Texas A&M-Commerce takes over at McNeese for 40-15 win

ANOTHER BIG WIN – @Lions_FB takes down McNeese 40-15 in Lake Charles to move to 2-0 in conference play! pic.twitter.com/DilFE0ozyS

— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) October 16, 2022

LAKE CHARLES – Texas A&M-Commerce scored 33 unanswered points to erase an early 15-7 McNeese lead, as the Lions stayed unbeaten in Southland Conference play with a 40-15 win over McNeese.

Commerce (4-2, 2-0) on its second drive of the game to go up 7-0 when Eric Rodriguez connected with Andrew Armstrong on a 48-yard strike after a McNeese defender slipped down on the coverage.

McNeese (1-5, 0-2) quickly responded and scored on a 3-yard Knox Kadum pass to Josh Matthews, and after a successful 2-point conversion, took an 8-7 lead with less than a minute to play in the first quarter.

The Cowboys’ defense followed by forcing TAMUC to a three-and-out. What followed was likely the best drive of the season when Kadum marched the Cowboys 87 yards on 12 plays and capped it when Deonta McMahon scored from 1-yard out to make it a 15-7 Cowboys’ lead.

Following that score, McNeese sky kicked the ensuing kickoff and it fell with a scramble for the ball ensuing. McNeese recovered at the 6-yard line but it was later ruled that a Cowboy player touched the ball while his leg was out of bounds which enforced a penalty.

That set the Lions up at the 35 and drove the field for a touchdown on an 8-yard pass to Armstrong, his second touchdown of the game, to close the gap to 15-14.

“We had great rhythm on that long drive and had some momentum going for us,” said head coach Gary Goff. “But not getting that recovery changed a lot.”

McNeese went three-and-out on its next possession following the Lions’ field goal and Commerce answered with 10-play, 58-yard scoring drive that ended when Adagbon connected on a 42-yard field goal to put the Lions up 17-15 at the half.

Commerce took the opening kickoff of the second half 59 yards to set up another Adagbon field goal, this time from 27 yards out, to make it a 20-15 Commerce lead early in the third quarter.

Following a Cowboy punt, Tyler Barnes picked off a Rodriguez pass but McNeese’s drive would stall after back-to-back sacks on Kadum following the Cowboys driving the ball to the Commerce 24. McNeese was forced to punt it away and only got the ball into Commerce territory two more times the remainder of the game.

The lead grew to 26-15 on a Spencer Long 13-yard run then six minutes later, Rodriguez completed a 3-yard pass to BJ Busbee to put the Lions up 33-15 with 6:06 to play in the fourth quarter.

Commerce scored its final touchdown on a 26-yard Reggie Branch run after the Lions obtained the ball when McNeese quarterback Cam Ransom fumbled after fighting for more rushing yards.

Game Stats:
• TAMUC finished with 460 total offensive yards to McNeese’s 228.
• The Lions had 268 passing and 192 rushing while the Cowboys had 138 passing and 90 rushing.
• TAMUC QB Eric Rodriguez completed 24 of 35 passes for 268 yards, three TDs and two interceptions.
• McNeese QB Knox Kadum completed 12 of 26 passes for 138 yards, a TD and two interceptions.
• Branch led TAMUC in rushing with 63 yards on 3 carries and a TD.
• McMahon led the Cowboys with 49 yards rushing on 19 carries and a TD.

Postgame Notes:
• McNeese intercepted its first passes on the season, first by Mason Kinsey and then Tyler Barnes.
• The 13-play, 87-yard scoring drive for the Cowboys in the second quarter only saw one third down, which the Cowboys converted.
• McNeese entered the game averaging 4.9 yards per carry… it averaged 2.5 yards per carry against the Lions.
• Both Kordell Williams and Amaud Willis-Dalton, both linebackers, finished with 10 tackles each.
• Josh Matthews’ TD gives him 9 in his career, just outside the top 15 all-time list.
• Matthew caught 3 passes for 18 yards, giving him 81 catches and 1,124 yards in his career, moving him into a tie for 17th and 24th respectively on the all-time list.
• With 10 tackles, Williams has 284 in his career, ranking him 16th all-time.
• OL Calvin Barkat started his 22nd straight game.

Next Up:
• McNeese will travel to Nicholls next Saturday for a 3 p.m. Southland Conference game.