2025 East Texas A&M Lions football team

2025 East Texas A&M Lions football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	0–1 (0–0 Southland)
Head coach	Clint Dolezel (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Jack Tyler (2nd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  2024 2026 →

2025 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 22 Nicholls		1	–	0					1	–	1
Houston Christian		0	–	0					1	–	0
McNeese		0	–	0					1	–	0
Northwestern State		0	–	0					1	–	0
UT Rio Grande Valley		0	–	0					1	–	0
East Texas A&M		0	–	0					0	–	1
Lamar		0	–	0					0	–	1
Southeastern Louisiana		0	–	0					0	–	1
No. 25 Stephen F. Austin		0	–	0					0	–	1
No. 12 Incarnate Word		0	–	1					1	–	1
As of September 3, 2025 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 East Texas A&M Lions football team represents East Texas A&M University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Lions are led by third-year head coach Clint Dolezel and play their home games at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas.

This season will mark East Texas A&M's final year of a four-year transition period from Division II to Division I. This will be the last season the Lions will be ineligible for the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs. ^[1] It is also ETAMU's first full season under its current name; the university started the 2024 season as Texas A&M University–Commerce before officially changing its name on November 7, 2024. ^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	8:00 p.m.	at No. 16 (FBS) SMU *	Gerald J. Ford Stadium University Park, TX	ACCN	L 13–42	33,044
September 6	11:00 a.m.	at No. 14 (FBS) Florida State *	Doak S. Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ACCN
September 20	6:00 p.m.	at Grambling State *	Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium Grambling, LA	SWAC TV
September 27	6:00 p.m.	North Carolina Central *	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	ESPN+
October 4	6:00 pm	at Northwestern State	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	ESPN+
October 11	6:00 p.m.	Lamar	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	ESPN+
October 18	4:30 pm	at Incarnate Word	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX	ESPN+
October 25	6:00 p.m.	Stephen F. Austin	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	ESPN+
November 1	6:00 p.m.	at Southeastern Louisiana	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	ESPN+
November 8	4:00 p.m.	McNeese	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	ESPN+
November 15	4:00 p.m.	Houston Christian	Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium Commerce, TX	ESPN+
November 22	5:00 p.m.	at UT Rio Grande Valley	Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium Edinburg, TX	ESPN+
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[3]

Game summaries

At No. 16 SMU (FBS)

See also: 2025 SMU Mustangs football team

East Texas A&M Lions (0–0) at No. 16 (FBS) SMU Mustangs (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	3	0	10	13
No. 16 (FBS) Mustangs	14	7	7	14	42

at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas

• Date: August 30
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 72 °F (22 °C)
• Game attendance: 33,044
• Referee: Jon Noli
• TV announcers (ACCN): Wes Durham, Steve Addazio, and Dana Boyle
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter SMU – Romello Brinson 63-yard pass from Kevin Jennings (Collin Rogers kick), 14:07. Mustangs 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:53. SMU – Alexander Kilgore 10-yard interception return (Collin Rogers kick), 5:32. Mustangs 14–0. Second quarter SMU – Chris Johnson Jr. 22-yard run (Collin Rogers kick), 14:12. Mustangs 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:01. ETAM – Ozlo Rigby 29-yard field goal, 5:20. Mustangs 21–3. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 3:39. Third quarter SMU – Ahmaad Moses 95-yard interception return (Collin Rogers kick), 9:32. Mustangs 28–3. Fourth quarter SMU – Kevin Jennings 7-yard run (Collin Rogers kick), 14:12. Mustangs 35–3. Drive: 13 plays, 81 yards, 4:21. SMU – Jalen Cooper 38-yard pass from Kevin Jennings (Collin Rogers kick), 9:34. Mustangs 42–3. Drive: 3 plays, 47 yards, 0:44. ETAM – Eric Rodriguez 1-yard run (Ozlo Rigby kick), 2:55. Mustangs 42–10. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 6:34. ETAM – Ozlo Rigby 32-yard field goal, 0:00. Mustangs 42–13. Drive: 8 plays, 31 yards, 1:54.

Statistics	ETAM	SMU
First downs	17	25
Total yards	351	400
Rushing yards	107	140
Passing yards	244	260
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	38:59	21:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Texas A&M	Passing	Eric Rodriguez	14/30, 191 yards, INT
	Rushing	JaiSean McMillian	4 rushes, 31 yards
	Receiving	Devin Matthews	4 receptions, 87 yards
SMU	Passing	Kevin Jennings	22/30, 260 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Chris Johnson Jr.	6 rushes, 44 yards, TD
	Receiving	Romello Brinson	7 receptions, 121 yards, TD

At No. 14 (FBS) Florida State

See also: 2025 Florida State Seminoles football team

East Texas A&M Lions (0–1) at No. 14 (FBS) Florida State Seminoles (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Lions			0
No. 14 (FBS) Seminoles			0

at Doak S. Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida

• Date: September 6
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT/12:00 p.m. EDT
• TV announcers (ACCN): Jorge Sedano, Rodney McLeod, and Victoria Arlen

Statistics	ETAM	FSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Florida State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Grambling State

See also: 2025 Grambling State Tigers football team

East Texas A&M Lions at Grambling State Tigers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Lions			0
Tigers			0

at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium, Grambling, Louisiana

• Date: September 20

Statistics	ETAM	GRAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Grambling State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

North Carolina Central

See also: 2025 North Carolina Central Eagles football team

North Carolina Central Eagles at East Texas A&M Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Eagles			0
Lions			0

at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas

• Date: September 27

Statistics	NCCU	ETAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Carolina Central	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Northwestern State

See also: 2025 Northwestern State Demons football team

East Texas A&M Lions at Northwestern State Demons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Lions			0
Demons			0

at Harry Turpin Stadium, Natchitoches, Louisiana

• Date: October 4
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	ETAM	NWST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Lamar

See also: 2025 Lamar Cardinals football team

Lamar Cardinals at East Texas A&M Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Cardinals			0
Lions			0

at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas

• Date: October 11
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	LAM	ETAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Lamar	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Incarnate Word

See also: 2025 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team

East Texas A&M Lions at Incarnate Word Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Lions			0
Cardinals			0

at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, Texas

• Date: October 18
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	ETAM	UIW
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Incarnate Word	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Stephen F. Austin

See also: 2025 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at East Texas A&M Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Lumberjacks			0
Lions			0

at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas

• Date: October 25
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	SFA	ETAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Stephen F. Austin	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Southeastern Louisiana

See also: 2025 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team

East Texas A&M Lions at Southeastern Louisiana Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
East Texas A&M			0
Southeastern Louisiana			0

at Strawberry Stadium, Hammond, Louisiana

• Date: November 1
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	ETAM	SELA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southeastern Louisiana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

McNeese

See also: 2025 McNeese Cowboys football team

McNeese Cowboys at East Texas A&M Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Cowboys			0
Lions			0

at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas

• Date: November 8
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	MCN	ETAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Houston Christian

See also: 2025 Houston Christian Huskies football team

Houston Christian Huskies at East Texas A&M Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Huskies			0
Lions			0

at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, Texas

• Date: November 15
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	HCU	ETAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Houston Christian	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At UT Rio Grande Valley

See also: 2025 UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros football team

East Texas A&M Lions at UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Lions			0
Vaqueros			0

at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium, Edinburg, Texas

• Date: November 22
• TV: ESPN+

Statistics	ETAM	UTRGV
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Texas A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
UT Rio Grande Valley	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. "TAMUC News Release: Texas A&M University-Commerce Accepts Invitation to Southland Conference - NCAA Division II power to begin NCAA Division I transition in 2022-23 academic year". Yahoo. September 28, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
2. "Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Approves Name Change for Texas A&M University-Commerce". Texas A&M University System . Retrieved November 7, 2024.
3. "2025 Football Schedule". East Texas A&M Athletics. Retrieved February 5, 2025.