The Lions have punched a ticket to its first NCAA Division ll National Championship game after beating a determined Harding team 31-17 Saturday. 45 years ago, in the very stadium East Texas State won the 1972 NAIA Division l Championship, A&M-Commerce celebrated their highest NCAA accomplishment to date.
“I'm proud of this team, it’s been a fun five years,” said Head Coach Colby Carthel, “we started off asking everyone to believe in the vision.”
Harding started the season 0-3. A&M-Commerce was expected to win its fourth conference title in a row. Harding finished a game shy of a national title after winning its remaining games of the season. The Lions lost it's fourth title to Midwestern State, who would later lose in the playoffs.
Both teams were missing crucial players for the contest, Lions top receiver Buck Wilson and Harding’s starting quarterback Terrence Dingle; NCAA ruled ineligible.
First Half
· Grant Kimberlin rushed for 51 yards quickly for the Bison, 7-0.
· Gabe Rodriguez rushed for 2 yards to put the Lions on the board, 7-7.
· The Lions were unable to convert after an interception by Yusef Sterling-Lowe towards the end of the first quarter after Luis Perez was sacked by Harding’s Devyn Comer.
· Harding’s Tristan Parsley punted a record 83 yards. The previous record was in 1999, held by Andrew Patton with 82 yards.
· A fake punt pass by Tristan Perry to Corey Smallwood for 7 yards on 4th down set up a 30-yd pass to Kelan Smith for the Lions second touchdown, a 3-yd pass to Vincent Hobbs, 14-7. Hobbs finished with 97 yards receiving.
Second Half
· The Lions stingy defense held the Bison scoreless in the second and third quarters.
· Kristov Martinez scored the only points in the third quarter with a 32-yd field goal, 17-7.
· At the top of the fourth quarter, Cole Chancey ran in a 1-yd touchdown for the Bison, 17-14.
· Freshman RB Carandal Hale had other plans in mind as he rushed for an 11-yd touchdown, 24-14.
· Parsley scored the Bison’s last points of the game on a 30-yd field goal, 24-17.
· D’Arthur Cowan sealed the win with a 90-yd touchdown catch with 3:50 left in the game, 31-17. He finished with a team-high 101 yards receiving.
Team Notes
· Defensively, Brucks Saathoff had an outstanding game leading the team with 14 sacks.
· Perez finished 24 of 34, 288 yards and 2 touchdowns.
· Lions were 4 of 4 in the Red Zone