Athletic Report
October 26, 1998

FOOTBALL (7-1, 5-1 LSC) Ranked #16-NCAA Div. II
Eastern New Mexico’s football team lost for the first time this season when Texas A&M-Commerce claimed a 26-14 victory over the Greyhounds in the Lions’ Homecoming game, Oct. 24 in Commerce, Texas. ENMU entered the contest with a 7-game winning streak.

The loss dropped ENMU to 7-1 overall, including 5-1 in the Lone Star Conference. Eastern is tied with West Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Kingsville for first place in the South Division. TAMU-Commerce, which has lost to four nationally ranked teams this year, improved to 3-5 overall, 3-3 in the LSC.

ENMU spent most of the first half battling poor field position. Eastern’s first seven possessions began inside the ENMU 30-yard line, including six starting at or inside the 20-yard line.

Meanwhile, TAMU-Commerce used 4 first half interceptions to slowly build a 13-0 lead. The first score, a 42-yard field goal by David Dell with 1:26 left in the opening quarter, followed a 20-yard interception return by Kasey Vestal. The Lions took over at the Eastern 32, and gained 8 yards before Dell’s kick.

TAMU-Commerce increased its lead to 6-0 on a 25-yard field goal by Dell midway through the second quarter. The Lions drove 74 yards in 12 plays.

Vestal’s second interception set up the game’s first touchdown by giving TAMU-Commerce possession at the ENMU 29. The Lions scored on a 6-yard run by Ronnie Humphrey four plays later with 3:59 left in the first half. For the game, TAMU-Commerce intercepted six Eastern passes, including one on a fake punt.

The Greyhounds intercepted a total of three TAMU-C passes, including one by Tony Cavalier (Sr., FS, Pampa, TX/Pittsburg State) that sparked an ENMU rally late in the second quarter. Cavalier hauled in the errant throw at the Eastern 46 with 0:45 left in the half. He returned the ball 49 yards to the TAMU-C 5-yard line.

Bruce Hatch (Jr., FB, Bloomfield, NM/Bloomfield H.S.) scored on the next play. Jeff Wareing (Fr., PK, Alamogordo, NM/Alamogordo H.S.) kicked the PAT, and ENMU trailed by just six points, 13-7, at the intermission.

Neither team scored during the third quarter, but the Lions upped their lead to 19-7 early in the fourth. Corey Kelley scored on a 16-yard run with 14:29 left. Nate VanCleave was forced out of bounds on an unsuccessful 2-point PAT attempt.

ENMU cut the lead to five points with 10:26 remaining, when Josh Lynn (So, TE, Eunice, NM/Eunice H.S.) caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bobby Rodriguez (So., QB, St. Teresa, NM/Las Cruces H.S.). The TD followed a 12-yard punt return by Cavalier, plus a personal foul on the Lions. ENMU drove 29 yards in 5 plays.

On Eastern’s next possession, the Greyhounds moved from their own 30 to the Lions’ 33 in two plays, including a 30-yard pass from Rodriguez to Terrance Smith (Jr., RB, Miami, FL/Tenn.-Martin). ENMU did not score, as Rashad Davis of TAMU-C intercepted a pass at the 2-yard line. The Lions added an insurance score on a 20- yard pass from VanCleave to Jermaine Cleveland with 4:23 left.

TAMU-Commerce finished the game with 313 total yards, while limiting ENMU to 216 yards. Eastern’s defense gave up just 87 rushing yards on 40 carries. The Greyhounds lead the LSC in rushing defense.

Individually, Smith led ENMU with 3 catches for 52 yards. He also had one carry for 9 yards rushing. VanCleave completed 13 of 27 passes for 226 yards for TAMU-C. Michael Courville caught 3 of his passes for 64 yards.

ENMU KICK BLOCKING STREAK ENDS AT SIX
Eastern’s streak of consecutive games with at least one blocked kick ended at Texas A&M-Commerce, Oct. 24, when the Greyhounds did not block a kick. Even so, the streak lasted six games and included 7 blocked kicks — 4 punts, 2 field goals and 1 extra point. ENMU’s success at blocking kicks this season:

EASTERN LEADS LSC IN TEAM DEFENSE
Eastern New Mexico ranks first in the LSC in total defense and rushing defense. The Greyhounds are allowing just 227.5 total yards per game and only 3.6 yards per play. On the ground, opponents are gaining just 90.5 yards per game and only 2.6 yards per carry.

ENMU is third in the LSC in scoring defense, allowing 14.1 points per game. The Greyhounds are third in passing efficiency defense. Opponents have completed just 37.0% of their passes and have been intercepted 10 times.

MICHAEL WALTON TOPS LSC IN TACKLES
ENMU junior middle linebacker Michael Walton (Earth, TX/Texas Tech) leads the Lone Star Conference in total tackles. He has recorded 87 total tackles on 43 solos and 44 assists in Eastern’s first eight games.

Walton also led the LSC in tackles in 1997, when he totaled 155 tackles in 11 games. He was named Third Team All-America by Football Gazette.

UP NEXT FOR THE GREYHOUNDS
The Greyhounds host Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sat., Oct. 31 at 6:00 p.m. (MST) at Greyhound Stadium. Last year, the Javelinas defeated ENMU, 56-14. The Javelinas lead the all-time series, 12-1.

Both teams enter the game ranked in the Top 20 in NCAA Division II. The Javelinas are ranked #13. Eastern is ranked #16.