LIONSATHLETICS • WWW.LIONATHLETICS. COM• @LION_ ATHLETICS & @LIONS_ FB 1 2015 TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-COMMERCE LION FOOTBALL GAME 1 NOTES 22 LONE STAR CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS 11 POSTSEASON APPEARANCES | 1 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 762 LONE STAR ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS | 232 ALL-AMERICAN SELECTIONS A&M-Commerce Athletic Communications: Josh Manck | Office: (903)886-5131 | Cell: (817)487-5136 | Email: [email protected]No. 9/18 A&M-Commerce (0-0, 0-0 LSC) vs. University of Faith (0-0) Thursday, September 1, 2016 • 7 p.m. Memorial Stadium • Commerce, Texas QUICK FACTS ABOUT A&M-COMMERCE Official Name Texas A&M University-Commerce Location Commerce, Texas Founded 1889 (as East Texas Normal College) Previous Names East Texas Normal College East Texas State Teacher’s College East Texas State College East Texas State University Enrollment 12,375 (Fall 2015) Nickname Lions Colors Blue and Gold Stadium (Capacity) Memorial Stadium (10,000) Affiliation NCAA Division II Conference Lone Star Interim President Dr Ray Keck Athletic Director Tim McMurray Athletic Department Phone (903) 886-5558 Official Website LionAthleticscom Facebook A&M-Commerce Lion Athletics Athletics Twitter @Lion_Athletics Football Twitter @Lion_FB COACHING STAFF Head coach Colby Carthel Alma mater Angelo State, 2000 Record at A&M-Commerce 24-12 (4th season) Overall career record same Matt Storm Offensive Coordinator Jared May Co-Offensive Coordinator (QB) Justin Deason Defensive Coordinator Yogi Gallegos WR Darren Garrigan Sec Michael Conrad LB Tim Bleil RB, A’s Montiese Culton WR Caid Faske DL Desmund Farris OL Andy Townsend WILL LBs Scotty Yates SAM LBs Collin Gholston Safeties Dillon Jordan Offensive Assistant Ryan Slider Offensive Assistant Tyrin Evans Defensive Assistant Brandon Ramsey Defensive Assistant Randall Fannin Defensive Assistant John Bonilla Offensive Assistant GAME COVERAGE Audio Lions Sports Network Online Audio wwwLionAthleticscom Play-by-play Charlie Chitwood Color Brock Callaway STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT • The Lions have won their home opener in each of their first three seasons under head coach Colby Carthel • The first game of the Carthel era was a 51-6 win over Sul Ross State in 2013, followed by the record-breaking 98-20 rout of East Texas Baptist in 2014 • The third straight home-opening win came in 2015 with a 48-17 win over Adams State LIONS ARE PRESEASON FAVORITE • The Lions have won the last two Lone Star Conference regular season titles and picked up 19 of 28 available first place votes The Lions’ 269 points in the poll placed them above second-ranked Midwestern State with 254 points and eight first place votes • The Lions are entering their fourth season under the direction of head coach Colby Carthel and have won 24 games in Carthel’s first three seasons • Texas A&M-Commerce won all six LSC regular season games last season on the way to the Lions’ first NCAA berth since 1995 • A&M-Commerce has won its last seven regular season LSC games and the last six regular season LSC games played at Memorial Stadium COOPER ON THE LOOSE • Senior running back Richard Cooper (Angleton HS) enters the 2016 season ranked sixth in school history in career rushing yardage with 11 games of 100 or more rushing yards in his storied career • He is one of the top returning running backs in Division II this season in multiple categories NCAA Division II Career Ranks for Returning Leaders (entering 2016 season) Category Stat D2 Rank SR4 Total Rushing Yardage 2,170 15th 3rd Yards Per Game 86.1 10th 3rd Yards Per Carry 6.1 9th 4th • Cooper was named the Lone Star Conference’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in July after earning the LSC’s Offensive Back of the Year award in his junior season • He is widely considered to be an All- American candidate this year as he looks to climb up the A&M-Commerce record books NOTES CONTINUE ON PAGE 2 TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE (0-0, 0-0 LSC) Date ...Opponent ........... Time/Result S1 (Th) ..FAITH (Fla.) ............................... 7 p.m. S10 at Delta State 6 pm S17 at Eastern New Mexico * 1 pm MT S24........TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE * ..... 7 p.m. O1 at Oklahoma Panhandle St * 1 pm O8..........MIDWESTERN STATE * ............ 7 p.m. O15 at Western New Mexico * 1 pm MT O22 at Angelo State * 6 pm O29 .......WEST TEXAS A&M * ................. 4 p.m. N5 at UT Permian Basin * 7 pm N12 ........TARLETON STATE *.................. 4 p.m. * - Lone Star Conference game UNIVERSITY OF FAITH (0-0) Date ...Opponent ........... Time/Result S1 at Texas A&M-Commerce 7 pm
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STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT • The Lions have won their home opener in each of their first three seasons under head coach Colby Carthel .• The first game of the Carthel era was a 51-6 win over Sul Ross State in 2013, followed by the record-breaking 98-20 rout of East Texas Baptist in 2014 .• The third straight home-opening win came in 2015 with a 48-17 win over Adams State .
LIONS ARE PRESEASON FAVORITE • The Lions have won the last two Lone Star Conference regular season titles and picked up 19 of 28 available first place votes . The Lions’ 269 points in the poll placed them above second-ranked Midwestern State with 254 points and eight first place votes .• The Lions are entering their fourth season under the direction of head coach Colby Carthel and have won 24 games in Carthel’s first three seasons . • Texas A&M-Commerce won all six LSC regular season games last season on the way to the Lions’ first NCAA berth since 1995 .• A&M-Commerce has won its last seven regular season LSC games and the last six regular season LSC games played at Memorial Stadium .
COOPER ON THE LOOSE • Senior running back Richard Cooper (Angleton HS) enters the 2016 season ranked sixth in school history in career rushing yardage with 11 games of 100 or more rushing yards in his storied career .• He is one of the top returning running backs in Division II this season in multiple categories .
NCAA Division II Career Ranks for Returning Leaders (entering 2016 season)
Category Stat D2 Rank SR4Total Rushing Yardage 2,170 15th 3rdYards Per Game 86.1 10th 3rdYards Per Carry 6.1 9th 4th
• Cooper was named the Lone Star Conference’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in July after earning the LSC’s Offensive Back of the Year award in his junior season .• He is widely considered to be an All-American candidate this year as he looks to climb up the A&M-Commerce record books .
CARTHEL’S FIRST THREE YEARS • Head coach Colby Carthel has had unprecedented success in his first three seasons at Texas A&M-Commerce in comparison to previous coaches for the Lions .• Only M .A . Smith from 1951-53 and Bob Berry from 1935-37 have higher winning percentages in their first three seasons . Only Smith has more victories in the first three seasons in Commerce .• Carthel is the only coach at A&M-Commerce to go to the postseason in each of his three seasons . Smith took the Lions to a pair of Tangerine Bowls, but did not reach the postseason in his first year .
DOLEZEL TO BE HONORED AT HALFTIME • Former East Texas State quarterback Clint Dolezel is an inductee into the Texas A&M-Commerce Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016 . He will be honored at halftime of Thursday’s contest .• At ETSU, Dolezel was a two-time all-Lone Star Conference honoree, earning second team all-conference honors in 1992 and 1993 . In his two seasons with the Lions, he completed 249-of-483
passes with 23 touchdown passes and 22 interceptions . The Lions were 13-9 in Dolezel’s time under center .• Following his time in Commerce, Dolezel plied his trade in arena football as quarterback for the Milwaukee Mustangs (1995-97), Texas Terror (1997), Houston Thunderbears (1998-99), Grand Rapids Rampage (2001-03), Las Vegas Gladiators (2004-05), and the Dallas Desperados (2006-08) . In 13 seasons, he completed 66 percent of his passes for 44,559 yards with 931 touchdowns .• He was a three-time All-Arena selection (2001, 2006-2007) during his playing career and voted the No . 8 Greatest Player and No . 5 Greatest Quarterback in AFL History by the Silver Anniversary Committee in 2012 . • In 2001, he guided the Grand Rapids Rampage to the XV ArenaBowl championship . Dolezel was inducted into the Arena Football League’s Hall of Fame on April 12, 2013 .• Dolezel entered the coaching ranks as the offensive coordinator of the Florida Firecats in 2009 and led the Dallas Vigilantes to an 11-7 record in 2011 in his first season as head coach .• He has been the head coach of the Philadelphia Soul since 2013 and has led the team to a 49-21 record in four seasons and in 2016, Dolezel led the Soul to the ArenaBowl XXIX Championship .
DEPTH STEPS UP • Despite an abundance of talent returning from the 2015 playoff squad, not many Lions were in the starting lineup for the Ferris State playoff game .• Only six A&M-Commerce players were starters in the snow in Michigan, all on the offensive side of the ball .
RECEIVERS LOOK FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS • Senior wide receivers Lance Evans and Darby Smith were two of the top receivers in the Lone Star Conference in 2015 and will look to build on outstanding numbers from last season .• Evans (Mansfield HS) ranked third in total receiving yardage with 986 yards on 50 catches and also ranked fourth in the conference in receiving yards per game with 82 .2 . His 19 .7 yards per catch average was tops in the league amongst players with double digit catches and his eight touchdown catches tied for third in the league .• Evans was a first team all-Lone Star Conference honoree in 2015• Smith (Ennis HS) finished sixth in the league with 72 .3 receiving yards per game with 868 yards on his 45 catches . His total yardage ranked fourth in the league, right behind Evans . He also scored eight receiving touchdowns to tie for third in the league and his 19 .3 yards per catch average tied for second in the conference amongst regulars .• Smith was a second team all-Lone Star Conference honoree in 2015 .
PRESEASON AFCA RANKING NEAR PROGRAM-BEST • The Lions are ranked ninth in the nation in Division II according to the American Football Coaches Association Preseason Poll .• A&M-Commerce is tied for the ninth position in the poll with Henderson State . • The ranking of ninth is the second-best ranking for A&M-Commerce since the AFCA Division II Poll began in 2000 . • The Lions were ranked eighth nationally on October 26, 2015, and have now been ranked in 14 straight polls, going back to the 2015 preseason poll . • This is A&M-Commerce’s 20th all-time appearance in the AFCA Top 25 .
ALL-LSC STARS RETURN TO LINEUP • Of A&M-Commerce’s 27 all-Lone Star Conference players from 2015, 10 return to the lineup for the 2016 campaign .
ON A ROLL ON OPENING NIGHT • Texas A&M-Commerce is 52-44-2 all-time in season openers after winning each of the last three season openers .• The last time the Lions won more than three season openers consecutively was from 1988-93, when East Texas State won six straight season openers .• This is the third straight year the Lions have opened on a Thursday night and the fourth straight year A&M-Commerce opens the season at home .
RARITY RETURNING • A&M-Commerce All-American running back Richard Cooper is just the fifth Lion running back to come back for the season following a 1,000-yard season .• Three Lions repeated their 1,000-yard season with another such milestone year .
WHAT COUNTS TONIGHT? • Prior to the 2015-16 academic year, the University of Faith was named as a “non-countable opponent” for NCAA statistics .• As such, the game will count towards the Lions’ win-loss record as a non-region, non-Division II game .• Statistics from the Faith game will not be applied towards the Lions’ individual or team statistics for the season or career .
UNDER ARMOUR RELATIONSHIP TO BE CELEBRATED • In the spring of 2016, Lion Athletics entered into the first institutional comprehensive partnership with Under Armour in all of NCAA Division II . • While Lion student-athletes are already benefiting from the partnership and receiving a Best In Class experience due to the partnership, there are also institutional benefits and other brand engagement and marketing initiatives . • A special presentation recognizing Under Armour will take place prior to the game .
PROMOTIONS FOR THURSDAY’S GAME • Thursday’s game has been designated as Student Appreciation Night . The first 3,000 active students through the gate will receive a t-shirt courtesy of Under Armour .• The game has also been designated as Faith and Family Night . Local churches have been invited to the contest .• The volleyball team will also be recognized during the contest . The Lions’ volleyball team’s first matches are Friday and Saturday at the Texas Woman’s University Hilton Garden Innvitational .• Also during the contest, State Representative Dan Flynn and representatives from the office of State Senator Bob Hall will welcome Texas A&M-Commerce Police Chief Donna Spinato and City of Commerce Police Chief Kerry Crews, along with members of their respective police forces as Community Pillars .• The academic partner for the game is the School of Agriculture . Various members of the School of Agriculture, including the rodeo team, will be recognized throughout the evening .
TRACKING A&M-COMMERCE’S 2016 OPPONENTSOpponent Date W-L Last Game This Week Next WeekFAITH S1 0-0 - at Texas A&M-Commerce TBAat Delta State S10 0-0 - KENTUCKY WESLEYAN (Thur .) TEXAS A&M-COMMERCEat Eastern New Mexico * S17 0-0 - at Southwest Baptist (Thur .) WESTERN NEW MEXICO *TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE * S24 0-0 - at Incarnate Word SIMON FRASERat Oklahoma Panhandle State * O1 0-0 - at Sam Houston State at Arkansas-Pine BluffMIDWESTERN STATE * O8 0-0 - at Truman State idleat Western New Mexico * O15 0-0 - at San Diego at Eastern New Mexico *at Angelo State * O22 0-0 - at McKendree (Thur .) at Northern MichiganWEST TEXAS A&M * O29 0-0 - at Azusa Pacific (Thur .) at Colorado State-Puebloat UT Permian Basin * N5 0-0 - SUL ROSS ARIZONA CHRISTIANTARLETON STATE * N12 0-0 - at McNeese State SOUTHWEST BAPTIST
ON THIS DAY... : SEPTEMBER 1... in Texas A&M-Commerce/East Texas State Football (2-1) : • 1990 - The Lions host Livingston (now West Alabama) and roll to a 45-6 victory to open the season.• 2001 - A&M-Commerce kicks off the campaign with a 14-11 win over Harding in Memo-rial Stadium.• 2007 - The Lions are narrowly edged by Ouachita Baptist in Commerce by a 29-27 score.
The A&M-Commerce athletic communications staff is developing the above section through-out the season. Keep your eye out for more historical facts about the program.
... in college football history : Sept. 1, 2007 - Appalachian State def. No. 5 Michigan, 34-32 in Ann Arbor, Mich. -
The Big House was packed 110,000 strong for Michigan’s “tune-up” against the Moun-taineers of Appalachian State, but no one in Ann Arbor knew they would witness one of college football’s greatest David versus Goliath storylines. Appalachian State kicker Ju-lian Rauch knocked in a 24-yard field goal with under a minute remaining for the lead. A last ditch Michigan field goal attempt was blocked to give Hall of Fame coach Jerry Moore and the Mountaineers a victory in one of the greatest upsets in college football history, 34-32, over the No. 5 Wolverines.
... in world history : • 1897 – The Tremont Street Subway in Boston opens, becoming the first underground rapid transit system in North America.• 1920 – The Fountain of Time opens as a tribute to the 100 years of peace between the United States and Great Britain following the Treaty of Ghent.• 1952 – The Old Man and the Sea, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Ernest Hemingway, is first published.• 1974 – The SR-71 Blackbird sets (and holds) the record for flying from New York to Lon-don in the time of 1 hour, 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds at a speed of 1,435.587 miles per hour.
... in birthdays : • 1875 – Edgar Rice Burroughs, American soldier and author (d. 1950)• 1923 – Rocky Marciano, American boxer and actor (d. 1969)• 1931 – Boxcar Willie, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999), born in Ster-rett, Texas• 1933 – Ann Richards, American educator and politician, 45th Governor of Texas (d. 2006)• 1933 – Conway Twitty, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1993)
OTHER GAMESOF NOTE TODAY
12:30 p.m.Humboldt State at Carson-Newman First Division II game of the season
6 p.m.Kentucky Wesleyan at Delta StateAngelo State at McKendreeHouston Baptist at Central Arkansas
6:30 p.m.Ohio Dominican at Ferris State
7 p.m.New Mexico Highlands at Dixie StateEastern New Mexico at Southwest Baptist
8 p.m.Colorado State-Pueblo at Colorado MinesRice at Western Kentucky
9 p.m.West Texas A&M at Azusa Pacific
Games include LSC, 2016 opponents, Super Region 4 and select Texas schools.
Rk School (1st votes) Rec . Pts . Pv1 . Northwest Missouri St . (29) 15-0 749 12 . West Georgia (1) 12-2 676 33 . Grand Valley St . (Mich .) 12-3 658 44 . Shepherd (W .Va .) 13-1 638 25 . Colorado St .-Pueblo 12-2 581 56 . Ashland (Ohio) 10-1 523 107 . Minnesota St . 10-2 466 138 . Indiana (Pa .) 9-3 364 199t . Henderson St . (Ark .) 11-2 363 129T. TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE 8-4 363 2311 . Slippery Rock (Pa .) 12-2 360 712 . Ferris St . (Mich .) 11-1 359 613 . Humboldt St . (Calif .) 10-2 353 1614. Midwestern St. (Texas) 10-2 344 915 . North Alabama 9-3 330 1516 . Indianapolis (Ind .) 10-2 276 1817 . Tuskegee (Ala .) 10-3 241 1118 . Colorado School of Mines 8-3 228 NR19 . Minnesota-Duluth 9-3 196 NR20 . Central Missouri 8-3 184 NR21 . Assumption (Mass .) 11-2 144 1722 . Catawba (N .C .) 9-3 140 2523 . Sioux Falls (S .D .) 9-3 125 21t24 . Emporia St . (Kan .) 11-3 124 825 . Augustana (S .D .) 9-3 119 24
Others Receiving Votes: Florida Tech, 107; Valdosta St . (Ga .), 99; Pittsburg St . (Kan .), 88; West Chester (Pa .), 82; Win-ston-Salem St . (N .C .), 74; Charleston (W .Va .), 60; Carson-New-man (Tenn .), 53; Colorado Mesa, 50; Harding (Ark .), 40; Albany St . (Ga .), 34; Virginia Union, 29; California (Pa .), 25; Angelo St. (Texas), 19; Azusa Pacific (Calif .), 13; Miles (Ala .), 11; Delta St. (Miss.), 9; Michigan Tech, 9; Western Oregon, 9; West Texas A&M, 8; Fort Hays St . (Kan .), 6; Bowie St . (Md .), 4; Saginaw Valley St . (Mich .), 4; Central Oklahoma, 3; Ouachita Baptist (Ark .), 3; Ohio Dominican, 2; Texas A&M-Kingsville, 2; Bemidji St . (Minn .), 1; McKendree (Ill .), 1; Newberry (S .C .), 1 .
Pl Team LSC Pct. Overall Pct. Streak
1 Texas A&M-Commerce 6-0 1.000 8-4 0.667 L2
2 Midwestern State 5-1 0.833 10-2 0.833 L1
3 Angelo State 3-3 0.500 7-4 0.636 W1
West Texas A&M 3-3 0.500 6-4 0.600 W4
Eastern New Mexico 3-3 0.500 6-6 0.500 L4
6 Tarleton State 1-5 0.167 3-7 0.300 W1
7 Texas A&M-Kingsville 0-6 0.000 2-9 0.182 L1
2015 LONE STAR CONFERENCE STANDINGS2015 LONE STAR CONFERENCE
PRESEASON POLL
Rk School Pts 1st
1. TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE 269 19
2. Midwestern State 254 8
3. Angelo State 211
4. West Texas A&M 182
5. Eastern New Mexico 181
6. Texas A&M-Kingsville 141
7. Tarleton State 121
8. Western New Mexico 66
Okla. Panhandle State 66
10. UT Permian Basin 49 1
D2FOOTBALL.COM POLLPRESEASON
Rk School Rec. Pv1 Northwest Missouri State 15-02 West Georgia 12-23 Grand Valley State 12-34 Colorado State-Pueblo 12-25 Minnesota State 10-26 Shepherd 13-17 Ashland 10-18 North Alabama 9-39 Ferris State 11-110 Central Missouri 8-311 Midwestern State 10-212 Emporia State 11-313 Minnesota-Duluth 9-314 Humboldt State 10-215 Indiana (Pa .) 9-316 Henderson State 11-217 Slippery Rock 12-218 TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE 8-419 Tuskegee 10-320 Sioux Falls 9-321 Colorado Mines 8-322 Augustana 9-323 Valdosta State 9-324 Pittsburg State 6-525 Indianapolis 10-2
Head Coach Colby Carthel Colby Carthel was hired as the 19th head coach in A&M-Com-
merce history on January 23, 2013.In his third season of 2015, Carthel led the Lions to their second
straight and 22nd overall Lone Star Conference regular-season ti-tle. A&M-Commerce went 8-4 on the year and earned the seventh seed in the NCAA Division II Playoffs, advancing to the NCAA post-season for the first time since 1995. The Lions dropped their first round game at second-seeded Ferris State, 48-30.
With an undefeated LSC regular season, the Lions clinched their second consecutive conference title on October 24 with a win over Midwestern State. Postseason honors were many, as A&M-Commerce earned a school-record 27 all-LSC honors. The Lions also collected three All-American awards. Richard Cooper was named the LSC Offensive Back of the Year.
In his second season, the Carthel-led 2014 Lions turned in one of the best seasons in recent A&M- Commerce history. The Lions reeled off a nine-win season en route to the program’s 21st LSC Championship and made a second consecutive postseason ap-pearance with a trip to the Heart of Texas Bowl which the Lions won 72-21 over East Central.
The Lions saw a then-school record 26 players earn LSC post-season recognition, including conference wide receiver of the year Vernon Johnson and defensive player of the year Toni Pulu. The Lions opened the season with 98 points and a NCAA record 986 total yards offense. The pace saw the Lions end the season with the NCAA’s No. 1 offense in terms of total yards per game and scoring per game.
Carthel led the Lions to a 7-5 record in his first season at the helm, a far cry from the combined 5-26 record the team put up in the three seasons prior to his arrival. That turnaround, one that included wins over nationally-ranked Delta State and Tarleton State, earned the Lions a postseason berth in the Live United Texarkana Bowl – the program’s first postseason berth since qualifying for the national playoffs in 1995.
Although previously a defensive coordinator, the Lions made huge strides on the offensive side of the ball in his first season, averaging 35.0 points per game, which was up 22.4 points per game from the previous year and was the most by a Lion team since the 1990 team averaged 36.2 per game.
The Lions also garnered 15 all-Lone Star Conference selec-tions in 2013, including three on the first team. Defensive line-man Charles Tuaau was named the league’s top defender and earned all-America honors, while Vernon Johnson was named the league’s top wide receiver after a season that saw him haul in over 1,300 yards and 13 scores through the air.
Carthel came to Commerce with strong ties to the Lone Star Conference, spending the seven previous seasons as the defen-sive coordinator at West Texas A&M and playing a key role in es-tablishing the Buffs as one of the top teams in the region. During his seven years at West Texas A&M, the Buffs captured four Lone Star Conference championships while making an appearance in the postseason each year, including a pair of Kanza Bowl champi-onships and a regional championship in 2012.
During Carthel’s tenure as the Buffs’ defensive coordinator, West Texas A&M compiled a 69-20 record with a 77.5 winning percentage.
Tale of the TapePersonalBorn ....................................................... August 29, 1976Hometown....................................................Friona, TexasHigh School ...............................Friona High School, 1996College ..............................Angelo State University, 2000