Sam Houston State One of Five Southland Teams to Open with Win
Sam
Houston State 20, Western Illinois 6
HUNTSVILLE,
Texas - Sophomore quarterback Brian Bell passed for 198 yards including
touchdowns of 7 and 44 yards to lead Sam Houston State to a 20-6 victory over
Western Illinois in the season opener for both teams.
Bearkat
sophomore running back Tim Flanders rushed 24 times for 100 yards to lead both
teams. Miquel Antonio kicked field goals of 30 and 31 yards in the first and
second quarters, respectively. The Bearkats picked up their first touchdown on
Bell's seven-yard pass to Grant Merritt to complete a nine-play 69-yard drive.
The
victory avenged a 56-14 loss to WIU last year in the season game of SHSU's 2010
season. Sam Houston, with Bell starting at quarterback, has won seven of their
last 10 games.
Visit
gobearkats.com for the complete recap.
Northwestern State 24,
Delta State 23
NATCHITOCHES,
La. - Junior
college transfer quarterback Brad Henderson caught fire, completing a school record
13 consecutive passes to spark a huge second-half rally from a 17-point deficit
as Northwestern State prevailed 24-23 Delta State Thursday night at Turpin
Stadium.
Henderson
replaced starter Paul Harris and guided the Demons (1-0) back from a 17-0
halftime deficit with 24 unanswered points, scoring on four of their first five
possessions after halftime and fumbling away another chance inside the
visitors' 30. Delta State (1-1), last year's Division II runner-up and No. 2 in
the division this season, missed a chance to win the game with 10 seconds left
on a failed two-point conversion pass.
Northwestern won its 499th all-time game with its second-biggest rally since
moving into Division I in 1977, topped only by a second-half rally from a 23-0
deficit to win 27-23 in the 2005 opener at Louisiana-Monroe.
Visit nsudemons.com for the full recap.
Nicholls State 42,
Evangel 0
THIBODAUX,
La. - Nicholls State used 21 first-quarter points that included a
52-yard run touchdown run by junior quarterback LaQuintin Caston, combined with
the Colonel defense recording its first shutout since 2006 to claim its season
opener, 42-0, against Evangel University on Thursday night at John L. Guidry
Stadium.
Caston rushed for 137 yards on 16 carries; including a 48-yard
touchdown in the second to give Nicholls a commanding 28-0 lead; as well as his
third consecutive 100-yard game, dating back to last season. The Colonels
totaled 422 yards on offense, while the defense held Evangel to 147 yards.
The Colonel defense held Evangel to only seven first downs in the
game. The Crusaders averaged 2.4 yards
per play, in part to Nicholls recording seven tackles for loss, led by senior
lineback Shawn Elrod with 1.5. Fernandez Garner added a sack, while sophomore
Siegan Vergenal forced two fumbles and had four tackles (three solo).
Visit geauxcolonels.com for the full recap.
No. 22/18 Central
Arkansas 38, Henderson State 14
CONWAY,
Ark. - A stadium record crowd of 12,755 came to see the new purple and
gray turf at First Security Field at Estes Stadium on Thursday night.
No. 22/18 Central Arkansas sent its fans home happy with a 38-14 victory over
Henderson State in the season opener for both teams on a field that The
Sporting News called "the coolest field in college football."
Senior quarterback Nathan Dick completed 27 of 36 passes for 280 yards and
three touchdowns as the Bears rolled up 429 yards of total offense.
Visit ucabears.com for the full recap.
No. 14/17 Stephen F.
Austin 82, McMurry 6
NACOGDOCHES,
Texas - Stephen F. Austin scored 31 unanswered points in a 52-minute first
quarter to pound visiting McMurry, 82-6, in a rare Thursday evening game at
Homer Bryce Stadium. It was the largest point total for the Lumberjacks (1-0)
since a 92-point outburst against Texas College in 2009, and the second-largest
point total in school history.
Lumberjack sophomore quarterback Brady Attaway went 27-for-37 for 275 yards and
four touchdowns in his first career start. He guided a Lumberjack attack that
finished the night with 668 yards of total offense. Junior Dalton Williams saw
significant time early in the first half completing 15-of-22 passes for 163 yards
and two touchdowns.
The Lumberjack signal callers passed for seven touchdowns on the night, and
connected with 13 different receivers. Junior Gralyn Crawford caught eight
passes for 77 yards and three touchdowns, while classmate Cordell Roberson
added eight grabs for 80 yards.
Visit sfajacks.com for the full recap.