KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville football program, donning their throwback uniforms of yesteryear for the second consecutive season, couldn't channel the historic teams of yore on Saturday at Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium as No. 21/20 A&M-Commerce converted a narrow halftime lead into a 33-6 victory to close out the third week of the Lone Star Conference schedule.

Hear from head coach Daren Wilkinson at the postgame press conference here: LINK

The Javelinas (1-4, 0-3 LSC) trailed by a single score at halftime, despite the Lions (3-1, 2-0 LSC) running a blocked point-after attempt back the other way, but the visitors added three unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away for the decision.

Neither side made much headway throughout the opening frame as each initial drive ended in a turnover recovered by the defense that put a stop to any scoring chances. A&M-C had a pass from Miklo Smalls caught by Eric Hebert near midfield, but it was senior Josh Wilson (Corpus Christi, Texas) who brought it to a halt as he punched the ball free, which allowed redshirt junior Nick Stiff (Cypress, Texas) to fall on the loose ball for TAMUK.

Meanwhile, the Hogs had the ensuing drive stall out at the Lions' nine yard line as Jaylon Hodge forced a fumble from senior Kris Barnes (Fort Worth, Texas) and it was Kader Kohou who ended up at the bottom of the pile for possession.

The visitors broke through to the end zone on the last play of the first quarter after Smalls found Hebert for three yards and the score. The drive was ignited by Antonio Lealiiee's 51-yard burst near midfield on the first play from scrimmage that ended deep in the TAMUK red zone.

A&M-C added a 24-yard field goal attempt with 11:55 remaining on the clock in the second stanza while five of the next six drives ended on a punt.

The Hogs finally found purchase late in the quarter as senior Donte Ross (Palmdale, Calif.) sparked the scoring drive with a 26-yard punt return that landed in Lions territory. The very next play was a 34-yard connection between redshirt junior Cade Dyal (Kerrville, Texas) and Ross to set up the Javelinas in the A&M-C red zone.

Dyal found redshirt freshman Amonte Bowen (Donna, Texas) two plays later to trim the deficit to one score, but the ensuing point-after attempt was blocked by Darius Williams and it was Alex Shillow who ran the ball back for a three-point swing in favor of the visitors.

The 12-6 score held firm into the break and the first TAMUK drive coming out of the second half ended in a pass intercepted by the Lions' L.A. Dawson at the 13:27 mark of the third. The visitors converted the turnover in seven points just three plays later as Lealiiee reached the end zone on a 56-yard rush for a 19-6 A&M-C lead.

A 62-yard strike from Smalls to Darian Owens was in store later in the third, resulting in a 26-6 Lion advantage, while a 34-yard connection between Smalls and Ryan Stokes went in as the final touchdown at the 6:22 mark.

TAMUK had one drive reach the A&M-C half of the field through the remainder of the game, with a first down at the Lions' 11 yard line quickly getting pushed back to the 34 courtesy of a pair of sacks that squelched the scoring opportunity. The final score was finalized shortly after at 33-6 to put the hosts at three losses in league action.

Dyal bore the brunt of the work in the passing game as he finished with 23 completions on 37 attempts for 189 yards through the air to go with his one score and one interception.

Ross, alongside redshirt junior Darrian Hambrick (Nashville, Tenn.) and redshirt senior Devin Milburn (Galveston, Texas) were the primary targets in the receiving corps. Ross led the group with 63 yards on four catches, followed by Hambrick at seven catches for 50 yards, while Milburn rounded out the trio with six receptions for 40 yards.

For the first time this season, redshirt senior Luis Lopez (San Diego, Texas) failed to find the end zone for the Javelina ground game but still led the group with 33 yards on six carries.

The defense was led by redshirt junior Tre'Michael Tutt (Channelview, Texas), who finished with a team-high eight tackles. Wilson added six stop and one forced fumble, while Stiff and redshirt sophomore Alec Lewis (Crosby, Texas) both recovered a fumble for the Hogs.

The Javelinas will have a break from the LSC schedule as Western Oregon pays a visit for the second time in as many seasons. Kickoff for the game, which is a part of Kingsville Community Appreciation day at TAMUK, is set for 7 p.m. CT at Pepsi Field at Javelina Stadium.

Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy. For more information on Javelina football visit JavelinaAthletics.com, or follow the team on Facebook /JavelinaFootball and Twitter @JavelinaFB

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