Nicholls 30 Lamar 28 FINAL

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BEAUMONT, Texas – Sophomore Alex Ball lined up for a 23-yard field goal with three seconds remaining on the clock, but was forced to kick into a swirling wind and the ball sailed wide right as Nicholls defeated Lamar University, 30-28, on Homecoming. The loss, LU’s first against Nicholls since bringing back the program, drops the Cardinals a game under .500 on the season (4-5/3-4 Southland), while the Colonels picked up their second win of the year (2-7/2-5 SLC).

“This is a loss that is going to sting for a while,” said LU head coach Ray Woodard. “We didn’t do enough right in any phase to overcome what we had to overcome. We had a chance in all three phases to do some things and we just didn’t. When we needed a stop we didn’t get it, and when we needed a score to maybe put them away we didn’t do it.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Nicholls’ effort tonight. You have to tip your cap to those guys,” added Woodard.

Both offenses dominated in gusty conditions as Nicholls put up 559 yards of total offense, while LU recorded 511. The majority of the damage was done on the ground as the Colonels rushed for 415 yards and the Cards 368.

The Cardinals were once again led by another superb performance from junior running back Kade Harrington. The Kingwood, Texas native finished the game with 255 yards on 32 carries, and two touchdowns. He also added one catch for 14 yards. In what has become a common occurrence for Harrington this season, several more records fell Saturday night. Harrington became the Southland’s new single-season record holder breaking the previous mark established last season. He also became the school’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards, and tied the school record for most 100-yard rushing performances in a career.

Senior Joe Minden completed 15-of-23 passes for 130 yards. His favorite target was Beaumont senior Reggie Begelton. The school’s all-time leading receiver hauled in nine passes for 82 yards. Begelton is 10 receptions shy of Southland Conference career record with two games remaining on the season.

The Colonels were led by two backs with over 100 yards rushing. Tobias Lofton ended the night with 17 carries for 154 yards, while Michael Henry had 31 carries for 100 yards. Starting quarterback Tuskani Figaro also added a rush for 75 yards, before being knocked out of the game with an injury.

The Cardinals took the first lead of the game when Harrington scored a nine-yard run early in the first quarter. After the Colonels tied up the game a minute later, the Cardinals were back on the move again scoring consecutive touchdowns to build a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. LU reclaimed the lead on a 68-yard scamper from Harrington, followed by a 72-yard run from senior quarterback Carson Earp on its next drive.

The Colonels answered with back-to-back scores to tie the game at 21 with 11:37 remaining in the third quarter. The Red and White’s quick strike offense was back on the attack 74 seconds later. Minden moved the Cards 69 yards in four plays, capping the drive with a 12-yard run for a score.

Nicholls used a time-consuming drive to punch the ball across the goal line with just over five minutes remaining in the third. The Colonels Landry Klann carried it in from five yards out on what appeared to be a game-tying drive, but the point after ricocheted off the upright leaving the Cards with a one-point advantage. That lead held until the 2:46 mark when Francisco Condado booted a 28-yard attempt to give the Colonels their first lead of the game, 30-28.

The LU offense came back out and moved the ball 74 yards on 12 plays to set up a 23-yard attempt for Ball. Normally a chip shot, the attempt was made difficult by the wind and rain blowing directly into the face of the Cardinals’ offense. The kick sailed wide as the Colonels picked up their second victory of the season, both in conference play.

The Cardinals return to action Saturday when they travel to San Antonio, Texas to take on Incarnate Word. The game against the UIW Cardinals will kick off at 2 p.m. from Benson Stadium.

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