# 2016 Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football team

The 2016 Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football team represented Texas A&M University–Commerce as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Colby Carthel, the Lions compiled an overall record of 11–2 with a mark of 8–1 in conference play, winning the LSC title for the third consecutive season. Texas A&M–Commerce advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs for the fifth time in program history. In the first round, the Lions defeated Colorado Mesa, 34–23, for the program's first playoff win since 1991, but lost to the Grand Valley State, 55–32, in the second round. The Lions were ranked No. 9 in the final AFCA poll.
Texas A&M–Commerce finished with both the top offense and top defense in the conference. The Lions scored a total of 477 points (39.8 per game) while only allowing 260 (21.7 per game). On offense, the team was led by junior quarterback Luis Perez, who finished the season throwing for 3,326 yards, 32 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
The Lions played their home games at Memorial Stadium on the university's campus in Commerce, Texas.

## Preseason
### LSC media poll

The LSC media poll was released on August 8, 2016. The Lions were predicted to finish first, receiving 19 of the 28 first place votes.
LSC media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 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 | Oklahoma Panhandle State | 66 |
| 9 | Western New Mexico | 66 |
| 10 | UT Permian Basin | 49 (1) |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m | University of Faith (FL)* | No. 9 | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX | | W 62–0 | 6,855 |
| September 10 | 6:00 p.m | at Delta State* | No. 8 | McCool StadiumCleveland, MS | | W 40–28 | 5,679 |
| September 17 | 2:00 p.m. | at Eastern New Mexico | No. 7 | Greyhound StadiumPortales, NM | | W 49–10 | 1,510 |
| September 24 | 7:00 p.m. | Texas A&M–Kingsville | No. 6 | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX (Chennault Cup) | | W 38–36 | 7,747 |
| October 1 | 1:00 p.m. | at Oklahoma Panhandle State | No. 6 | Carl Wooten FieldGoodwell, OK | | W 35–13 | 1,330 |
| October 8 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 7 Midwestern State | No. 4 | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX | ESPN3 | L 25–26 | 9,208 |
| October 15 | 1:00 p.m. | at Western New Mexico | No. 9 | Altamirano StadiumSilver City, NM | | W 38–24 | 279 |
| October 22 | 6:00 p.m. | at Angelo State | No. 9 | LeGrand Sports ComplexSan Angelo, TX | | W 62–14 | 3,406 |
| October 29 | 4:00 p.m. | West Texas A&M | No. 8 | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX (East Texas vs. West Texas) | | W 36–0 | 9,629 |
| November 5 | 7:00 p.m. | at Texas–Permian Basin | No. 8 | Ratliff StadiumOdessa, Texas | | W 58–21 | 7,000 |
| November 12 | 4:00 p.m. | Tarleton State | No. 8 | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX (President's Cup) | | W 30–10 | 7,795 |
| November 19 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 25 Colorado Mesa* | No. 8 | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX (NCAA Division II First Round) | | W 34–23 | 5,529 |
| November 26 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 2 Grand Valley State* | No. 8 | Lubbers StadiumAllendale, MI (NCAA Division II Second Round) | ESPN3 | L 32–55 | 3,081 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### University of Faith (FL)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Glory Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 9 Lions | 31 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 62 |
at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas
* Date: September 1
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 6,855
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | FAITH | TAMUC |
| First downs | 9 | 25 |
| Total yards | 123 | 422 |
| Rushing yards | 9 | 238 |
| Passing yards | 114 | 184 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 34:31 | 25:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| University of Faith | Passing | D. J. Grant | 8/20, 75 yards |
| University of Faith | Rushing | Shaq Speights | 6 rushes, 19 yards |
| University of Faith | Receiving | Lidell Golden | 3 receptions, 30 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Jared Cate | 4/7, 92 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Tristen Slaughter | 14 rushes, 113 yards, 3 TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Justice Luce | 3 receptions, 72 yards, TD |

### At Delta State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Lions | 17 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 40 |
| Statesmen | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at McCool Stadium, Cleveland, Mississippi
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 5,679
* Referee: Bradly MacNealy
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | TAMUC | DSU |
| First downs | 22 | 20 |
| Total yards | 471 | 397 |
| Rushing yards | 149 | 122 |
| Passing yards | 322 | 275 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 30:35 | 29:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 17/23, 322 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Richard Cooper | 22 rushes, 87 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Lance Evans | 4 receptions, 123 yards, TD |
| Delta State | Passing | Tyler Sullivan | 30/37, 221 yards, 3 INT |
| Delta State | Rushing | Chris Robinson | 16 rushes, 64 yards, 2 TD |
| Delta State | Receiving | K'Shun Davis | 7 receptions, 52 yards |

### At Eastern New Mexico

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 7 Lions | 21 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
| Greyhounds | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
at Greyhound Stadium, Portales, New Mexico
* Date: September 17
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT / 1:00 p.m. MDT
* Game attendance: 1,510
* Referee: Matt Jones
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | TAMUC | ENMU |
| First downs | 25 | 19 |
| Total yards | 479 | 287 |
| Rushing yards | 101 | 227 |
| Passing yards | 378 | 60 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 24:50 | 35:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 24/31, 342 yards, 5 TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Richard Cooper | 11 rushes, 64 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | D'Arthur Cowan | 6 receptions, 82 yards, TD |
| Eastern New Mexico | Passing | Adam Lucero | 6/9, 63 yards, 2 INT |
| Eastern New Mexico | Rushing | Kamal Cass | 21 rushes, 62 yards |
| Eastern New Mexico | Receiving | Aaron Johnson | 2 receptions, 32 yards |

### Texas A&M–Kingsville

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Javelinas | 6 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 36 |
| No. 6 Lions | 10 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas
* Date: September 17
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 7,747
* Referee: Kenny Kelarek
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | TAMUK | TAMUC |
| First downs | 25 | 11 |
| Total yards | 564 | 350 |
| Rushing yards | 188 | 217 |
| Passing yards | 376 | 133 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 37:00 | 23:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Passing | Myles Carr | 25/40, 376 yards, 3 TD |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Rushing | Nick Pelrean | 20 rushes, 75 yards |
| Texas A&M–Kingsville | Receiving | Jordan Thomas | 5 receptions, 152 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 10/19, 133 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Richard Cooper | 19 rushes, 224 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Darby Smith | 4 receptions, 91 yards, TD |

### At Oklahoma Panhandle State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 Lions | 14 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
| Aggies | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
at Carl Wooten Field, Goodwell, Oklahoma
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 84 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,330
* Referee: Andy Dunklin
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | TAMUC | OPSU |
| First downs | 24 | 16 |
| Total yards | 561 | 262 |
| Rushing yards | 134 | 54 |
| Passing yards | 427 | 208 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:37 | 31:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 34/48, 396 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Ovie Urevbu | 4 rushes, 64 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Lance Evans | 7 receptions, 110 yards, 2 TD |
| Oklahoma Panhandle State | Passing | Shane Truelove | 19/27, 161 yards, INT |
| Oklahoma Panhandle State | Rushing | Rod Moore | 18 rushes, 60 yards, TD |
| Oklahoma Panhandle State | Receiving | Devyn Williams | 5 receptions, 55 yards |

### No. 7 Midwestern State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 7 Mustangs | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 26 |
| No. 4 Lions | 3 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 25 |
at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas
* Date: October 8
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear, 69 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 9,208
* Referee: Joe Horn
* TV: ESPN3
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | MSU | TAMUC |
| First downs | 24 | 21 |
| Total yards | 484 | 405 |
| Rushing yards | 211 | 162 |
| Passing yards | 273 | 243 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 28:22 | 31:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Midwestern State | Passing | Quade Coward | 17/25, 273 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Midwestern State | Rushing | Vincent Johnson | 14 rushes, 86 yards, 2 TD |
| Midwestern State | Receiving | Breion Evans | 4 receptions, 85 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 18/34, 243 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Richard Cooper | 26 rushes, 128 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Darby Smith | 6 receptions, 131 yards, 2 TD |

### At Western New Mexico

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9 Lions | 7 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
| Mavericks | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
at Altamirano Stadium, Silver City, New Mexico
* Date: October 15
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT / 12:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 71 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 279
* Referee: Robert Newton
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | TAMUC | WNMU |
| First downs | 27 | 28 |
| Total yards | 521 | 486 |
| Rushing yards | 202 | 74 |
| Passing yards | 319 | 412 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 30:01 | 29:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 22/35, 319 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Richard Cooper | 24 rushes, 182 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Darby Smith | 5 receptions, 120 yards, TD |
| Western New Mexico | Passing | Javia Hall | 31/50, 412 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT |
| Western New Mexico | Rushing | DeAndre Williams | 11 rushes, 46 yards, TD |
| Western New Mexico | Receiving | Xavier Ayers | 12 receptions, 123 yards |

### At Angelo State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9 Lions | 7 | 13 | 14 | 28 | 62 |
| Rams | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at LeGrand Sports Complex, San Angelo, Texas
* Date: October 22
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 3,406
* Referee: Andy Dunklin
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | TAMUC | ASU |
| First downs | 24 | 16 |
| Total yards | 435 | 368 |
| Rushing yards | 156 | 163 |
| Passing yards | 279 | 175 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 6 |
| Time of possession | 30:25 | 29:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 20/33, 270 yards, 3 TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Ovie Urevbu | 17 rushes, 105 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Justice Luce | 8 receptions, 125 yards, TD |
| Angelo State | Passing | Carsen Cook | 11/18, 167 yards, TD, INT |
| Angelo State | Rushing | Josh Stevens | 20 rushes, 89 yards |
| Angelo State | Receiving | Mark Munson | 5 receptions, 109 yards, TD |

### West Texas A&M

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buffaloes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 8 Lions | 6 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 36 |
at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas
* Date: October 29
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Mostly clear, 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 9,629
* Referee: Rickey Herron
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | WT | TAMUC |
| First downs | 12 | 19 |
| Total yards | 284 | 358 |
| Rushing yards | 43 | 124 |
| Passing yards | 241 | 234 |
| Turnovers | 6 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 25:51 | 34:09 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Ben Arbuckle | 26/39, 241 yards, 4 INT |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Trent Canion | 4 rushes, 18 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Devon Paye | 10 receptions, 73 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 17/23, 230 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Richard Cooper | 26 rushes, 105 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Darby Smith | 3 receptions, 84 yards |

### At Texas–Permian Basin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Lions | 27 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 58 |
| Falcons | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
at Ratliff Stadium, Odessa, Texas
* Date: November 5
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 7,000
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | TAMUC | UTPB |
| First downs | 24 | 15 |
| Total yards | 591 | 344 |
| Rushing yards | 133 | 66 |
| Passing yards | 458 | 278 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 19:54 | 25:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 18/25, 273 yards, 5 TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Ovie Urevbu | 8 rushes, 85 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Chris Chumley | 5 receptions, 92 yards |
| UT Permian Basin | Passing | Kameron Mathis | 18/35, 278 yards, TD, INT |
| UT Permian Basin | Rushing | Marquis Simmons | 13 rushes, 30 yards, TD |
| UT Permian Basin | Receiving | Mitchell Leonard | 5 receptions, 111 yards, TD |

### Tarleton State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 8 Lions | 0 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 30 |
at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas
* Date: November 12
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Mostly sunny, 68 °F (20 °C)
* Game attendance: 7,795
* Referee: Robert Newton
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | TSU | TAMUC |
| First downs | 17 | 17 |
| Total yards | 335 | 444 |
| Rushing yards | 132 | 166 |
| Passing yards | 203 | 278 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:25 | 28:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tarleton State | Passing | Zed Woerner | 14/22, 203 yards, 2 INT |
| Tarleton State | Rushing | Joseph Sadler | 19 rushes, 102 yards, TD |
| Tarleton State | Receiving | Brant Bailey | 2 receptions, 46 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 22/35, 274 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Ovie Urevbu | 13 rushes, 106 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Vincent Hobbs | 3 receptions, 81 yards, TD |

### No. 25 Colorado Mesa (NCAA Division II playoffs first round)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 25 Mavericks | 3 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 23 |
| No. 8 Lions | 7 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 34 |
at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas
* Date: November 19
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 56 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 5,529
* Referee: Stan Stence
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | CMU | TAMUC |
| First downs | 29 | 17 |
| Total yards | 513 | 336 |
| Rushing yards | 217 | 130 |
| Passing yards | 296 | 206 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 35:47 | 24:13 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Colorado Mesa | Passing | Sean Rubalcaba | 30/43, 296 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Colorado Mesa | Rushing | Jonathan Beverly | 8 rushes, 84 yards |
| Colorado Mesa | Receiving | Peter Anderson | 12 receptions, 99 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 17/33, 205 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Ovie Urevbu | 19 rushes, 108 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Darby Smith | 5 receptions, 68 yards, TD |

### At No. 2 Grand Valley State (Regional semifinals)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Lions | 3 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 32 |
| No. 2 Lakers | 17 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 55 |
at Lubbers Stadium, Allendale, Michigan
* Date: November 26
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST / 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 44 °F (7 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,081
* Referee: Bob Rose
* TV: ESPN3
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | TAMUC | GV |
| First downs | 16 | 30 |
| Total yards | 417 | 598 |
| Rushing yards | 97 | 287 |
| Passing yards | 320 | 311 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 23:30 | 36:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Passing | Luis Perez | 25/50, 318 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Rushing | Richard Cooper | 8 rushes, 69 yards |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | Receiving | Buck Wilson | 4 receptions, 100 yards, 2 TD |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Bart Williams | 17/26, 311 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | Marty Carter | 33 rushes, 217 yards, TD |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Brandon Bean | 6 receptions, 109 yards, 2 TD |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Final |
| AFCA | 9T | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |

## Statistics
### Scoring
#### Scores against non-conference opponents

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Opponents | 34 | 21 | 20 | 31 | 106 |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | 58 | 48 | 38 | 24 | 168 |

#### Scores against the Lonestar Conference

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Opponents | 37 | 36 | 48 | 32 | 153 |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | 99 | 106 | 78 | 89 | 372 |

#### Scores against all opponents

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Opponents | 71 | 57 | 68 | 63 | 259 |
| Texas A&M–Commerce | 157 | 154 | 116 | 113 | 540 |