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COMMERCE, Texas (Football) – Houdini must have been at Memorial Stadium as #RV Texas A&M University-Kingsville (2-2, 0-2 LSC) nearly upset No. 6/10 Texas A&M University-Commerce (3-0, 2-0 LSC), 38-36, Saturday evening behind the strangest play witnessed in recent history.
 
Just under a minute remained in the game and Myles Carr found Jordan Thomas for an 89-yard connection to make it a two-point ballgame. The Javelinas marched down the field – 99 yards – in just two plays. Despite failing to convert the two-point conversion, the Javelina defense was able to secure a fumble on a quarterback kneel that saw the ball pop up in the air in favor of A&M-Kingsville. However, a penalty moved the Hogs back outside of field goal range and the Lions were able to retain the Chennault Cup with the 38-36 win. LSC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Richard Cooper rushed for 224 yards and two touchdowns but the Javelina defense held A&M-Commerce  to 4-of-13 on third downs.
 
Carr finished 25-of-40 with 376 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas was a menace, recording five catches for 152 yards and a score and Nick Pelrean rushed for 75 yards on 20 carries. Luis Lopez added 41 yards and a rushing touchdown.
 
First Quarter
Carr got off to a quick start, connecting with Thomas on a 22-yard reception on the first offensive play. A chippy quarter favored the Javelinas as Julio De la Garza drilled the first of three first-half field goals to end the drive with the 45-yard FG to give the Hogs a 3-0 lead with 12:41 left.
 
A&M-Commerce took a 7-3 lead on Richard Cooper's first rushing TD of the evening with 7:47 left to play.
 
De la Garza's second field goal with 2:31 remaining in the opening stanza allowed Texas A&M-Kingsville to cut its deficit to one. The Lions responded with a field goal of their own with 5.9 ticks left to extend the lead to 10-6.
 
Second Quarter
Heading into the second quarter down 10-6, the Javelinas made quick work early on to regain the lead, this time 13-10, on a series capped off by Carr's touchdown to Roe Posada for 10 yards with 13:35 remaining. In the drive, Carr called his own number and rushed for 19 yards after Carr found Stehly Reden for 32 yards to move into the red zone.
 
The back-and-forth continued with five unsportsmanlike conducts called against the Lions. The first half featured another field goal for De la Garza, a big hit by wide receiver Jacob Armstrong on special teams, a big boy sack by Ifey Ibik and a late Lions touchdown sent the Hogs to the locker rooms with a slim 17-16 deficit.
 
Carr went 13-19 with 161 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Pelrean, who made his first start of the season, had 13 carries for 38 yards.
 
Third Quarter
Commerce rushed its way to a 24-16 with 13:28 left with backup quarterback Gabe Rodriguez coming into the game for a two-yard score.
 
The Lions were able to recover a Carr fumble at the 12:11 mark to take over in prime position on the Javelina 33. However, the Javelina defense came up big, highlighted by a huge stop by ZeMarcus Green. A&M-Commerce missed the field goal to give Kingsville the ball back on the 28-yard line with 10:55 remaining.
 
Pelrean was featured and had a 25-yard rush in the ensuing drive that shifted the momentum in favor of Texas A&M-Kingsville. With the Hogs on the 38, Carr found Lopez, who attempted to hurdle a defender to move the chains for another first down for A&M-Kingsville. Moments later, Carr, who took a big hit in the pocket, found an open Anthony Autry for 34 yards with 8:01 as Kingsville made it a 24-23 ballgame in favor of AMC.
 
The defense continued to stand tall to force yet another Commerce punt, this time with just under five minutes remaining in the third.
 
The offense got off to a perfect start on the ensuing drive with a 49-yard reverse by Autry moving the Hogs into Commerce territory and Carr following with a 15-yard combo with Kyle Plum. However, an unsportsmanlike conduct moved Kingsville to the 34, making it a 2^nd-and-23. Carr came out of the break with a scramble of 18 yards. Carr found Thomas to move the chains again. Lopez punished the Commerce defenders and forced his way into the end zone to give the Hogs a 29-24 lead with 17.1 seconds to go in the quarter. De la Garza's PAT extended the lead to six.
 
Fourth Quarter
The Javelina defense forced another Lions punt and the Kingsville offense began to chip away at the clock, primarily using Lopez to move the chains.
 
With 5:32 remaining in the ballgame, the Javelinas were able to begin a new series after Commerce's sixth punt of the game.
 
On a 4^th-and-1, the Javelinas went for it and a high snap that originally looked to be a safety was ruled a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the Commerce end zone as the home team took a 38-30 lead with 4:27 left to play.
 
The Javelinas went for it again on 4^th-and-4 later on and despite failing to convert, the defense forced another Commerce punt, but the special teams unit for the Lions came up big, downing the ball at the one-yard line, forcing the Hogs to have to drive the entire length of the field to potentially tie the game.
 
They were up to the challenge and did just that in just two plays, with Carr capping off the drive with a beautiful 89 yard pass to Thomas that made it a 38-36 game. The two-point conversion was no good but the onside kick by De la Garza was executed to perfection with a high bounce. However, A&M-Commerce picked up the onside kick.
 
In another never seen before situation, the Lions fumbled on a kneel with 33 seconds left that was recovered by the Javelinas on the 20-yard line but an unsportsmanlike conduct moved the ball to the 35-yard line. A 55 yard field goal attempt for the win was blocked, but A&M-Kingsville has now lost to consecutive top 10 teams and the preseason favorites in the LSC by a combined score of four points, proving that they can compete with the best the conference and nation have to offer.
 
The Javelinas return to Javelina Stadium to host Angelo State University on Family Weekend, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.
 
Fans are also encouraged to interact with @JavelinaSports by following Texas A&M-Kingsville football on Twitter, @JavelinaFB, and @JavelinaFB on Instagram, liking the official Facebook page of Javelina football (/JavelinaFootball) and subscribing to the JavelinaAthletics YouTube channel.