2012 GAME-BY-GAME RECAPS 31
TEVIN GODFREY
SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA
A&M-COMMERCE 6 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 MEMORIAL STADIUM • COMMERCE
38
COMMERCE, Texas – A&M-Commerce struggled to find its footing in the season opener at Memorial Stadium, falling behind early as it drops a 31-6 decision to Southeastern Oklahoma. With a handful of new faces, especially on the offensive side of the ball, the Lions were eager to see some results right out of the gates. But the offensive was unable to find its groove as A&M-Commerce generated just 185 yards of total offense, compared to 335 for the Savage Storm. Quarterback Deric Davis completed 12 of 26 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, while Tyler Rawlings emerged as Davis’ favorite target, hauling in five catches for 60 yards. Tevin Godfrey accounted for 18 yards on a pair of catches, including the Lions’ lone touchdown, while Jamar Mosley had three receptions out of the backfield for 16 yards. On the ground, Godfrey led the way with 32 yards on two carries while Mosely added 10 yards on five touches while Marcus French rushed four times for nine yards. One of the main reasons for the Lions’ inability to establish any momentum on offense was the lack of time on the field as Southeastern Oklahoma State held the ball for just under 40 minutes, leaving the A&M-Commerce offense with just 20 minutes to work with. That extra time on the field for the Lion defense proved to be too much, although a number of players had impressive performances. Danny Mason set a career-best with 16 tackles, including nine unassisted and a sack, while Joel Wren and J.T. Bates each added eight stops on the night. Marlin Terrell was second behind Mason in solo tackles, recording seven. The teams were even through the majority of the first quarter as both seemed to be trying to work out some first-game jitters. Near the end of the stanza, the Lions seemed to be clicking, moving the ball deep into Savage Storm territory. But SEOSU linebacker Houston Slemp stepped in front of a Davis pass and returned it the distance, rumbling 79 yards to put the Savage Storm on top 7-0 at the end of the first. Southeastern Oklahoma would add a 28-yard field goal midway through the second quarter, then CJ Kirk broke off a 23-yard touchdown run with just under two minutes remaining as the Lions found themselves down 17-0 at intermission. The first drive of the second half looked promising for A&M-Commerce as the Lions moved the ball down the field and stringing together a 10-play, 70-yard drive that spanned just under six minutes. Davis capped the drive by finding Godfrey in the back of the endzone for a three-yard score. But in another trend from 2011, the extra point was botched as A&M-Commerce was only able to cut the deficit to 17-6. That scoring drive was quickly matched by the Storm, covering 71 yards in just four plays to take the lead at 24-6 thanks to a 38-yard touchdown pass from Jercolby Bradley to Anthony Gale. Needing a stop to try and generate a comeback at the start of the fourth quarter, A&M-Commerce seemed to have momentum on their side as the Lions were able to pin Southeastern Oklahoma down at the one-yard line off a punt right at the beginning of the fourth quarter. But the Savage Storm covered 99 yards in 16 plays, burning 12 minutes off the clock before Kirk ran it in from one yard out to put the Storm up 31-6 and sealing the Lions’ season-opening fate. With the victory, Southeastern Oklahoma snaps a two-game skid to A&M-Commerce and improves to 9-8-1 in the all-time series record. The Savage Storm also improved to 6-4-1 in games in Commerce while the Lions have now dropped two-straight season openers and nine of their last 11.
SCORING AND STATISTICAL SUMMARY
Southeastern Oklahoma A&M-Commerce
1 2 3 4 F 7 10 7 7 31 0 0 6 0 6
1st SOSU Houston Slemp 79 yd. interception return (Chris Peoples kick) 2nd SOSU Chris Peoples 28 yd. field goal SOSU CJ Kirk 23 yd run (Peoples kick) 3rd A&M-C Tevin Godfrey 3 yd pass from Deric Davis (pass failed) SOSU Anthony Gale 38 yd pass from J. Bradley (Peoples kick) 4th SOSU Kirk 1 yd run (Peoples kick) SOSU A&M-C First Downs...................................................... 21................................9 Rushes-Yards................................................ 47-195.........................17-47 Passing Yards................................................... 140............................ 138 Passes.............................................................16-10-0......................26-12-1 Fumble Returns-Yards...................................0-0..............................0-0 Punt Return-Yards..........................................2-2.............................3-86 Kickoff Returns-Yards...................................2-43............................3-86 Interceptions-Yards.......................................1-79.............................0-0 Punts............................................................... 5-31.2........................ 8-42.0 Fumbles-Lost...................................................1-0..............................0-0 Penalties-Yards...............................................8-74..........................13-103 Time of Possession........................................39:52..........................20:08 Third Down Conversions.............................7-15............................2-11 SEOSU Rushing: Kirk 15-80, Abrams 15-70, Bradley 14-27; SEOSU Passing: Bradley 10-16-0-140; SEOSU Receiving: Green 3-35, Gale 2-47, Shelley 2-44; SEOSU Tackles: Eziakor 5, Garcia 5, Hurst 4. A&M-C Rushing: Godfrey 2-32, Mosley 5-10, French 4-9; A&M-C Passing: Davis 12-26-1-138; A&M-C Receiving: Rawlings 5-60, Mosley 3-16, Godfrey 2-18; A&M-C Tackles: Mason 16, Bates 8, Wren 8.
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