Central Arkansas Routs No. 22/23 Eastern Illinois 37-7
Central Arkansas 37, No. 22/23 Eastern Illinois 7
CHARLESTON, Ill. - The opportunistic Central Arkansas Bears took advantage of five Eastern Illinois turnovers and got a two rushing touchdowns each from sophomore tailback Terence Bobo and redshirt freshman quarterback Wynrick Smothers to down the 16th-ranked Panthers 37-7 at O'Brien Field.
Central Arkansas (2-0) needed to cover just 94 yards for its four first-half scores, thanks to miscues by the Panthers (0-2). The Bears scored 20 points in the first half and had only 144 total yards of offense, after putting up more than 400 in the first half of their season opener against Elizabeth City State. Central Arkansas took advantage of four first-half EIU turnovers, including a pair of muffed punts by the Panthers deep in their own territory.
"When you play solid defense and then get four or five turnovers, good things are going to happen," said UCA coach Clint Conque, who became the winningest coach in UCA history with his 75th career victory at UCA. "We didn't capitalize on a few things early but defensively I thought we just played so consistently throughout. I thought the defense did a spectacular job, and we actually lost a couple of starters in the game.
"I thought we'd play well, we were pretty loose on the trip and had a pretty good week of practice. But I couldn't be more proud of our players and our assistant coaches, to come into a ranked team's field and play that well. We've done that before with past teams and it never gets old."
Central Arkansas was forced to punt on its first possession of the game, but EIU's Rashad Haynes mishandled the kick and UCA's Desmond Wilcox recovered at the Panthers' 20. Central Arkansas' Nathan Dick was intercepted on the first play from scrimmage but the Panthers gave it right back after another UCA punt. This time Lamar Moore recovered Pete Houlihan's fumble at the EIU 39 and the Bears got a 21-yard field goal from senior Eddie Carmona for a 3-0 lead with 8:10 left in the first quarter.
On Eastern Illinois' first play following the kickoff, UCA junior linebacker Frank Newsome sacked EIU quarterback Bra ndon Large and forced a fumble that senior Markell Carter covered at the 13. Six plays later, sophomore tailback Terence Bobo went over the right side for a 3-yard touchdown. Carmona's PAT made it a 10-0 UCA lead with 5:29 remaining in the period.
Eastern Illinois got a 2-yard pass from Large to Von Wise for a touchdown and Kevin Cook made the point after to close the gap to 10-7 at the 2:28 mark. After another UCA punt, Houlihan fumbled another punt but recovered. However, on the first play from scrimmage, Large was intercepted by UCA sophomore safety Radarius Winston at midfield.
UCA redshirt sophomore quarterback Wynrick Smothers completed a 12-yard pass to senior Willie Landers, then went the final 19 yards himself for the touchdown. Carmona made it 17-7 in the opening minute of the second quarter. UCA got a final 39-yard field goal from Carmona with 7:42 left in the half. That score came after a 26-yard punt by Eastern Illinois that went out of bounds at the UCA 48.
Smothers, who added another rushing touchdown from 5 yards out in the fourth quarter, led the Bears on the ground with 76 yards on just six carries. Dick completed 22-of-30 passing for 167 yards, while Smothers was 7-of-7 for 46 more yards. Central Arkansas finished with 376 total yards, including 162 on the ground.
"They really complement each other, and the great thing about it is they are each other's No. 1 fan," Conque said of his quarterbacks. "That type of chemistry is such a positive thing. Wynrick brings tremendous dynamics off the bench and he can do a lot of things. And Nathan was very effective in leading us today. We're asking a lot of him on a daily basis.
"It really looked like a mixed bag out there on offense, but there is some method to the madness. We're asking Nathan to do a lot of things with our entire offense, then we're asking Wynrick to come in for a change of pace. No question that he has the ability to do that."
The Panthers finished with just 120 total yards of offense, and had only 93 through three quarters of play. Large finished 10-of-24 for just 52 yards and two interceptions.
UCA hosts a second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference team in Murray State next Saturday at First Security Field at Estes Stadium.
No. 12/10 Stephen F. Austin 59, Albany 14
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Sophomore receiver Gralyn Crawford returned the opening kick 92 yards for a touchdown as No. 12/10 Stephen F. Austin rolled to a 59-14 victory over Albany Saturday evening at Homer Bryce Stadium. The Lumberjacks improved to 1-1 on the season, while Albany dropped to 1-1 on the year.
"We talked all week about the importance of playing fast and starting early and tonight I think we were ready to go," SFA coach J.C. Harper said. "I felt we were playing a heck of a football team in Albany who showed me that they are going to be really good this season, we were just a better team tonight."
Despite the fact that Albany had the football for nearly 15 minutes longer than SFA, the Lumberjacks recorded nearly twice the yards of total offense (463-295). The Lumberjacks scored on five of their first six possessions, including touchdowns on their first three touches.
The SFA special teams set the tone for the night, after returning the opening kickoff for a score, the 'Jacks special teams were back on the field with an eight-point lead. Freshman Caleb Nelson blocked Paul Layton's punt and SFA recovered the football on Albany's 17-yard line. Senior Jeremy Moses found Crawford in the end zone three plays later for the score.
Crawford's night, however, wasn't done. Leading 46-7, Crawford fielded a punt at his own 28-yard line and returned it 72 yards for the score. It was Crawford's third touchdown of the night. The Palestine, Texas, native, finished the night with seven catches for 55 yards, and 233 all-purpose yards and three scores.
"Gralyn is a special player and he is going to make plays for us," Harper said. "We know that and he has added something for us on special teams. We needed someone to step up on that side of things and he did that for us. Overall I was really pleased with our special teams tonight."
Preseason All-Americans Jabara Williams and Devin Ducote lived up to the preseason hype finishing with double-digit tackles. Williams recorded a game-high 19, while Ducote added 16 tackles, and picked off a pass, which he returned for a score.
SFA was able to spread the wealth in front of the home crowd recording a touchdown reception, a rushing touchdown, returning a punt and a kick for a score as well as returning an interception for a touchdown.
SFA returns to action Saturday when they travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to take on Northern Iowa. The game against the Panthers is slated to begin at 4:05 p.m. from the UNI Dome.
Southeastern Louisiana 24, Tennessee-Martin 10
HAMMOND, La. - The Southeastern Louisiana defense forced five turnovers, including a game-clinching 12-yard interception return for a touchdown by senior Tommy Connors, on the way to a 24-10 win over Tennessee-Martin in the Lions' home opener Saturday night at Strawberry Stadium.
Connors' score with 4:20 remaining came on the second pick of the game for the Marrero native and put the game Skyhawks (0-2) away. Southeastern (1-1) took a 17-0 lead into the halftime break and was able to make that stand.
Connors' fellow seniors Re'Keem Wilson and Clint Coleman each had interceptions for the Lions, while sophomore T'Darryl Grays had a key strip and recovery. The ball hawking by the Lions was able to negate 525 total yards racked up by the Skyhawks.
Southeastern was able to get to UTM quarterback Derek Carr three times with senior Nathan Clophus, sophomore Devan Walker and sophomore Tramaine Lucas each credited with a sack. Senior Mark Newbill was credited with a game-high 14 tackles for the loss.
Southeastern used a balanced rushing attack, as sophomore running backs Zeke Jones (17 carries) and Sam Fairley (15 carries) each rushed for 108 yards. Saturday's performance marked the first time the Lions have had multiple players surpass 100 yards rushing in the same game.
The rushing performances of Jones and Fairley supported sophomore quarterback Brian Young, who was making his first appearance as a Lion. The Hahnville native completed 18-of-38 passes for 148 yards and an interception. Junior wide receivers Brandon Collins (60 yards) and Simmie Yarborough (39 yards) had six catches apiece for the Lions.
UTM running back Jason McNair led the Skyhawks with 24 carries for 132 yards. Skyhawk sophomore quarterback Derek Carr threw for 390 yards on 20-of-41 passing, but threw four interceptions to go with his one touchdown. Chris Thompson led UTM with four catches for 72 yards and a score.
Defensively, UTM was led by senior linebacker Josh Bey who finished with 11 tackles. Senior Jonathan Utley posted an interception for the Skyhawks.
Southeastern jumped out to an early lead with an efficient 70-yard drive to open the game. Young was 4-for-4 on the opening drive, connecting with Collins on three times. Jones busted through the line and capped the seven-play march with a 39-yard touchdown jaunt to put the Lions up, 7-0.
The score would remain the same until early in the second quarter, when the Lions again used a methodical drive to march down the field. Southeastern covered 80 yards in 10 plays with Fairley rolling in from 26 yards out to put the Lions up, 14-0, with 8:24 remaining in the half.
A 67-yard McNair run on the ensuing drive gave UT Martin the ball at the Lion 25-yard line, but Southeastern defense stiffened. On fourth-and-one at the Lion 16, Clophus stopped McNair short to give the Lions the ball back with 6:10 left in the half.
Southeastern responded with a 10-play, 64-yard scoring drive. Two rushes by Jones for 24 yards and a 21-yard catch and run by Collins keyed the march. Freshman Seth Sebastian connected on a 37-yard field goal - his first of his collegiate career - and put the Lions up, 17-0, heading into the break.
UT Martin got on the board with a 10-play, 58-yard drive to open the third quarter. A 42-yard pass from Carr to Kenny Jones set up a Cody Sandlin 24-yard field goal to put the Skyhawks on the board with 10:19 left in the third quarter.
After a Lion three-and-out, UT Martin further cut into the Lion lead. Thompson caught a short pass from Carr, shook a Lion tackler and cruised in from 54 yards out to cut the Lion lead to 17-10.
The two teams traded punts on the next several possessions and the Skyhawks took over at their own 21-yard line to start the fourth quarter. Carr and Jones connected on a long pass to the Southeastern 35-yard line, but Grays stripped Jones and fell on the loose ball to end the Lion threat.
After Young was intercepted on the next Lion possession, a Carr 35-yard strike to Maurice Taylor set up UTM deep in Southeastern territory. The Lions again answered the call, as a Carr pass fell incomplete and the Lions took over on downs.
On the following drive, Southeastern was forced to punt on a fourth-and-six at their own 38-yard line. The Lions faked the punt and sophomore Beau Mothe rolled 18 yards to give Southeastern a fresh set of downs. Though Southeastern could not manage another first down, the successful fake allowed the Lions to take several minutes off the clock.
Mothe then hit a 39-yard punt that pinned UTM at its own three-yard line with just over five minutes to play. On the second play of the drive, Walker flushed Carr out of the pocket. As he tried to scramble away, Carr rushed his throw and threw it right to Connors, who walked in from 12 yards out to put the Lions up by two scores with 4:20 remaining.
UTM marched down the field in the final minutes, but Carr's last fourth-down pass to Bryan Milligan was too high and the Lions took over on downs and ran out the clock.
The Lions will be back in action next Saturday, hosting Lamar at 6 p.m. at Strawberry Stadium.
Missouri 50, No. 10/13 McNeese State 6
COLUMBIA, Mo. - McNeese State's Cowboys dropped a 50-6 decision to Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Missouri Saturday with the Cowboys getting into the end zone only in the final period with a rookie quarterback at the helm.
Now 1-1 on the season, the Cowboys utilized three quarterbacks and three tailbacks during the game and got into the end zone with 11:36 left in the game with Cody Stroud calling the signals.
Taking over on their own 35 following a kickoff after Missouri's fifth touchdown of the game, Stroud led the team on a 65-yard drive that culminated in the team's only touchdown when he hit rookie Wes Briscoe on an 18-yard scoring toss.
Tailback Andre Anderson had several good runs and pass receptions during the drive.
That was the only time the Cowboys were able to get into the end zone.
Missouri finished with 438 total yards to the Cowboys 245.
"We got beat in every phase," McNeese coach Matt Viator said. "They were better prepared than we were. Offensively, we couldn't get them off the field. We had a poor performance tonight. We are going to have to get a lot better. I'm hoping that we also get some guys back."
McNeese played the game without the services of defensive back London Durham, wide receiver Chris Royal and then had Devin Holland go out with an injury early in the game.
Missouri, now 2-0, didn't score in the last quarter but put up 14 points in the first quarter, 19 in the second and 17 in the third.
Anderson wound up as the leading ball carrier for the Cowboys with 47 yards on seven rushes while Jacob Bower completed 11-of-19 passes for 99 yards but had three intercepted. In his final period appearance, Stroud was 9-of-11 for 67 yards and the touchdown.
Clark and Champlain Babin led the team in receptions with four each. Defensively, the Cowboys got 14 tackles from Darrell Jenkins.
Missouri got into the red zone four times in the first half and scored all four times. The Tigers put up 328 total offensive yards while holding the Cowboys to 57.
Only one time did a McNeese drive cross midfield and that was halted when Josh Lewis missed a 42 yard field goal, his first of the season.
On the offensive side of the ball for the Cowboys, quarterback Jacob Bower completed six of nine passes for 41 yards and had one intercepted, Champlain Babin ran for eight net yards and Corday Clark caught three passes for 30 yards.
Henry Josey ran for three touchdowns for the Tigers while Grant Ressel booted two field goals. The Tigers also scored on a safety, on a nine yard run by DeVion Moore, on a 24-yard pass from Blaine Gabbert to Jerrell Jackson and on an 8-yard run by James Franklin.
McNeese State has an open date next week before returning to the gridiron Sept. 25 for a home game against Cal Poly.
Samford 19, Northwestern State 7
NATCHITOCHES, La. - Walter Payton Award candidate Chris Evans ran for 109 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown, as Samford overpowered Northwestern State 19-7 Saturday evening, spoiling the Demons' 2010 debut at Turpin Stadium.
Evans broke open a scoreless game 7:01 before halftime with his touchdown on one of his 25 carries. It capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive and gave the Bulldogs (1-1) a 6-0 lead after the extra point failed.
Samford added a 44-yard Cameron Yaw field goal on the final play of the first half to begin a string of three consecutive scores to take command. Yaw hit a 43-yard field goal three minutes into the third quarter, then the Bulldogs moved 68 yards on eight plays for a 1-yard Jonathan Sillers touchdown plunge to go ahead 19-0 midway through the third period.
The Demons (0-2) had only 98 total yards entering the fourth period but used an eight-play, 59-yard drive to create a little drama when Paul Harris scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 7:52 to play, drawing Northwestern within two scores.
But interceptions thwarted the next two possessions by the Demons, ending the game.
"They kicked our tails and I congratulate coach (Pat) Sullivan and his Samford Bulldogs," second-year Northwestern coach Bradley Dale Peveto said. "We couldn't get untracked on offense, and we didn't come up with the stops we needed to get off the field on defense. They won the battle up front and maintained control of the game once they got ahead.
"I am proud of the way our guys relentlessly competed. We had a great, not a good but a great, goalline stand to keep it 19-0. We finally got points on the board and kept swinging but couldn't get any closer. We didn't play very well on either side, but we competed. We've got to be better."
Samford ran for 239 yards and threw for 220 while running 89 plays, averaging 5.2 per snap with the 459-yard total. Northwestern netted 215 total yards, just 47 rushing on 22 tries.
Demons' senior punter Bradley Russo tied the school record with 11 punts and averaged a sparkling 42.9, with a net average of 40.2, and had four inside the 20 yard line.
"Bradley Russo had a great night and he's off to a great start," Peveto said. "That helped us hang in the game tonight."
Northwestern stopped Samford on three downs inside the 2 late in the third quarter, including third and fourth down inside the 1. Dennis Clark was credited with two tackles on the final three snaps, with Ledell Love getting in on the third-down play and D.J. Shaw making the play to deny a score on fourth-and-a foot.
The Bulldogs punted nine times themselves but piled up 38:21 in possession time to just 21:39 for the Demons. Samford was 8-of-22 on third-down conversions while Northwestern was a paltry 3-15.
"We've got to take our medicine, learn from what happened and get ready for a very good Tarleton State team coming in here next Saturday night," Peveto said. "I was proud of our fans for the way they turned out and stayed with us and we will give them everything we've got next Saturday night, and hopefully send them home happy."
Northwestern kicks off next Saturday night at 6 in Turpin Stadium against Tarleton State.
Western Michigan 49, Nicholls 14
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Nicholls rallied to tie the game twice in the first half, but western Michigan pulled away late as the Colonels fell to the Broncos 49-14 at Waldo Stadium on Saturday.
Nicholls (0-2) was led by sophomore running back Jesse Turner with 107 total yards of offense (92 rushing and 15 receiving). Also leading the charge was sophomore quarterback LaQuintin Caston with 124 yards passing and a touchdown, completing 11-of-18 pass attempts. The Colonels leading receiver was junior wide receiver Kenyad Blair with four receptions for 34 yards, and Chika Madu led Nicholls in all-purpose yards for the second consecutive week with 131 yards (119 on five kick returns, 12 on punt returns).
Although Western Michigan (1-1) out-gained Nicholls (0-2) on the ground 129-to-112 yards, the Colonels started strong were ahead in the rushing department at halftime with 90 yards on the ground, compared to Western Michigan's 70 first-half rushing yards, on four fewer first half carries than the Broncos.
Leading the charge on defense was senior free safety Tarbbaris Hicks for the second consecutive week with a personal-best 13 total stops (four solo). Senior Ed James also finished with a career-high 10 tackles (four solo) as well.
"It was a game really of two halves," Nicholls coach Charlie Stubbs said. "I thought that in the first half it was a nip-tuck game with each team giving and taking. Late in the second quarter we could have tied it to make it even at halftime, but turned the ball over in the red zone and Western Michigan just did a great job of matching our momentum."
Western Michigan (1-1) drew first blood, scoring on a 1-yard run by Antoin Scriven up the gut to take the early lead at the 2:55 mark of the first quarter. The scoring drive went a total of eight plays for 79 yards, and John Potter added the extra point for the 7-0 advantage.
However, the Nicholls regrouped with four consecutive defensive stands; the first of which came on a fourth-down passing attempt by the Broncos that ended with a sack by Nicholls' junior defensive tackle A.J. Carter. Carter's first sack of the season went for a loss of nine to end the drive. Carter would finish with a personal best five total tackles (two solo), a sack and a quarterback pressure.
The Colonel offense then took over, putting together an eight-play drive that went 42 yards before ending in a 27-yard field goal attempt by true freshman Andrew Dolan that was blocked by Western Michigan.
Keeping the drive alive on a third-and-nine conversion was a Caston-to-Blair 22-yard connection that put Nicholls just outside the red zone at the 29-yard line.
After the Nicholls defense turned Western Michigan away empty-handed for the fourth consecutive series, Nicholls cracked the scoreboard on a gutsy, fourth-and-one play on their own 48-yard line. The gamble paid off in the form of a 52-yard run to the end zone by Turner. After Andrew Dolan's PAT, the score was tied, 7-7 with 10:04 left in the second.
"To make things happen for us in games against teams like this we have to take chances like on fourth-down when we hit it with that run by Jesse Turner," Stubbs said.
However, all it took was one play for Western Michigan to take the momentum back on the next series. Western Michigan struck paydirt with a 74-yard receiving touchdown from Carder to wide receiver Jordan White on the next play from scrimmage. After the PAT, Western Michigan took the 14-7 lead with 9:48 left in the second quarter.
Carder finished with 298 yards passing, completing 24-of-33 pass attempts for five touchdowns and one interception. He connected with White six times for 130 yards and two scores.
Nicholls' defensive unit regrouped the big play, responding again in the second quarter with an interception by true freshman Brian Lewis at the Bronco 20-yard line that was returned to the five. Lewis, in his first collegiate start, finished with five tackles (four solo) and one interception.
After Lewis' interception return, all it took was one play call by Stubbs with Caston finding sophomore Joshua Warren wide open in the end zone. Dolan's PAT was good, and the score was tied 14-14 with 4:42 left in the first half.
The seesaw battle continued as Western Michigan went down the field on seven plays to retake the lead with a Carder-to-White 5-yard touchdown pass play with 1:44 left until halftime. The PAT was successful, and the Broncos led 21-14. Neither team would score for the remainder of the half.
"We have preached to these young men to fight through adversity, and make every snap count and help us in the future. Our defense and offense played well in the first half, and got some good pressure and came up with some big plays," said Stubbs about the first half.
In the second half, Western Michigan scored on its first two offensive possessions with the second coming after a Colonel turnover deep in their own territory. The Broncos scored 21 unaswered points in the third quarter and added one touchdown in the fourth, to put the game out of reach.
"I really believe we made some strides, but again our maturing process is going to take some time. I saw improvement out there, and I'm sure when we review the film that we will see that," added Stubbs.
Nicholls will play at South Alabama next week at 4 p.m., while Western Michigan will host Toledo.
Texas State 31, Southern Arkansas 17
SAN MARCOS, Texas - The Texas State football team scored 28 unanswered points to win its 15th straight home-opening game with a 31-17 comeback victory over Southern Arkansas Saturday night on Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium.
The Bobcats looked like they would seize control of the game early when they scored on their first possession as Justin Garelick kicked a 35-yard field goal to cap a seven-play, 31-yard drive.
However, Southern Arkansas tied the score at 3-3 after the Bobcats put a goal-line stand with 10:30 left in the second period.
The Muleriders took a surprising 10-3 lead when Brandon Rashad picked off Tyler Arndt's pass at Southern Arkansas's 49-yard line and ran the ball back 51 yards for a touchdown.
After Texas State's Frank Reddic fumbled the ensuing kickoff at the 20-yard line, the ball bounced forward 12 yards where Cameron Maser recovered the ball for Southern Arkansas at Texas State's 32 yard line.
The Muleriders extended their lead to 17-3 three plays later when Austin Civita completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Patterson and Noe Cuevas kicked the extra point with 6:32 left in the first half.
The Bobcats ended the half with a pair of touchdowns to tie the score at 17-17. The first touchdown came when the Bobcats drove down the field 64 yards in five plays. Freshman quarterback Tyler Arndt, who made the first start of his career, completed three passes in the drive. The first was a 12 yard pass to Darius Bolden. Then, he threw a 27-yard strike to Daren Dillard, which put the Bobcats at SAU's 26-yard line. Arndt capped off the drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Da'Marcus Griggs.
After a pair of strong defensive stands, the Bobcats took their final possession in the first half at midfield with 40 seconds left. Arndt hit Dillard for a 27-yard pass on the first play to move the ball down to SAU's 23-yard line. After Arndt spiked the ball to stop the clock, he hit Griggs for a nine-yard pass to set up a fourth-and-one play. He gained two yards for the first down at SAU's 12-yard line. After the Muleriders were called for pass interference in the end zone, the Bobcats took over at the two-yard line. Arndt hit Griggs for his second touchdown reception on the final play of the half and Justin Garelick added the extra point to make the halftime score 17-17. "That touchdown going into halftime was a momentum changer," said Griggs. "We didn't go into halftime down 17-10 because of it. Tyler made a great throw, and I just came down with it."
The Bobcats regained the lead on their first possession in the third quarter after Griggs returned Zach Massingill's punt 25 yards and gave Texas State possession at the SAU 32-yard line. Then Arndt hit fullback Eric Gentry for a 14-yard pass. After Southern Arkansas was called for pass interference, Arndt scored on a 13-yard touchdown run and Garelick added the extra point to give Texas State a 24-17 lead.
The Bobcats scored the final points of the game with 1:51 left in the third quarter as Bush ran for a 79-yard touchdown. It was the longest run for Bush, since he had an 80-yard run against Southeastern Louisiana as a freshman in 2007.
"I haven't had a run like that in a while so it felt really good," Bush said. "When I went through the hole, it was kind of cloudy, but I went outside and broke a few tackles. I saw that I was by myself. It gives me a little confidence going into next week. I hope that I can get a few more runs like that and we get some more wins. "
Bush ended the game rushing for 102 yards and the touchdown on 14 carries. Arndt completed 15 of his 29 passes for 205 yards and two TD's. Griggs led Bobcat receivers with five receptions for 64 yards and two TD's.
Defensively, Brian Lilly led the Bobcats with eight tackles, and he intercepted a pass to mark the third straight game in which he has recorded an interception. He also recorded a sack for minus eight yards.
The victory evens Texas State's record at 1-1, while Southern Arkansas fell to 0-2 this season. Texas State will play its second straight home game next Saturday, September 18, when the Bobcats play host to Cal Poly at 6:00 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium.
Also, Lamar 21, Webber International 14
BEAUMONT, Texas - As the final two minutes of Lamar's first home football game in 21 years ticked off the Provost Umphrey Stadium Saturday night, the chant along the Cardinals' bench began.
"We're 1-1, baby; we're 1-1, baby," the players chortled in unison.
It was their way of celebrating the first victory of the new era of Lamar football along with the red-clad crowd of 16,600. Still, one could tell there was slight tinge of disappointment in their voices.
The Cardinals had not displayed the same kind of offensive explosiveness as they did a week earlier in their 30-27 season-opening loss to then 11th-ranked McNeese State in Lake Charles, La. Still, they found ways to overcome their mistakes and prevent what would've been a huge disappointment to them and their faithful.
"No. 1, I want to say Webber International played a very good game," Lamar coach Ray Woodard told members of the media a few minutes after the game ended. I don't want to take away from their effort.
"They put up a tremendous fight in these conditions. They had chances to fold up, but they refused to do it. They kept coming back at us.
"No. 2, I'll never be unhappy with a win. We still looked like a young football team making mistakes, and that's what we are. We want to play closer to error-free ball than we did tonight."
The game was only 1:45 old when the Cardinals struck for their first touchdown on a 25-yard pass from Andre Bevil to J.J. Hayes, but they didn't score again until late in the third quarter. In the meantime, the 2-1 Warriors pulled even at 7-7 on a 7-yard touchdown run by Taylor Atwood late in the first quarter, and they benefitted from one interception thrown by Bevil and two lost Lamar fumbles in the red zone, both also by Bevil.
The junior quarterback from West Orange-Stark completed 16-of-34 passes for 228 yards, a far cry from his school record-setting 429-yard performance against McNeese State. His handiwork this night included a 57-yard bomb to backup wide receiver Kendrick Prejean that snapped the 7-7 tie with 2:50 left in the third quarter.
"I think we came out totally underestimating these guys," Bevil said of the Warriors. "We're happy with the win, but it was ugly. We need to put it behind us now and move on to next week's game with the mindset that we're going to play a lot better."
Bevil also executed a neat 8-yard shovel pass to tight end Billy Chavis to give the Cardinals a 21-7 cushion, but the Warriors climbed back into contention with a nine-play, 50-yard touchdown drive that quarterback Torrence Moise completed with an impressive 21-yard run through the heart of the Cardinal defense.
On the positive side for the Cardinals, their running game produced 136 yards, some 119 more than they managed in the McNeese State game. Former Lumberton standout Cody Hussey led the way, churning out 77 yards on 13 carries.
Hayes and Josh Powdrill led the Cardinals' receiving corps with four catches each, Hayes for 50 yards and Powdrill for 34. Marcus Jackson had three catches for 72 yards, while Prejean's TD reception was his only one on the night.
"I just felt like I was ready for the ball at any time," said Prejean. "I told Andre to keep pushing it out there, and we receivers would find ways to get to the ball."
Taylor Atwood and Deonte Fielder led Webber's running game with 44 and 43 yards, respectively, and the 6-foot-1, 174-pound Moise had 34 yards. Moise completed nine of 20 passes for 93 yards, and he threw two interceptions, both snared by free safety Tim Hayter.
A third-down pass of 27 yards from Bevil to Powdrill moved the Cardinals into Webber territory for the first time only three plays after the opening kickoff, and Bevil promptly hit Hayes with the 25-yard icebreaker in the left corner of the end zone on the next play. It was the first touchdown scored in the stadium since Kenny Franklin ran in from three yards out in the final minute of Lamar's 22-17 victory over McNeese State to end the 1989 season.
After forcing a Lamar punt midway in the first quarter, the Warriors drove 70 yards on 10 plays to deadlock the score at 7-7. Moise completed a wobbly pass of 40 yards to Nick Guglielmello to highlight the drive, and Atwood completed it with a 7-yard run on a trap play with 1:28 left in the opening quarter.
Each team had four possessions in the mistake-filled, scoreless second quarter that saw the Cardinals miss a scoring opportunity in the final minute when Bevil coughed up the ball at the 10-yard line on scramble. Warrior linebacker Steven Willis made the hit and also recovered the bobble.
The Cardinals finished the half with 176 total yards with 95 coming from the ground game. The Warriors forced Bevil out of the pocket for four scrambles, allowing him to net 33 yards on six carries. Hussey led the team with 46 first-half yards on seven carries.
Bevil completed eight of 10 passes in the first quarter, but he went 2-for-12 for a net of zero yards in the second. Moise went 7-for-13 for 76 yards in the opening half, and the Warriors managed only 27 rushing yards on 17 carries.
With Bevil completing a 53-yard pass to Jackson and Hussey providing some strong running, the Cardinals drove inside Webber's 10-yard line on their second possession of the third quarter. On a first-and-goal play from the 4, however, Bevil rolled to his right and fumbled the ball into the end zone after being hit hard by free safety Ricki Carlson.
The Warriors were awarded a touchback, but were unable to mount a drive. Powdrill returned the Warriors' ensuing punt for what appeared to be an 81-yard touchdown, but an illegal block by Steven Murray-Sesay reduced the return to 44 yards.
The overflow crowd came to life three plays later when Bevil went deep to Prejean for the 57-yard bomb that snapped the 7-7 tie with 2:50 remaining the third quarter.
Free safety Tim Hayter's interception and 8-yard return on the third play of the fourth quarter left the Cardinals only 23 yards to drive for the touchdown that enabled them to gain more separation. It came on Bevil's clutch 8-yard shovel pass to Chavis with 12:46 remaining.
The Warriors retaliated with a nine-play, 50 yard scoring drive that cut their deficit to 21-14. Moise got the touchdown on a 21-yard quarterback draw with 7:31 left.
The Cardinals will return to the road this Saturday for another taste of Southland Conference opposition when they play Southeastern Louisiana at 6 p.m. in 7,408-seat Strawberry Stadium in Hammond, La. In their first taste of Southland Conference opposition since the 1989 season, the Cardinals battled then 11th-ranked McNeese State to the wire in a 30-27 loss on Sept. 4.
Lamar is playing the 2010 season as an FCS Independent and will officially rejoin the Southland next season.