... 5 22-25 88.0 16 8/8 6-6 1/ 1/ 1/ 0 4. Texas A&M-Kingsville 4 18-21 85.7 14 9/5 4-5 1/ 0/ 1/ 0 5. Eastern New Mexico.. 5 13-16 81.2 11 9/2 2-2 1/ 1/ 1/ 0 6. Tarleton State... 4 13-18 72.2 6 4/2 7-7 0/ 2/ 0/ 3 7. Southeastern Okla... 4 10-14 71.4 8 6/2 2-4 1/ 1/ 0/ 0 8. Texas A&M-Commerce.. 5 9-13 69.2 5 3/2 4-6 0/ 1/ 1/ 0 9. Abilene Christian... 4 10-15 66.7 6 4/2 4-8 0/ 0/ 0/ 1 10.Midwestern State... 4 11-17 64.7 9 8/1 2-6 1/ 0/ 1/ 0 RED ZONE DEFENSE G RedZone % TDs R/P FG-AT Fumb/Int/Downs/Other 1. Texas A&M-Kingsville 4 2-6 33.3 2 0/2 0-0 0/ 1/ 3/ 0 2. Angelo State... 5 9-20 45.0 6 3/3 3-9 1/ 1/ 3/ 0 3. West Texas A&M... 5 10-15 66.7 6 5/1 4-6 0/ 2/ 1/ 0 4. Southeastern Okla... 4 9-13 69.2 6 6/0 3-4 1/ 1/ 1/ 0 5. Texas A&M-Commerce.. 5 12-17 70.6 7 6/1 5-7 1/ 0/ 1/ 1 When It Counts On fourth down conversions, the Lions rank amongst the top three in conference statistics. They have converted four times on seven attempts in the five games played for a 57.1 percentage. They rank behind power offensive teams Midwestern State who ranks first and West Texas A&M who is second. Air Defense ense Texas A&M-Commerce defense leads the conference in pass defense allowing their opponents to just 60 completions out of 123 attempts. The Lions have picked off their foe in four out of the five games. The only game that an interception did not occur was against south division rival Tarleton State. Linebacker Danny Cobbin started the trend in the first game of the season, when he took a pick against Southern Arkansas for a 25-yard return. The trend then continued on Sept. 10, when leading tackler J.D. Hearn caught his first interception against Midwestern returning it for 18 yards. This is the second year in a row that the Lions defense has intercepted the ball three games in a row. Other defensive players with interception are L.J. Searcy and Vernis James. Each Lion has one each. Speaking of Defense ense The Lions defense has moved up the ranks in the LSC to the second spot. In five games, A&M-Commerce has allowed 850 yards on the ground, 583 in passing in 345 plays for a total of 1,433 yards. They rank behind south division Texas A&M-Kingsville s defense who has allowed 965 yards to their opponents. On fourth down conversions, the Lions defense has allowed only one out of three attempts.
NNHHH Gaining Ground Running backs Roger Daley and Cliff Edwards have combined for a total of 748 rushing yards in five games. Edwards leads the way for the Lions with 412 yards on the ground, while Daley comes in behind him at 336. Daley is ranked 10th in the LSC averaging 8.4 yards per carry and 84 yards per game. They are the first running duo to have such totals yardage on the ground since the 2004 season. Patt tt Is Back After missing the previous two games, wide receiver Cedric Patt returned to action on September 17. He had four catches for 79 yards and scored his second touchdown of the season. Overall Patt ranks third in the team stats with 9 catches for 133 yards and is averaging 14.8 yards per catch and 44.3 per game. Holding Them Back Last week s game against Central Oklahoma was the first time since 2003 that the Lions defense held a team to under 200 yards total offense. A&M-Commerce held Central Oklahoma to just 198 total offensive yards. On the ground, UCO was held to just 109 yards, while TAMU-C ran for 272 yards. Hearn It Linebacker J.D. Hearn had another stellar game against UCO last Saturday. The senior transfer recorded 16 total tackles, just one shy of his game high against Tarleton State on Sept. 3. Hearn now has 68 total tackles the most in the nation and RETURNING STARTERS Offense WR Victor Bennett Tackle Nick Benton Tackle Duane Davis OL Ryan Graves TE Touissant Henderson C Neil McElaney WR Cedric Patt Defense LB Mycal Anders DE Chip Brown CB Danny Cobbin LB Dennis Connor DE Marcus Dizer CB L.J. Searcy DT Terrance Smith S Dwayne Wallace Specialists PK Ha a Bento conference. He leads the team by more than 30 tackles. The 16 tackles marks the fourth game that he has compiled more than 10 in a game. He currently averages 13.6 tackles per game. HOW YOU SAY IT HA A Bento...HAH Danny COBBIN...KAH-bihn Marcus DIZER...DEYE-zur ORLANDO Hernandez...ohr-LOHN-doh Jonny LOUVIER...luh-VEER Jose MACHUCA...muh-CHOO-kuh NISSI OMOIKHUDU...NEE-see oh-...mo-yee-koodoo DeMARQUIS Price...duh-MAHR-kihs Jeff RAYOME...ray-OHM JAMIN SAVELL...JAM-ihn suh-vell Coach Russell GASKAMP...GAS-kamp Moving On Up Seniors J.D. Hearn and Ha a Bento continue to receive national recognition in NCAA Division II statistical rankings. Hearn currently ranks first in the nation in total tackles with 68. He is the first Lion in school history to defensively have this high of a rank in the nation and conference, and the second Lion under head coach Scotty Conley to acheive high defensive numbers, behind former Lion Jared Williams. Bento moved up from 32nd to 30th in the national statistics for field goals. He is now 5-for-8 and is the highest scorer on the squad tallying 22 points. He is 7-for-7 in PAT s made.