FRISCO – Stephen F. Austin and Southeastern Louisiana pulled off Thursday rivalry wins to solidify their résumés, while Lamar will sweat out Selection Sunday after a loss to McNeese. UIW and UTRGV also added wins in this week’s Week 13 Rundown.
#20/21 Southeastern 38, Nicholls 26
No. 20/21 Southeastern Louisiana claimed a 38–26 Senior Night victory over Nicholls in the River Bell Classic Thursday night at Strawberry Stadium. Southeastern (9–3, 7–1 SLC) retained the River Bell trophy, earning the first win by a home team in the series since 2018. Nicholls closed its 2025 season at 4–8 overall and 4–4 in Southland play.
The Lions improved to 9–1 against FCS opponents, strengthening an already strong playoff résumé. Southeastern won eight of those FCS games by double digits, outscoring opponents by nearly 26 points per game (39.0–13.3), with starters pulled before the fourth quarter in seven wins.
Southeastern used a balanced offensive attack to close the regular season. Henry rushed 14 times for 93 yards and a touchdown, while Deantre Jackson added 85 yards on eight carries and Kyle Lowe contributed 62 yards and a score on six attempts. Quarterbacks Carson Camp and Lowe split time under center, with Camp finishing 12-for-24 for 106 yards and two touchdowns and Lowe going a perfect 8-for-8 for 47 yards and one touchdown. Jaylon Domingeaux closed his regular season with six catches for 45 yards and three touchdowns, tying his career high and bringing his season total to 11 receiving scores—third-most in a single season in program history.
After a high-scoring first half, SLU’s defense tightened, holding Nicholls to just five points after the break. Jakyri Jones led the team with 10 tackles, while Khalid Moore forced a fumble that Ford recovered. Proctor recorded his SLC-leading eighth sack, and Bradley, Moore, and Evan Aubrey each notched sacks as well.
#13/14 SFA 62, Northwestern State 14
A Thursday trip across the Sabine River turned into a Thursday night blowout as No. 13/14 Stephen F. Austin routed Northwestern State 62–14 to retain college football’s heaviest trophy—the Battle of the Chief—and cap an unbeaten Southland Conference regular season.
Bugs Mortimer electrified the night immediately with a 79-yard punt return touchdown on his first touch, also securing SFA’s single-season punt return yardage record. The Lumberjacks (10–2, 8–0) erupted to a 20–0 first-quarter lead with three explosive scoring plays, including Sam Vidlak’s 26- and 65-yard touchdown passes. SFA’s up-tempo offense continued to pour it on in the second quarter with four additional touchdown drives, none lasting longer than three minutes, to build a commanding 48–0 halftime lead.
The Lumberjacks put two rushers and one receiver over 100 yards, eclipsing 600 yards of total offense against the Demons for the second straight year. Their 320 rushing yards marked a season high and the program’s most in a single game since 2016.
McNeese 21, #19/19 Lamar 19
McNeese regained the Battle of the Border trophy with a 21–19 win over No. 19 Lamar, powered by a fourth-quarter surge that flipped the game. Reed Boyd’s 5-yard touchdown catch in double coverage from Devin Lippold put the Cowboys ahead, and on Lamar’s first play of the ensuing possession, Phillip Bradford returned an interception 21 yards for another score.
The win closed McNeese’s season at 5–7 overall (5–5 excluding two FBS results) and 4–4 in Southland play, marking the program’s first .500-or-better league finish since 2019. Lamar ended its regular season 8–4 overall and 5–3 in conference play and now awaits its postseason fate on Sunday.
Lippold completed 11 of 23 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown while adding 40 rushing yards and another score. Alex Flores, starting in place of the injured Jake Strong, completed 2 of 3 passes for 32 yards. Boyd caught two passes for 35 yards, including his first career touchdown. McNeese finished with 359 total yards, including 258 on the ground, while Lamar totaled 416 yards, with 281 coming via the rushing attack.
RV UTRGV 33, East Texas A&M 14
After a 2:34 weather delay before kickoff, RV UTRGV closed out the winningest inaugural season in FCS history with a 33–14 win over East Texas A&M at Vackar Stadium. The Vaqueros sold out all seven home games, including 12,320 fans on Saturday, finishing with 87,774 total attendance—10th best in the FCS. Their average of 12,539 fans per game ranked 16th nationally.
Of the 11 modern-era Division I-AA/FCS programs to start from scratch since 1978, UTRGV is the only one to go undefeated at home (7–0), the only one to win more than seven total games (finishing 9–3), and the only one to win more than five games against FCS opponents (six wins).
UTRGV finished 9–3 overall and 5–3 in the Southland, tying for third place with No. 19 Lamar. Nathan Denney led the way with a career-high 158 rushing yards on 26 carries, marking his third 100-yard effort of the season. Eddie Lee Marburger completed 17 of 22 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Ismael Smith Flores posted four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Spencer Rich delivered 13 tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hurry.
UIW 31, HCU 10
UIW closed its season with a 31–10 road win over Houston Christian, giving head coach Clint Killough his 25th career victory, making him the winningest coach in program history.
Kobe Dillon rushed for 110 yards, while Jaylon Spears added 93 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Lorick led UIW in receiving with 68 yards, while Jalen Walthall and Chedon James each found the end zone. Defensively, Dune Smith delivered a standout performance with 13 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.