No. 21 Texas A&M-Commerce has been an impressive group of road warriors in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

But that can be a tough act to maintain.

The Lions jumped out to another great start on Saturday before No. 4 Minnesota State-Mankato reeled off 35 unanswered points in a 42-21 win in the NCAA DII national quarterfinals.

The loss ends another incredible playoff run for the Lions that began with a road win over rival and No. 3 Tarleton followed by a road win last week in the cold and snow against No. 7 Colorado School of Mines.

TAMUC was appearing in its second regional final in the last three years and won the 2017 national title.

After the Mavericks opened the game with a touchdown, the Lions responded as Miklo Smalls hit Kelan Smith with a 22-yard touchdown pass. Christian Wise recovered a fumble in the end zone for a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

MSU-Mankato then went on an impressive run of 35 unanswered points before the Lions added a late touchdown.

TAMUC kept fighting throughout and had four of its five drives in the third and fourth quarters end with a turnover on downs in Mavericks territory.

The Lions outgained the Mavericks 410-322 in total yards but were only able to gain 64 total yards rushing. Smalls led the offense by completing 20-of-40 passes for 276 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

MSU-Mankato was able to run the ball at will against a solid Lions defense as they finished with 277 total rushing yards led by Nate Gunn who gained 174 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries.

The Mavericks averaged 6.6 yards per rushing play against a Lions defense only allowing 3.2 yards per rush attempt this season.

The loss ends an outstanding season for the Lions under first-year head coach David Bailiff who improved upon a solid core of players and added valuable pieces to a team destined to continue to achieve success.

_____

Become a DCTF Insider today for exclusive insight from the best team of reporters in the Lone Star State! CLICK HERE!

Your subscription will include:

• Instant access to all of our content that is marked Insider at www.texasfootball.com.
  • Includes exclusive podcasts, recruiting news, and our full High School Football rankings and score predictors
• A mailed copy of the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Preview 
• A mailed copy of the Recruiting/Rising Edition of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football
• Access to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football vast array of archived magazines