9/21/2019 | Football | Box Score
COMMERCE, Texas – Eastern New Mexico was unable to pick up the road upset at #12 Texas A&M-Commerce, falling to the Lions by a final score of 45-27.
The Hounds out-gained the Lions by a final yardage count of 328-to-325, but couldn’t manage to negate a few costly turnovers and special teams miscues. Eastern New Mexico totaled three rushing touchdowns and ran for 280 yards as a team and doubled the Lions on plays run with 82 compared to the opposition’s 41.
Senior’s Paul Terry and Wyatt Strand each totaled over 100 yards rushing while Strand found the end zone twice, both times in the second half. Terry finished the night with 110 yards on 24 attempts for his third straight game with over 100 yards rushing to open the 2019 season.
Strand picked up 103 yards on 26 carries and completed 5-of-15 passes through the air. Senior Charles Countee led the defensive effort for the Hounds with nine total tackles and a fumble recovery while junior Vicen’te Walker secured his second interception of the year.
Eastern New Mexico scored points on it’s opening drive of the game, stringing together 13 plays that took 7:50 off the clock and gained 56 yards before settling for a 26-yard field goal from senior Tyler Vargas. The Hounds couldn’t make the aforementioned interception by Walker count inside their own five yard line count as the offense fumbled the ball on the second play of the ensuing drive and set Texas A&M-Commerce up inside the Hound’s five-yard line to take the 7-3 advantage.
Eastern was unable to regain the lead in the first half with five straight stalled drives before putting together an 11-play, 50-yard drive that was capped off with another Vargas field goal to draw the score to 24-to-6 at the conclusion of the opening half. Commerce managed points on four of their six drives throughout the first half of action.
Countee picked up a fumble recovery on the opening play for the Lions in the second half to give the Hounds the ball on the Texas A&M-Commerce 38-yard line. Eastern couldn’t convert on the great field position and gave the ball back to the opposition following a punt from Vargas.
The Lions scored on the ensuing drive to increase the advantage to 31-to-6 before the Greyhounds found the end zone for the first time on a wild blocked field goal attempt that was picked up by Walker and taken into the end zone from 12 yards out. Strand tacked on the first of his two touchdowns in the second half with a three-yard score with 12:31 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Texas A&M-Commerce tacked on one more score before Strand captained the Greyhound offense down the field on a 98-yard scoring drive that took 15 plays and 5:48 off the clock. The Logan, N.M. native cut back to the end zone with 30 seconds left in the ball game to bring the final score to 45-27.
Eastern New Mexico will come back home to Portales for the first time in two weeks next Saturday night for a 6 p.m. kickoff inside Greyhound Stadium against Texas A&M-Kingsville. That game will also serve as Homecoming Night for the Greyhounds.
