COMMERCE, TX- The Ouachita Tigers (3-0, 2-0 GAC) traveled to Commerce, Texas for their only Thursday night game of the season to face off against Texas A&M-Commerce, which also marked the first non-conference game of the season for the Tigers. They were looking to stretch their current win streak to four, which dates back to last season.

The Tigers deferred the coin toss to start the game, but would actually be the first team to score, as the defense stopped the Lions in their tracks, forcing a punt and opening the door for the Tiger offense to drive the field. The first score of the game came when junior running back Daniel McGee barreled his way into the end zone for a three yard touchdown run, striking first and giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead after a 10 play, 55 yard drive.

The Lions would answer the Tiger touchdown shortly after though, as they would drive the field and score their first touchdown of the game on an eight yard pass completion from quarterback Yogi Gallegos to receiver Taylor Fore, tying the game at 7-7.

The rest of the first quarter was pretty uneventful, until the last play of the quarter. Senior linebacker Tyler George read the eyes of Gallegos on and would pick his pass off, giving the Tigers an opportunity to strike again to begin the second quarter.

The Tiger offense took George's interception and made the best of it, scoring on the following offensive possession, when junior kicker Jason Fowler converted on a 27 yard attempt, making the score 10-7 in favor of the Tigers.

Commerce saw Fowler's field goal as a challenge and would drive the field shortly after, helping kicker Jacob O'Neil into range for a kick from the 27 yard line, which he converted, knotting the score at 10.

The Tigers, realizing that they needed a score, would place their burden on the shoulders of junior quarterback Casey Cooper, who has been nothing short of spectacular this season. Cooper would take the burden and answer with a 32 yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Brett Reece, giving Ouachita a 17-10 lead.

The Lions would follow that drive with another scoring drive of their own, as they drove the field and let O'Neil attempt a field goal from the 27 yard line, which he again converted, making the score 17-13 at halftime.

In the first half, Cooper did most of his dirty work through the air, but to start the second half, he would change things up and do it with his feet instead. On the first drive of the second half, Cooper would dash past the Lion defense, scoring on a 45 yard run and giving the Tigers a little bit of breathing room, as he also forced the score to 24-13. Advantage Tigers.

Not too long after, Ouachita junior safety Patrick Dukes would collect the second Tiger interception of the game, giving the Tigers another momentum boost and an opportunity to stretch the lead. The offense would answer again, as Cooper would score his second rushing touchdown in a five minute period, taking off for a 19 yard rushing touchdown and putting the Tigers up 31-13 early in the second half.

Not a lot of action occurred after Cooper's touchdown in the third, but to open the fourth quarter, the Lions reminded the Tigers that they were still in the middle of a football game and that it wasn't over, as they drove the field and closed the lead on a 25 yard pass from Gallegos to receiver Tyler Rawlings, making the score 31-20.

The Lions would score again soon after, but it would be on the defensive side of the ball rather than the offensive. The Tigers lined up for a field goal from the 37 yard line, which the Lion defense subsequently blocked and Commerce's Marlin Terrel would pick up and take 68 yards into the end zone. The extra point was missed but Commerce had gone on a 13-0 run, forcing the score to 31-26 and putting the Tigers in a tough spot.

The Tiger offense knew that if they were to hold off the Lions in the game, they would need to score on the ensuing drive. The Tigers did just that, as they marched their way down the field and scored on a McGee rush from the three yard line. They would follow that with a successful two point conversion, when Cooper would complete a pass to senior tight end Phillip Supernaw.

Commerce only took 51 seconds to answer the Tiger's touchdown, as Gallegos completed a 19 yard pass to receiver Marcus Graham, again putting the Lions within striking distance of the Tigers and making the score 39-33 with 44 seconds remaining in the contest.

The Tigers would then be forced to recover an onside kick, which they were able to do when Phillip Supernaw hauled in the onside attempt. What the Tigers weren't expecting though was the events that would follow. One of the referees had inadvertently blown his whistle, deeming the play dead before the kick and meaning that the Lions would have another attempt at the onside. The next attempt would be fumbled and chaos ensued as Tigers and Lions began scuffling for the ball, only to find that junior safety Dijon Benton had sealed the game for the Tigers at the bottom of the pile, recovering the kick and allowing for Cooper to take a knee to close out the game with the Tigers holding a 39-33 advantage at the final horn.

Cooper was nothing short of spectacular in the contest, collecting a total of 324 yards in the game, including 200 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground and a 15 of 23 performance through the air for 142 yards and another touchdown. Cooper led the Tigers in rushing and passing yardage. Also notable on the offensive side of the ball was McGee, who finished with 97 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, as well as Reece, who again led the team in receiving yardage with 91 yards and a touchdown.

On the defensive side of the ball for the Tigers, Benton collected six tackles and a pass break up to go along with the onside kick recovery. Junior linebacker Augustine Ume-Ezeoke also had a solid game collecting five tackles and a pass break up of his own.

The Tiger offense collected a total of 482 yards in the game, while Commerce collected 384 yards of their own, 345 of which came through the air. The Tigers finished the game with a single turnover, while they forced Commerce to turn it over twice, quite possibly being the difference in the game. The Tigers were four of five on red zone attempts, while the Lions were four of four. The Tigers also held almost 40 minutes of possession time in the game, while the Lions only had about 20.

The Tigers return to action on Saturday, October 1, when they head to Cleveland, Mississippi to face off against the nationally ranked Delta State Statesmen. Kickoff for that contest will be at 6 p.m.

-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director