A&M-Commerce Announces First Division I Football Schedule

By Lion Athletics

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce has released the 2022 football schedule, which is the Lions’ first Division I schedule as the institution moves into NCAA Division I this year.

The schedule features six home games at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium, with four of those against Division I opposition. The Lions play six Southland Conference games, with Houston Baptist on the schedule twice, as each SLC team has one home-and-home opponent on the 2022 calendar. The Lions also have two games on the schedule which are part of the Southland’s scheduling alliance with the Ohio Valley Conference.

“It is great for this university and the athletic department to move to Division I status. Optically, it enhances the whole university, puts us on a bigger national stage, so we’re really excited about this season,” Lion head football coach David Bailiff said. “It is a challenging schedule with teams like Sam Houston State, who just won the FCS National Championship in the spring, and it will be a great measuring stick to see what we need to do to achieve that level of play in the FCS. There are some great teams in the Southland Conference, so it will also be good to see where we measure. We look forward to kicking it off.”

Season tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks, following the announcement of the Lions’ first Division I signing class.

2022 A&M-COMMERCE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Times subject to change

DateOpponentSiteTime
Sept. 1
(Thur.)		LINCOLN (Calif.)COMMERCE7 p.m.
Sept. 10at Tennessee TechCookeville, Tenn.TBA
Sept. 17at Sam HoustonHuntsville6 p.m.
Sept. 24NORTH AMERICANCOMMERCE6 p.m.
Oct. 8at Southeastern Louisiana SLCHammond, La.TBA
Oct. 15McNEESE SLCCOMMERCETBA
Oct. 22HOUSTON BAPTIST SLC
Homecoming		COMMERCETBA
Oct. 29at Nicholls SLCThibodeaux, La.TBA
Nov. 5NORTHWESTERN STATE SLCCOMMERCETBA
Nov. 12at Houston Baptist SLCHoustonTBA
Nov. 19TENNESSEE STATECOMMERCETBA

2022 SCHEDULE PREVIEW
The 2022 season opens at home on Thursday, September 1, when the Lions host Lincoln University of Oakland, Calif., at 7 p.m. The Oaklanders are a prospective Division II member who are entering their second competitive season.

A&M-Commerce’s first game against a Division I foe comes on the road on September 10 when the Lions travel to Tennessee Tech in the first SLC/OVC scheduling alliance game. The Lions and Golden Eagles have met once all-time, with the Lions earning a 33-0 win in the 1953 Tangerine Bowl. TTU went 3-8 in the 2021 season.

The Lions stay on the road for the September 17 game, heading to Huntsville to take on Sam Houston State for a 6 p.m. kickoff. The Lions and Bearkats will be meeting for the 65th time in a series which dates back to 1919. The Lions have a 39-24-1 record in the series.

A return home on September 24 features North American University as the Lions’ opponent for a 6 p.m. kickoff. The Stallions are in their third season of competitive football and finished their 2021 schedule against multiple divisions with a winning record.

After a week off, Southland Conference play begins on October 8 when the Lions travel to Southeastern Louisiana for their first-ever Division I conference game. SLU was the Southland runner-up in 2021 and advanced to the second round of the Division I FCS playoffs. The series between the two prides of Lions is tied all-time at 4-4-1.

A&M-Commerce fans will be sure to fill Memorial Stadium on October 15, when the Lions welcome the McNeese Cowboys for the first home Southland Conference game in program history. McNeese is a long-standing Southland power and the Lions have a 1-1 all-time record against the Cowboys.

The annual Homecoming game will take place on October 22 against Houston Baptist, in the first of two meetings between the Lions and Huskies in 2022. HBU was 0-11 in 2021 and the Lions have a 1-0 all-time record against the Huskies with a win in 2013. The Lions’ trip to Houston comes on November 12.

On October 29, the Lions take on Nicholls State for the first time in program history with a road trip to Thibodeaux, La., followed by a home game against Northwestern State on November 5. The Lions have 10 wins and two ties against the Demons in 29 previous meetings dating back to 1926.

A&M-Commerce’s final game of the 2022 season comes at home against Tennessee State in the second SLC/OVC alliance game. The Tigers are coached by former Dallas Cowboys running back Eddie George and had a 5-6 record in 2021. The Lions and TSU have met once previously, with the Tigers earning a win in 1986.