MSU Football

SATURDAY... Midwestern State (4-2, 3-2) will "Live Maroon, Love Gold" and celebrate Homecoming 2014 by facing off against the No. 22 Texas A&M-Commerce Lions (6-1, 5-0). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium/Joe Golding Field in Wichita Falls.


WHERE TO FIND THE GAME…

95.5 ESPN: The broadcast features the play-by-play voice of two-time Lone Star Conference Broadcaster of the Year Bill Powers. He is joined by KAUZ TV-6 anchorman Chris Horgen, who serves as color analyst.
ON THE WEB: The ESPN-Midwestern State Sports Network audio broadcast is simulcast on MSUMustangs.com. LINK
VIDEO WEBCAST: The game will be video streamed FREE courtesy of Midwestern State and Stretch Internet. LINK
LIVE STATS: Live stats are available courtesy of the Midwestern State Athletic Communications Office. LINK
GAME NOTES:  Courtesy the Midwestern State Athletic Communications Office. LINK

SCOUTING THE LIONS…

Texas A&M-Commerce enters the game with a record of 6-1 overall, and has clinched at least a share of the Lone Star Conference championship at 5-0 in LSC play after ripping West Texas A&M 48-21 last Saturday in Commerce.

The Lions are under the command of head coach Colby Carthel, who sports a 13-6 record in his second year as a head coach, all at A&M-Commerce.

The Lions have claimed their first share of the LSC football title since winning it outright in 1990, 24 years ago, and are ranked 22nd in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Poll for the first time since 2001.

The Lions are leading the Lone Star Conference and are ninth in Division II by averaging 521.6 yards a game, and are tops in the LSC and second nationally averaging 51.4 points a contest. 

The Lions are fourth in Division II in passing, tops in the LSC, averaging 374.9 yards a game, while rushing for just 146.7 yards an outing (ranking 97th nationally and seventh in the LSC).  The A&M-C attack is keyed by senior quarterback Tyrik Rollison of Sulphur Springs, Texas.  He is seventh nationally and leads the LSC with a 339.0 yard average through the air, hitting 66.8 percent of his passes.  He's 135-of-202 for 2034 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions with an efficiency rating of 170.97 (fifth in Division II and leading the LSC).  The Lions top receiver are former Midwestern State receivers senior Ricky Collins of Tyler, Texas/John Tyler who has 47 catches for 766 yards, or 109.4 yards a game (leads the LSC, 12th nationally) and senior Vernon Johnson of Fort Worth, Texas/Brewer who has 46 catches for 602 yards or 86.0 yards per game (third in the LSC, 37th in Division II).  The duo accounts for 51.1 percent of the Lion receptions and 52.1 percent of the receiving yardage.  Senior Seth Smith of Ennis, Texas, has 19 receptions for 366 yards or 52.3 yards a game (ninth in the LSC, 159th nationally).

The ground game is paced by University of Texas transfer, senior running back Joe Bergeron of Mesquite, Texas/North Mesquite, who is seventh in the LSC and is 94th in Division II averaging 72.7 yards a game by collecting 436 yards on 83 carries with six touchdowns. Listed as the starter, sophomore Richard Cooper of Angleton, Texas, is sixth in the LSC and 141st nationally with 59.3 yards a game as he has 415 yards on 69 carries with five touchdowns.

Defensively, junior linebacker Charles Woods of Humble, Texas via Kilgore College, paces the way with 87 total tackles or 12.4 per game (leading the LSC and ninth in Division II) with 10.0 tackles for losses (-51 yards), ranking fifth in the LSC and 56th in Division II.  Senior safety Izzy Eziakor of Wylie, Texas, addes 53 tackles (7.6 per game), while junior linebacker Cole Pitts of Alvin, Texas, has 49 stops (7.0 per game), with 10.0 tackles for losses of 39 yards (fifth in the LSC and 56th nationally).  Junior defensive end Toni Pulu of Provo, Utah/American Leadership Academy, adds 30 tackles, but leads the team and the LSC with 12.5 tackles for losses (seventh nationally) and with 5.5 quarterback sacks (25th nationally). The Lions have snagged 11 interceptions on the season, led by senior linebacker Tu'u Lui of San Mateo, Calif., who has three pickoffs this season.

Texas A&M-Commerce is third in the LSC in Total Defense, 126th in the nation, allowing 433.4 yards a game.

All-Time Series: Texas A&M-Commerce leads the series with Midwestern State 11-7, but MSU has claimed seven of the last eight meetings between the teams including last season's 30-24 triumph at Memorial Stadium in Commerce.  However, the series is tied 3-3 in Wichita Falls, but MSU holds a 3-1 series lead in games at Memorial Stadium/Joe Golding Field.



MIDWESTERN ON HOMECOMING…

Midwestern State faces Texas A&M-Commerce on Homecoming for the first time since 2004.  It's the second time for A&M-C to appear at MSU Homecoming.

The Mustangs have lost only twice on Homecoming during the Bill Maskill era, once to Abilene Christian 21-20 on Oct. 26, 2002 and once to Tarleton State, 37-16, on Oct. 11, 2008
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MSU is 10-2 in the annual event under Maskill.

Midwestern is 16-10 on Homecoming since 1988.
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NOTEWORTHY

• Midwestern State is 4-2 overall and is 3-2 in Lone Star Conference play, tied for second.
• MSU defeated McMurry 71-13 on Saturday to snap a two-game skid.
• MSU received votes in the AFCA poll for the 47th straight ranking period and has received at least one vote in the poll in 104 or the last 105 polls.
• MSU scored first against McMurry, marking the first time all season that the Mustangs have placed the first points on the board in a game.
• Coach Bill Maskill has a  record of 99-39 at Midwestern State, with a 71.7 winning percentage in his 13th season at MSU.  Maskill has an overall record of 111-47, a 70.4 winning percentage, in his 15th season as a collegiate head coach.
• With 21 points in the first quarter, the Mustangs scored one point more in that frame then they have in the first quarter of the previous five contests (20).
• MSU did not play its top four running backs against McMurry (Dante Taylor, Chauncey Harris, Adrian Seales and Vandy Parkes) and starting quarterback Jake Glover saw action on only 11 plays in the game as the Mustangs rolled up a season-high 566 yards of total offense.
• MSU churned out a season-high 383 yards rushing, led by third-string redshirt freshman quarterback Hagen Hutchinson who scampered for 106 yards in his collegiate debut.
• Hutchinson also completed 6-of-7 passes for a team leading 82 yards with his first touchdown pass.
• Three Mustangs scored their first collegiate touchdowns in the contest ( true freshman Orlando Haymon, redshirt freshman Don Jerry, redshirt freshman Hagen Hutchinson), and one other scored his first MSU touchdown (redshirt junior transfer Terrence Smith).
• The Mustangs defense allowed only 245 yards to the War Hawks, the lowest total allowed by MSU this season .
• Junior Marqui Christian posted his fourth straight double-digit tackle game as he racked up 11 against McMurry, including his first career sack for -7 yards in the second quarter.
• Christian reclaimed the team lead in total tackles with 50 and is averaging 12.5 tackles in four games.
• Midwestern State hosts Texas A&M-Commerce this Saturday.  It's the first time the Lions have visited Memorial Stadium since Oct. 9, 2004.
• MSU has won seven of the last eight meetings against A&M-Commerce.
• A&M-Commerce is ranked for the first time since 2001.  The Lions fell out of the poll following a 24-16 loss to MSU at Memorial Stadium.