Role Reversal

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BEAUMONT, Texas – Just a week after surrendering 73 points, the Lamar Cardinals hung 73 on Texas College Saturday night at Provost Umphrey Stadium picking up a lopsided 73-0 victory. The Cardinals finished the night with 561 yards of total offense to improve to 2-1 on the season. Lamar’s defense was just as dominant holding the Steers to 105 yards of offense, including 74 through the air.

Lamar scored a touchdown on its first six possessions, and eight of their first nine, taking an insurmountable 49-0 lead into the locker room. The Cardinals record nearly 400 yards of offense in the opening half which allowed head coach Ray Woodard to turn to his bench early in the contest. All seven first-half scores were recorded by different players, including Ronnie Jones’ 38-yard return following a blocked punt.

“I’m very proud of this team tonight,” said Woodard. “We didn’t allow last week’s game to effect us in our preparation for tonight. We came out and took control of the game early and our defense was able to shut down Texas College on the other side of the ball.”

The Cardinals didn’t waste any getting on the scoreboard as sophomore Emmitt Raleigh scored on a career-long 45 yard run on LU’s second play of the game. Raleigh was one of five different Cardinals to rush for a touchdown against the Steers.

Sophomore Reggie Begelton made it a 14-0 lead just over two minutes later when he hauled in a six-yard pass from senior Caleb Berry. Begelton and senior Mark Roberts led the Cardinals with two receptions, including one for a score. Begelton finished the night with 25 receiving yards, while Roberts had 76.

The Cardinals special teams got into the scoring act with just under six minutes remaining in the quarter. Forcing a fourth down, sophomore nose tackle Omar Tebo pushed the center back into Steers’ punter blocking the kick. Jones picked up the loose ball and rambled 38 yards for the score, and the rout was on.

Lamar closed out the half by getting rushing scores from Berry, sophomore quarterback Robert Mitchell, and junior Carl Harris.

The Cardinals utilized their depth at running back to keep Texas College’s offense off the field. Lamar carried the ball 54 times for 393 yards and six scores. Six different Cardinals carried the ball Saturday led by Harris 26 carries for 153 yards and a score. Mitchell added 13 rushes for 81 yards and two scores, while Raleigh finished the game with four carries for 75 yards.

All three quarterbacks saw time for Lamar against the outmanned Steers. Berry completed 4-of-8 passes for 112 yards and two scores, while Mitchell was 2-of-3 for 30. Rex Dausin was 1-of-2 for 26 yards, and also carried the ball four times for 49 yards a score.

The Cardinals scored on every possession except two against Texas College, including 10 touchdowns and a field goal. The Steers didn’t record their first stop of Lamar until 3:51 remaining in the second when Texas College picked off a Mitchell pass.

Lamar’s defense was led by sophomore Corbin Carr and Koby Couron. Both players finished the game with seven tackles. Carr also ended the night with 3.5 tackles for losses.

The Cardinals return to action Saturday, Sept. 20, when they host Mississippi College. The game is slated to begin at 7 p.m. from Provost Umphrey Stadium.

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