COMMERCE – The Angelo State football team lost its season finale to No. 14 Texas A&M-Commerce 41-13 Saturday evening in Commerce, Texas.
The Rams (6-5, 4-4 LSC) kept the game close early and were down only two scores at halftime, but were unable to get the offense going in the second half as the Lions pulled away.
TAMUC got on the board quickly, scoring on their opening drive of the game just over a minute after kickoff. The Lions then doubled the lead with 8:29 left to play in the first quarter on a three-yard touchdown pass.
ASU finally got on the board with five minutes left in the opening quarter, thanks to Donavyn Jackson and the Ram defense. Jackson picked off Lion quarterback Kane Wilson at the Commerce 40 and returned it five yards to the 40, giving ASU a short field.
Angelo State quarterback Payne Sullins quickly got the ball in the red zone with a 38-yard pass to Lawson Ayo to the 3-yard line. Running back Tyrese Nathan punched it in from there to make the score 14-7.
Ayo had five catches on the night for 83 yards, pushing him to 980 on the season and getting him over the 2,000-yard mark in his Angelo State career.
On the first play of the Lions' ensuing drive, ASU got back into the end zone. Wilson threw yet another pick, this one to Gilbert Gildersleeve III, who returned it 55 yards to the house. The interception was the 19th of the season, which leads the Lone Star Conference and ranks top five nationally. It was also the third the Rams have returned for a touchdown this season.
The PAT was blocked after the pick-six, but ASU ended the first quarter down just 14-13.
TAMUC padded the lead early in the second quarter with a field goal from Kristov Martinez, and Martinez hit again with 7:57 left in the first half. Down just seven still with less than 30 seconds left to go, ASU finally gave up another touchdown as Wilson hit Matt Childers for 21 yards and sent the teams into the locker room up by two touchdowns.
In the second half, ASU's offense was still unable to get the momentum and the Lions found the end zone again with 2:37 left in the third quarter.
The backbreaker came with just four seconds left in the third quarter, as Sullins was intercepted on the one yard line and had the pass returned all 99 yards into the Angelo State end zone.
Neither team found the end zone again in the fourth quarter, as the Rams saw their three-game winning streak come to an end to complete the 2018 season.
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