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Lions Lose Heartbreaker To Midwestern, 26-25

Midwestern State University rallied late to defeat Texas A&M University-Commerce 26-25 at Memorial Stadium in Commerce in a matchup of two teams ranked in the top 10 in NCAA Division II. The Lions (4-1, 3-1 Lone Star Conference) entered the game ranked no. 4 nationally, while Mustangs (5-0, 4-0) began play ranked no. 7.

The victory gives Midwestern State the inside track on the LSC championship, though both A&M-Commerce and the Mustangs remain poised to qualify for the NCAA Division II football playoffs.

Midwestern State scored two touchdowns in the final five and a half minutes of play to earn the victory. The Lions went ahead 25-13 with 5:29 remaining thanks to a 7-yard pass from Luis Perez to Darby Smith.

But the Mustangs answered with a 75-yard drive that took only 5 plays and lasted two minutes. Quarterback Quade Coward connected with Breion Evans for 24 yards and Statron Jones for 29 yards to help Midwestern State get down the field in a hurry. The point-after made the score Lions 25, Mustangs 20 with 3:22 on the game clock.

The Midwestern State defense held A&M-Commerce to a crucial three-and-out series and forced a Lions punt. The Mustangs got the ball back on their own 25-yard line with 1:59 to play. Coward led Midwestern State on a 9-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jones. A two-point conversion attempt failed and left the score at 26-25.

With 22 seconds to play, the Lions started the game's last drive on the A&M-Commerce 25. The Lions advanced as far as the Mustangs' 42, but the gamed ended with two incomplete pass attempts.

Interception and touchdown lifted Lions

For a few minutes, it looked as though A&M-Commerce would win the game. With the Lions up 18-13, A&M-Commerce's Danny Huckaby intercepted a Coward pass at the Lions' 38-yard line. The ensuing possession was keyed by a 24-yard toss from Perez to Lance Evans and ended with the 7-yard Perez-Smith touchdown.

A 21-yard field goal by Martinez at 9:58 of the third quarter had given the Lions an 18-13 lead.

The Lions began the fourth quarter by regaining the lead on a 43-yard field goal by Martinez. The boot put A&M-Commerce up 15-13 at 14:14 and capped a 12-play, 54-yard drive. A 24-yard pass by the Perez-Smith combo had kept the drive alive on a third and eight at the Lions' 22.

Near-even three quarters of play set up pivotal fourth

Midwestern State took a 13-12 advantage early in the third quarter and held that lead through the period. On the Mustangs' first possession of the half, a 41-yard pass from Quade Coward to Breion Evans brought Midwestern to the Lions' 37-yard line. Shortly after that, Vincent Johnson broke another big gain when he scored on a 21-yard run at 13:48 of the third. However, a two-point conversion attempt failed when Garrett Blubaugh intercepted Lyton Rabb's pass.

Both teams failed to convert field-goal attempts in the third quarter. The Mustangs' Graeber didn't connect from 28 yards away at 5:00 due to a bad snap. The Lions' Martinez was set for a 30-yard attempt at 9:25, but a bad snap busted the play.

A&M-Commerce led 12-7 at halftime. With less than a minute left in the second quarter, the Lions padded a 9-7 lead with a 19-yard field goal by Martinez. Luis Perez had connected with Darby Smith on a 41-yard pass that brought A&M-Commerce to the Mustangs' 10-yard line. But facing fourth and goal at the Midwestern 2, the Lions opted for the chip-shot field goal.

A lost fumble by the Mustangs set up A&M-Commerce's lone touchdown of the first half. Justice Luce recovered a Robert Grays fumble at the Midwestern 31-yard line midway through the second quarter. Two plays later, Perez and Darby Smith teamed up for a 28-yard touchdown pass. However, a bad snap on the extra-point attempt left the score 9-7 at 6:32 of the second.

In the first quarter, Midwestern scored a touchdown on its first possession of the game. Vincent Johnson's 4-yard touchdown run capped an 11-play 85-yard drive and brought the score to 7-3.

The Lions opened scoring with a 31-yard Kristov Martinez field goal at 7:22 of the first quarter. The score concluded a 15-play drive on A&M-Commerce's first possession that consumed about half of the opening period.

Coward ended the evening with 17 completions on 25 attempts, good for 273 yards and two touchdowns. Perez concluded the night 18 of 34, with 243 yards and 2 TDs.

For the Lions, both running back Richard Cooper (26-128) and Smith (6-131, 2 TD) cracked the century mark in yardage.

A&M-Commerce will travel to Silver City, N.M., for a game against Western New Mexico (2-4, 2-3) at 1 p.m. CT on Oct. 15.

Midwestern State Univ. 26, Texas A&M Univ.-Commerce 25

Midwestern St.                 7              0              6              13           -              26

A&M-Commerce             3              9              0              13           -              25

Mark Haslett has served at KETR since 2013. Since then, the station's news operation has enjoyed an increase in listener engagement and audience metrics, as well recognition in the Texas AP Broadcasters awards.