By: Tyler McDonough | Senior Sports Reporter

The No. 13 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions football team opens up their 2019 campaign tomorrow night at 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. The Lions will play their first ever international game as they host Selección Nuevo León out of Monterrey, Mexico.

A&M-Commerce is coming off a strong 2018 season playing as the defending National Champions, where the Lions went 10-3 with a runner-up finish in the Lone Star Conference. The Lions eventually fell to their conference foe Tarleton State in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Selección Nuevo León represents the Asociación Estatal de Futbol Americano de Nuevo León (AEFANL), which is the committee for the state of Nuevo León. This is the team’s third season playing at the state level. El Selección is associated Autonomous University of Nuevo León.

El Selección is the top team in the state, composed of players who have had successful careers at some of the best programs in Mexico.

“We are pleased to welcome our visitors from Nuevo León for this unique opportunity,” A&M-Commerce Director of Athletics Tim McMurray said. “As we tirelessly pursued our 11th game for the upcoming 2019 season, the chance to host a relatively new football program while engaging with an international partner of higher education provided us with a sensible solution. Although not an NCAA member institution, we believe the contest will have numerous benefits for our football program, our campus, the Northeast Texas region, and other constituent groups who may not otherwise be exposed to our institution or intercollegiate athletics program.”

New Sheriff in Town

Lions Head Coach David Bailiff is making his LSC debut, following the departure of legendary coach Colby Carthel. After being hired in December of 2018, Bailiff becomes the 20th head coach of A&M-Commerce. Bailiff previously coached at Texas State from 2004-2006 and at Rice University from 2007-2017. He led Texas State in 2005 to the Division I National Semifinals, and also led the Rice Owls to a 3-1 record in bowl games.

Players to Watch

The Lions will also see a new face under center as Kane Wilson was forced to retire from his playing career in the off-season. Miklo Smalls and Preston Wheeler will be competing for the starting quarterback role as the season begins.

The Lions are also returning All-American kick/punt returner and defensive back, Dominique Ramsey. Ramsey led the LSC in 2018 punt return average, punt return yards, and punt return touchdowns. Ramsey also led the conference with two interceptions returned for touchdowns.

Amon Simon returns as one of the best offensive linemen in the region and the LSC. The offensive tackle was named First-Team All-LSC lineman and was also named a Second Team All-Super Region Four.

How To Watch

As always, the game can be listened on KETR 88.9 FM, the home of the Lion Sports Network. The game can be watched on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network, and live stats can be viewed on lionathletics.com. The LSC Digital Network is available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV.