Lions pounce on Rams in fourth quarter

After an amazing start to the season, the Rams football team fell to the Texas A&M Commerce Lions again on Nov. 14 in the Lone Star Conference playoff championship semifinals by one point.

On Oct. 10, the Rams suffered their second loss against the Lions at a score of 38-35, but with the team’s hard work, they held strong and managed to keep a lead for most of the game. In the fourth quarter the Rams fell to the Lions by one point with a score of 36-35.

Defense prevailed as neither team scored in the first quarter. Once the second quarter started, the Lions came alive with a 14 play and 80-yard drive to score the first touchdown of the game. Rams responded with a touchdown of their own two minutes later with a 43-yard pass from quarterback Kyle Washington to wide receiver Donovan Thompson. Lions kicked a field goal and the Rams took the lead when running back Ryan Byrd made a two yard touchdown run. Washington made the last touchdown of the half to put the Rams in the lead at 21-10.

The start of the third quarter saw the Lions score on back-to-back drives. Wide receiver Brett Rasberry, caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Washington, which lengthened the Rams’ lead for the half. The Lions scored a field goal but the Rams held the lead with a score of 35-30 ending the third quarter.

Ram defense tried to hold off the Lions but with seven minutes on the clock, the Lions scored the final touchdown of the game. The Rams kept fighting until the end. With five minutes left, Washington found himself at the two yard line and dived, but was stopped mere inches short of the line. The Lions would not give the Rams a second chance and the Rams suffered another loss to the Lions at 36-35.

Leading the statistics for this game were Washington with 20 out of 32 completed passes, two touchdowns, 227 passing yards and 154 rushing yards; wide receiver Talon Smith with 60 receiving yards and defensive back Grant Ashenbeck with 10 tackles.

Senior defensive lineman Clayton Callicut broke the university record for career sacks with 31.5. The previous record was set at 31 by Dane Krager, who played at ASU from 1998 to 2001. Washington reached a career high with 154 yards on 25 carries, and combined with Byrd’s 109 yards on 20 carries, this was the first time in the season where two ball carriers had over 100 yards in the same game.

The next game for the Rams will be Saturday, Nov. 14 against Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds in a fight for third place in the LSC playoffs in Portales, New Mexico.