THE RUNDOWN
COMMERCE, Texas -- Seniors Quade Coward and Breion Evans connected for two touchdowns in the final 3:22 to lift No. 7-ranked Midwestern State to a 26-25 win over No. 4 Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Mustangs rolled to 5-0 with the victory taking over sole possession at the top of the Lone Star Conference with a 4-0 mark. A&M-Commerce dropped to 4-1 and 3-1.

For the fourth time this season, Midwestern did it in dramatic fashion after Texas A&M-Commerce stretched the lead to 25-13 with 5:29 to play on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Luis Perez to Darby Smith.

That's when Coward and the Mustangs got to work.

The Cleburne product connected on nine of his last 11 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns after the Mustangs took over down by 12 with 5:22 to play.

Coward hit Evans for a 24-yard gain and Statron Jones on another 29-yard crossing rout to set up an 8-yard toss to Evans to cut the lead to 25-20 with 3:22 to play.

MSU forced a three-and-out to earn a shot a go ahead drive starting from its own 25-yard line with 1:50 to play.

Coward kept the chains moving with a 17-yard connection to Dante Taylor then a 14-yard hookup with Jerryl Yarbrough before hitting DeAndre Black for a 15-yard gain to the A&M-Commerce 12-yard line.

Coward rolled to his right and lofted a ball to the corner of the end zone to a leaping Evans to give the Mustangs another dramatic win.

Coward finished the night with 273 yards on 17-of-25 passing with two touchdowns, while Evans snagged four receptions for 85 yards and both scores. Black had a season-high five catches for 68 yards.

Sophomore running back Vincent Johnson scored muliple touchdowns in his fifth consecutive game going for 86 yards on 14 carries including scorings runs of 4 yards in the first quarter and 21 yards in the third.

Sophomore Adrian Seales added 76 yards on 16 totes as the Mustangs piled up 484 yards of total offense.

Midwestern State plays host to Angelo State Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

NOTES
* Midwestern State claimed its first win in four AFCA Top 10 meetings.
* The Mustangs improved to 11-2 against teams ranked in the AFCA Division II Top 25 since the start of the 2011 season.
* MSU won for the sixth time in a game in which in trailed by at least 10 points since the start of the 2015 campaign.
* Midwestern State outscored its 11th consecutive opponent beating the Lions 19-13 after halftime.
* MSU's win over Texas A&M-Commerce was its 130th since the start of the 2000 which is 13 more than any other Lone Star Conference program.
* Sophomore running back Vincent Johnson has scored at least two touchdowns in every game this season and now has 13 at the halfway point of the regular season. Keidrick Jackson holds the MSU single season record with 21 in 2012.
* Senior defensive lineman Darian Childers had a sack and two quarterback hurries.

STAT OF THE GAME
1-for-6  -- Midwestern State kept Texas A&M-Commerce out of the end zone on all but one of their six trips to the Red Zone. Kristov Martinez connected on 4-of-5 field goals including a long of 43 yards to give the Lions the lead at 15-13 with 14:14 to play. The Mustangs scored touchdowns on 3-of-5 trips to the Red Zone.

QUOTE OF THE GAME
"This was a great college football game. We would do something and they would counter. For a fan on either side, this had to be a great game to watch. It probably helped us that we have played from behind. The great thing about this football team is this is the first time in five games we've had a complete game. I'm so proud proud of our players and coaches in believing in themselves. This is a big great win for our program."  -- MSU coach Bill Maskill.

NEXT GAME
Midwestern State takes on Angelo State in a Lone Star Conference matchup Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. It will be Black Out Night as the team plans to wear all-black jerseys. Hometown Heroes will also be honored.