2023 Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football team

2023 Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	1–9 (2–5 Southland)
Head coach	Clint Dolezel (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Bobby Bounds (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Kyle Williams (2nd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium

2023 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Nicholls $^		7	–	0					6	–	5
No. 22 Incarnate Word		6	–	1					8	–	2
Lamar		5	–	2					6	–	5
Houston Christian		4	–	3					5	–	5
Southeastern Louisiana		3	–	4					3	–	8
Texas A&M–Commerce *		2	–	5					1	–	9
McNeese		1	–	6					0	–	10
Northwestern State **		0	–	2					0	–	6
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Texas A&M–Commerce ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. ** – Northwestern State canceled its season on October 26. Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2023 Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football team represented Texas A&M University–Commerce as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Lions were led by first-year head coach Clint Dolezel and played home games at the Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas.

Preseason

Preseason poll

The Southland Conference released their preseason poll on July 24, 2023. The Lions were picked to finish sixth in the conference.^[1]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Southeastern Louisiana	93 (9)
2	Incarnate Word	91 (7)
3	McNeese	65
4	Nicholls	62
5	Northwestern State	52
6	Texas A&M–Commerce	33
7	Lamar	28
8	Houston Christian	24

Preseason All–Southland Teams

The Southland Conference announced the 2023 preseason all-conference football team selections on July 21, 2023. TAMUC had a total of 4 players selected.^[2]

Defense 2nd Team Leon Young – defensive lineman, JR Max Epps – defensive back, JR Daryion Taylor – defensive back, SR Sean Krystoff-King – kick returner, SO

Schedule

Texas A&M–Commerce and the Southland Conference announced the 2023 football schedule on December 14, 2022.^[3][4][5][6]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	7:00 p.m.	No. 16 UC Davis*	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	ESPN+	L 10–48	4,227
September 9	9:00 p.m.	at No. 9 Sacramento State*	Hornet Stadium Sacramento, CA	ESPN+	L 6–34	12,316
September 23	2:30 p.m.	at Old Dominion*	S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA	ESPN+	L 9–10	16,938
September 30	6:00 p.m.	at Stephen F. Austin*	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	ESPN+	L 27–56	7,029
October 7	7:00 p.m.	McNeese	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	ESPN+	W 41–10	4,817
October 14	4:00 p.m.	at No. 7 Incarnate Word	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX	ESPN+	L 11–28	2,278
October 21	3:30 p.m.	Nicholls	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	ESPN+	L 7–27	8,248
October 28	2:00 p.m.	at Houston Christian	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN+	L 13–17	1,765
November 4	3:00 p.m.	at Lamar	Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX	ESPN+	L 21–41	6,123
November 11	3:30 p.m.	Southeastern Louisiana	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	ESPN+	L 14–52	4,387
November 18	2:00 p.m.	at Northwestern State	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	ESPN+	W 2–0 (forfeit)		[7]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

at Sacramento State

See also: 2023 Sacramento State Hornets football team

Texas A&M–Commerce Lions at No. 9 Sacramento State Hornets – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	6	0	0	6
No. 9 Hornets	10	17	7	0	34

at Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, California

• Date: September 9
• Game time: 9:00 p.m. CDT/7:00 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
• Game attendance: 12,316
• Referee: Scott Root
• TV announcers (KMAX-TV/ESPN+): Jason Ross and Darren Arbet
• Sources:^[8][9]

Game information

First Quarter (10:01) SAC – Kaiden Bennett 8-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:45; Sacramento State 7–0) (4:13) SAC – Zach Schreiner 33-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 42 yards, 3:50; Sacramento State 10–0) Second Quarter (11:16) SAC – Chris Miller 16-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 85 yards, 5:51; Sacramento State 17–0) (7:17) SAC – Kaiden Bennett 40-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 83 yards, 1:53; Sacramento State 24–0) (0:41) TAMC – Peter Parrish 1-yard run (Drive: 3 plays, 14 yards, 0:25; Sacramento State 24–6) (0:00) SAC – Zach Schreiner 40-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards, 0:36; Sacramento State 27–6) Third Quarter (8:47) SAC – Marcus Fulcher 5-yard run (Zach Schreiner kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 3:59; Sacramento State 34–6)

Statistics	TAMC	SAC
First downs	13	28
Total yards	216	503
Rushing yards	144	311
Passing yards	72	192
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	13–27–1	17–26–1
Time of possession	29:08	30:52

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas A&M–Commerce	Passing	Peter Parrish	12/25, 63 yards, INT
	Rushing	Reggie Branch	14 carries, 65 yards
	Receiving	Micaelous Elder	6 receptions, 33 yards
Sacramento State	Passing	Kaiden Bennett	14/22, 176 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Kaiden Bennett	10 carries, 101 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Coleman Kuntz	4 receptions, 68 yards

McNeese

See also: 2023 McNeese Cowboys football team

McNeese Cowboys at Texas A&M–Commerce Lions

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	3	0	0	7	10
Lions	0	14	27	0	41

at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, TX

• Date: October 7
• Game time: 7:00 p.m.
• Game weather: • Wind: N4 mph • Weather: Clear Temp: 64
• Game attendance: 4,817
• Referee: James Brookhart
• TV: ESPN+

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	McN	TAMU–C
First downs	16	18
Plays–yards	68–280	61–470
Rushes–yards	31–64	35–158
Passing yards	216	312
Passing: comp–att–int	22–37–1	15–26–1
Time of possession	28:35	31:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing	Nate Glantz	10/18, 111 yards, INT
	Rushing	D'Angelo Durham	13 rushes, 67 yards
	Receiving	Mahki Paris	4 receptions, 61 yards
Texas A&M–Commerce	Passing	Josh Magana	12/21, 266 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Ra'veion Hargrove	13 rushes, 96 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jabari Khepera	1 reception, 74 yards, TD

at Incarnate Word

See also: 2023 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team

Texas A&M–Commerce Lions at Incarnate Word Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	3	0	0	8	11
No. 7 Cardinals	7	7	0	14	28

at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, Texas

• Date: October 14
• Game time: 4:05 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
• Game attendance: 2,278
• Referee: Matt Beck
• TV: ESPN+
• Box Score

Game information

First Quarter TAMUC – 6:24 Emmanuel Adagvon 35 yard field goal TAMUC 3–0 Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 3:02 UIW – 0:08 Jarrell Wiley 13 yard pass from Zach Calzada, Mason Lawler kick UIW 7–3 Drive: 1 play, 13 yards, 0:05 Second Quarter UIW – 1:57 CJ Hardy 31 yard pass from Zach Calzada, Mason Lawler kick UIW 14–3 Drive 5 plays, 68 yards, 1:50 Third Quarter No scoring Fourth Quarter TAMCU – 14:51 Javotrick Dotrey 40 yard interception, Keith Miller III pass UIW 14–11 UIW – 6:55 Ronald Wilson 71 yard interception, Mason Lawler kick UIW 21–11 UIW – 4:40 Jarrell Wiley 14 yard run, Mason Lawler kick UIW 28–11 Drive: 2 plays, 27 yards, 0:48

Statistics	TAMUC	UIW
First downs	13	24
Plays–yards	66–213	79–458
Rushes–yards	33–50	37–158
Passing yards	163	300
Passing: comp–att–int	15–33–2	27–42–3
Time of possession	30:06	28:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas A&M–Commerce	Passing	Josh Magana	15/33, 163 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Ra'veion Hargrove	10 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Jerome Buckner	2 receptions, 48 yards
Incarnate Word	Passing	Zach Calzada	27/42, 300 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Jarrell Wiley	18 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jaelin Campbell	7 receptions, 89 yards

at Lamar

See also: 2023 Lamar Cardinals football team

Texas A&M–Commerce Lions at Lamar Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	7	0	14	21
Cardinals	7	14	7	13	41

at Provost Umphrey Stadium, Beaumont, Texas

• Date: November 4
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
• Game attendance: 6,123
• Referee: Matt Beck
• TV: ESPN+
• Box Score

Statistics	TAMC	LAM
First downs	19	16
Total yards	300	342
Rushing yards	102	246
Passing yards	198	96
Turnovers	4	1
Time of possession	27:37	32:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas A&M–Commerce	Passing	Mirko Martos	9/16, 102 yards, TD
	Rushing	Shamenski Rucker	12 rushes, 36 yards
	Receiving	Austin Samaha	4 receptions, 65 yards
Lamar	Passing	Robert Coleman	8/14, 96 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Khalan Griffin	19 rushes, 113 yards, TD
	Receiving	Andre Dennis	5 receptions, 43 yards

National and state recognition

Three Southland Conference players and one team were nationally recognized during the season. Texas A&M–Commerce's Max Epps was recognized on September 25 as National defensive player of the week.

Weekly awards

One Southland Conference team and conference players received national recognition over the course of the season. One of the players, Texas A&M–Commerce's Max Epps, was recognized on September 25 as National defensive player of the week.

Weekly honors

Honors	Player	Position	Date Awarded	Ref.
FedEx Ground National Defensive Player of the Week	Max Epps	DB	September 25, 2023	[10]

Dave Campbell's Texas Football post season All-Texas Non-FBS teams

Levi Drake Rodriguez was named to the 2023 All-Texas Non-FBS Defense team.^[11]

Conference awards and honors

Weekly awards

One Lion received conference player of the week recognition.

Weekly honors

Honors	Player	Position	Date Awarded	Ref.
SLC Defensive Player of the Week	Max Epps	DB	September 25, 2023	[12]

Postseason All–Southland Teams

The Southland Conference announced the 2023 all-conference football team selections on November 22, 2023. Three Texas A&M–Commerce players were selected to the All–Conference defensive team.^[13]

Defense 1st Team Levi Drake Rodriguez – defensive lineman, SR Max Epps – defensive back, JR Daryion Taylor – defensive back, SR

References

1. "Southeastern Voted Top Spot in 2023 Southland Football Preseason Poll". www.southland.org. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
2. "Southland Announces 2023 All-Conference Team". www.southland.org. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
3. "TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE FOOTBALL: Lions announce 2023 Southland Conference Schedule". The Gilmer Mirror. December 15, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
4. Kelley, Kevin (February 1, 2023). "Southland Conference announces 2023 football schedule". FBSCHEDULES.com. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
5. "Texas A&M-Commerce Lions Schedule 2023". ESPN Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
6. "2023 Football Schedule". Texas A&M University - Commerce Athletics. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
7. Kasabian, Paul (October 26, 2023). "Northwestern State Cancels Football Season, HC Resigns After Ronnie Caldwell's Death". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
8. "Football vs Texas A&M - Commerce on 9/9/2023 - Box Score - Sacramento State". September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
9. "Football Rolls To 34–6 Win Over Texas A&M–Commerce". September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
10. James Hill (September 25, 2023). "Epps Named FedEx Ground FCS National Defensive Player of the Week". Southland Conference. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
11. Cory Hogue (December 6, 2023). "REVEALED: The 2023 All-Texas Non-FBS Team". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
12. James Hill (September 25, 2023). "HCU's Suits, A&M-Commerce's Epps, Southeastern's Dunlap Earn Southland Football Players of the Week". Southland Conference. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
13. James Hill (November 24, 2023). "Southland Announces 2023 All-Conference Football Team and Superlatives". Southland Conference. Retrieved November 22, 2023.