Football: Nov. 1 Scoreboard
Southland Conference
Sam Houston State 42, No. 24/23 Stephen F. Austin 28
Abilene Christian 52, Central Arkansas 35
No. 9/8 McNeese State 35, Northwestern State 28
UIW 38, Nicholls 20
Lamar 72, Houston Baptist 14
*FCS Rankings (Sports Network/Coaches’ Polls)
Sam Houston State 42, No. 24/23 Stephen F. Austin 28
HOUSTON, Texas – Keshawn Hill rushed for 160 yards including four touchdowns to lead Sam Houston to a 42-28 victory over No. 23 ranked Stephen F. Austin in the 89th “Battle of the Piney Woods” rivalry game at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Hill scored on runs for 59, 31, 3 and 32 to become only the fourth Bearkat running back to score four rushing touchdowns in one contest.
SFA’s Gus Johnson carried 24 times for 148 yards including a 3-yard second quarter score.
Hill’s first three touchdowns came in the first half as the Bearkats took a 21-14 lead into the locker room. Hill’s fourth and a two-yard scoring run by quarterback Jared Johnson put SHSU up 35-14 with 10:39 to play in the third quarter.
SFA quarterback Zach Conque who completed 34 of 51 passes for 266 yards, on an 86-yard scoring drive that ended with a one-yard Conque TD run to cut the margin to 35-21.
A 52-yard scoring run by Jalen Overstreet extended Sam Houston’s lead to 42-21 with 4:31 to play. A late 5-yard Conque score with 1:35 remaining ended the scoring.
Sam Houston (5-4, 4-1 Southland) totaled 345 yards rushing and 127 passing for 472 total yards. SFA (6-3, 3-2) totaled 250 on the ground and 266 in the air for 516 yards.
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Abilene Christian 52, Central Arkansas 35
PLANO, Texas – Redshirt freshman quarterback Kade Munden ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns and threw for three others in his first collegiate start to lead Abilene Christian University to a 52-35 upset win Saturday over the University of Central Arkansas in a neutral-site game in John Clark Stadium.
ACU recorded its lowest passing total – 53 yards – in five years but rushed for 286 yards and rode a ball-hawking defense to even its record to 3-3 in the Southland Conference and 5-5 overall. The Bears came into the game as co-leaders of the conference but fell to 4-2 and 5-5 overall.
De’Andre Brown rushed 28 times for 171 yards to lead the Wildcat ground attack. Defense, however, was the key to ACU’s game, with the Wildcats recording five sacks, four interceptions and recovering three of four UCA fumbles in building a first-half lead it never relinquished.
Munden’s three scoring passes went to tight ends Jonathan Parker, Noah Chessier and Jamie Walker as the Wildcats built a 21-7 first-quarter and 31-14 first-half lead. ACU forced turnovers on five of the Bears’ first seven drives and converted three of them into touchdowns.
Walker added a second touchdown later on a short pass from running back Brown, and defensive back Jonathan Epps turned the second of his two interceptions into a 68-yard scoring return.
Central Arkansas quarterback Ryan Howard threw for 392 yards and four touchdowns and three of his team’s four interceptions. Munden completed six of eight passes for 49 yards and three scores.
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No. 9/8 McNeese State 35, Northwestern State 28
NATCHITOCHES, La. – McNeese State built a 35-3 halftime lead only to see Northwestern State rally back with 25 unanswered late in the fourth quarter but the defense, that suffocated the Demons for much of the game, put together a four-down stop on the final drive of the game to secure the 8th-ranked Cowboys with a 35-28 Southland Conference win here Saturday night.
The win moved the Cowboys to 6-2 on the season and 4-1 in league play where they remain in a first place tie with Sam Houston State and Southeastern Louisiana. Northwestern State fell to 4-5 and 2-3 in the league and lost to McNeese for the 10th consecutive time.
McNeese finished the game with 366 yards of offense but was held to just 88 in the second half, the same amount Northwestern State totaled in the first half.
McNeese rolled up 242 yards rushing for the game behind 93 yards from Ryan Ross and 88 from Dylan Long, who also scored three touchdowns for the second straight game.
Tyler Bolfing, who got his first start since the season opener at Nebraska, completed 7 of 12 passes for 103 yards while Daniel Sams went 2 for 5 for 21 yards. Neither quarterback threw any interceptions.
The Cowboys got limited action from Kelvin Bennett who carried the ball five times for 17 yards in his first action in a couple games as he’s recovering from an injury. McNeese also played without running back Derrick Milton and wide receiver Ernest Celestie.
Despite the injuries, the Cowboys put together perhaps its best first 30 minutes of play on the season as they put 35 points on the board and held Northwestern State to 88 yards of offense, nine rushing yards, and three first downs.
Both teams went three-and-out to start the game but the Cowboys got the first break when Jean Breaux’s 35-yard punt was muffed by Demon returner Ed Eagan and recovered by Long at the NSU 24. After a personal foul penalty on the Demons put the ball at the 12, Long ran for two yards followed by a 10-yard touchdown run by Ross to make it 7-0 just three minutes into the game.
Northwestern State, which went three-and-out on its first five possessions, didn’t get its first first down of the game until its second possession of the second quarter. Meanwhile, McNeese got a 1-yard touchdown run by Long with 6:49 to play in the first quarter in a drive that started with a 39-yard completion from Bolfing to Jereon McGilvery. After the Demons punted the ball away on their next possession, another 39-yard Bolfing pass to Khalil Thomas set up a 2-yard score by Long to make it 21-0 with 3:44 to play in the first.
The score jumped to 28-0 after Sams ran in from four yards out early in the second quarter before a 35-yard field goal by Chris Moore put the Demons on the board with 6:16 to play in the first half and cut the lead to 28-3.
McNeese followed with an 11-play, 74-yard drive that took 5:51 off the clock that ended with another 2-yard touchdown run by Long to make it 35-3 with 28 seconds to play in the half.
Northwestern State got a 43-yard field goal from Moore with 6:14 to play in the third quarter to cut the lead to 35-6. McNeese was set up to attempt a 46 yard field goal with less than a minute to play in the quarter but a substitute infraction pushed the ball back five yards and McNeese brought out the punt team instead.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Demons who scored on three straight possessions to cut the margin to 35-28 as the Cowboys’ offense managed just 39 yards of offense in the quarter.
A 16 yard pass from Northwestern State’s Zach Adkins to Corey Simmons with 2:08 to play made it a one score game.
Northwestern State’s attempt for an onside kick would be recovered by the Cowboys but three straight runs came up short of the first down.
Breaux came up with perhaps the play of the game as his 32-yard punt would be downed at the NSU 5-yard line with 1:46 to play and forced the Demons to go 95 yards to get the tie.
Playing the series with no timeouts remaining, Adkins completed back-to-back passes to Eagan for 5 and 3 yards followed by consecutive incompletions to turn the back over the McNeese where Bolfing ran out the clock.
Adkins completed 21 of 32 passes for 338 yards, three touchdowns and an interception while Eagan caught 10 passes for 238 yards and a score.
The Cowboys finished the night with six sacks, two of those by Kevin Dorn, and seven tackles for a loss. Brent Spikes led the team with 10 tackles and Aaron Sam intercepted the team’s only pass.
McNeese ends the two-game road trip with two wins and will return home next Saturday against Stephen F. Austin.
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UIW 38, Nicholls 20
THIBODAUX, La. – The University of the Incarnate Word picked up a road victory in Southland Conference football action on Saturday night at Nicholls, 38-20.
The UIW offense moved the ball well all game long picking up 287 yards of offense in the first half and they finished with a season high 463 yards with 203 on the ground and 260 through the air. The team had three receivers with at least 60 yards and four players with at least 30 yards rushing. The defense kept up their end of the bargain as well with four sacks and a blocked punt in the contest.
The Cardinals (2-7, 2-5) got off to a good start to the game. After giving up one first down to the Colonels, the defense brought pressure and a Daryl Irby sack stopped the home team. After a punt, the Cardinals drove 65 yards in seven plays to take the early lead. Jordan Scelfo hit Cole Wick for a big 33-yard pass down the middle to set up first-and-goal. Three plays later, Junior Sessions bulled his way in from a yard out.
On their next drive, the Cardinals went 75 yards in nine plays, but were stopped inside the 10-yard and had to settle for a Ramon Coto 22-yard field goal. The big play of the drive was a 35-yard pass to Wick.
The Colonels (0-10, 0-6) got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter. After forcing a UIW punt, Beaux Hebert connected on a big 43-yard pass play to Demon Bolt to put the Colonels in the Red Zone. Three plays later, Michael Henry scored from the 1-yard line with 10:12 left in the second quarter.
Jordan Hicks returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards for the Cardinals to put the team in great field position. On the third play of the drive, Scelfo hit Wick in stride for a 27-yard touchdown pass with 8:55 left in the half. Wick would finish the game with four catches for a career high 116 yards.
After taking a 17-7 lead, the Cardinals forced a punt to get the ball back, but a fumble by Scelfo gave the ball back to the Colonels. Two plays later Tobias Lofton streaked past the UIW defense and scored on a 34-yard run with 5:03 left in the first half.
The Cardinals responded quickly after the Colonels tried a surprise on-side kick that did not travel 10 yards. They took only 2:17 to drive the 34 yards needed for the score. Scelfo hit Daryl Brooks for a 22-yard score on a third-and-8 situation with 2:46 left in the first half to make it 24-14.
In the second half, the Cardinals were able to score first. The offense went back on the ground to Sessions who carried it six times on the drive, including a 1-yard touchdown with 7:06 left in the third quarter. The drive covered 59 yards on nine plays in 4:41.
The score remained 31-14 until the fourth quarter when the Cardinals embarked on their longest time of possession drive of the game. UIW ran the ball nine times on the drive, including a 19-yard scamper by Scelfo. Scelfo completed a pair of passes to Casey Jennings for 32 yards. Joseph Sadler finally pushed the ball across the goal line with a two-yard touchdown run with 9:30 left in the game. It capped off a 12-play, 67-yard drive encompassing 7:08.
The Colonels came back with their best drive of the game going 78 yards in seven plays. They scored on a 25-yard pass from Hebert to Keenan Canty. The two-point conversion failed.
The win was the first Southland Conference road victory for the Cardinals since joining the conference in 2013. UIW had 24 first downs compared to 15 for Nicholls and converted 8-of-14 on third downs while the Colonels were 3-of-13.
Scelfo finished the game 16-of-30 for 260 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had 31 yards rushing. Brooks led the team with five catches for a career high 70 yards and a touchdown. In addition to Wick’s 116 yards, Jennings added five grabs for 61 yards. Sessions was the rushing leader for the team with 89 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Broderick Reeves added 13 carries for 50 yards.
The UIW defense held the Colonels to 351 yards of offense. Adrian Norwood led the team with seven tackles while Nick Ginn had four tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Kobie Douglas added three tackles, a half tackle for loss and three pass breakups.
The Colonels also had a balanced offense with over 200 yards passing and nearly 150 rushing. Henry led all players with 96 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Hebert went 16-of-29 for 209 yards and a touchdown through the air. Canty had four catches for 45 yards and a score while Bolt had three grabs for 70 yards.
Davin Bovie and Ronnie Walker led the Colonels with 10 tackles apiece while Byron Cobb added eight solo tackles, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups. Toren Joseph and Andrew Carter each had an interception.
The Cardinals are back in action next Saturday at 6 p.m. against Sam Houston State at home. It is the final home game of the year for UIW.
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Lamar 72, Houston Baptist 14
BEAUMONT, Texas – Reminiscent of last season several records fell as the Lamar Cardinals (6-3, 3-2 Southland) routed Houston Baptist Saturday, 72-14, in the Cardinals’ 2014 Homecoming contest. Senior receiver Mark Roberts highlighted the record-breaking performance with his four touchdown receptions, passing former Cardinal Howard Robinson (1976-79). Roberts, who now has 19 career TD catches, finished the night with five receptions for 205 yards.
Just like the win over Nicholls last time out, the Cardinals jumped out to a 42-0 lead forcing HBU (2-7, 1-5) away from its strength at running the ball. Roberts got the scoring started with a 31-yard touchdown pass from classmate Caleb Berry less than four minutes into the game. LU was back on the attack four minutes later when Berry once again found Roberts for a 61-yard strike. Leading 21-0, Roberts added an 81-yard touchdown reception from Berry to close out the scoring and before the night was over Lamar racked up 621 yards of total offense and seven different players scored a touchdown.
While the offense was busy lighting up the scoreboard, the defense went about the task of keeping the Huskies out of the end zone. LU’s defense held their guests to 288 yards of total offense. The Cardinals forced HBU into six turnovers, including four interceptions. Junior DaQuan Stewart recorded two of the four interceptions, including one he returned 56 yards for a score.
Lamar’s victory was significant because it guarantees the Cardinals of at least a .500 season – the most wins for the Cardinals since the 1979 season. In addition to the win itself, several Cardinals recorded career milestones Saturday night. As a team, the Cardinals set a new Southland record for points against a conference team which marked the second consecutive game LU broke a team record for points against a league school.
In addition to Roberts’ career record, he also tied a school record with 24 points, tying sophomore Kade Harrington who rushed for four touchdowns at Nicholls. Due to Lamar’s overwhelming halftime lead, Roberts didn’t see the field in the second half finishing only eight yards shy of the school single-game record for receiving yards.
Berry ended the night completing 15-of-22 passes (.682) for 391 yards and seven touchdown. His 391 yards passing was only eight yards shy of tying a career-high, but his seven TD passes set a new Lamar single-game record – surpassing his own mark (2013) and Tommy Tomlin’s (1969).
The 72-point outburst marked the second time this season Lamar has scored at least 70 points in a game. Prior to last season’s 75-point outburst against Oklahoma Panhandle State the Cardinals had never scored 70 points in a game.
The Cardinals return to action Saturday, Nov. 8, when they travel to Conway, Ark., to take on Central Arkansas. The game against the Bears is slated to begin at 3 p.m.
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