SLC Football Scoreboard: 10/4/14

• Tweet
• Pin It

Central Arkansas 49, Stephen F. Austin 39
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – University of Central Arkansas junior quarterback Taylor Reed accounted for six touchdowns and the Bears controlled the final quarter to grab a 49-39 victory over the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks on Saturday night in Southland Conference action at Homer Bryce Stadium.
 
The Bears (3-3, 2-0), trailing 31-21 late in the third quarter, outscored the Lumberjacks (3-2, 0-1) 28-8 over the final 18 minutes to improve to 2-0 in Southland play. The Lumberjacks, coached by former UCA head coach Clint Conque, dropped their league opener despite 602 yards of total offense.
 
“We just kept fighing,” said UCA head coach Steve Campbell. “You know, this group, we really needed to win one like this because we’ve played some like this and come up on the short end. We’re one play away, a 53-yard field goal with no time left away from being a 4-2 football team. So we needed something good to happen for us, with a comeback victory or a fourth-quarter victory, and it happened.”
 
UCA, which led 21-17 at halftime, answered Gus Johnson’s 20-yard touchdown run at the 4:33 mark of the third quarter with three consecutive touchdowns. Reed, a junior from El Dorado, hit sophomore Desmond Smith with a 71-yard touchdown pass, his fourth passing touchdown of the night, to close the gap to 31-28 with 3:02 left in the third. Reed then went in himself from the 1 with 9:30 left in the game to give the Bears the lead for good at 35-31.
 
Sophomore safety Tirell Wellmaker scooped up Johnson’s fumble at the UCA 25 and went the distance for the touchdown and a 42-31 lead. After SFA quarterback Zach Conque scored on a four-yard run and completed a two-point pass to D.J. Ward to close the deficit to 42-39, UCA recovered the ensuing onside kick. Needing a first down to run the clock out, Reed broke 40 yards for the touchdown on third and four to seal it. Bobby Watkins’ end zone interception with no time left ended it.
 
“These kids have fought so hard. You know, every game that they’ve played, they’ve fought, scrapped and clawed until the final play. And tonight was no different,” said Campbell.  “I guess that early season schedule prepared us for this, because they knew, even when we were down by 10, that we could come back and find a way. So we scored 28 points in the final 19 minutes and that was huge.”
 
UCA wide receiver Dezmin Lewis, a senior from Lewisville, Texas, was on the receiving end of Reed’s first three touchdown passes in the first half. Lewis caught a 5-yarder to tie the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter, a 21-yarder for a 14-7 lead early in the second period, and highlight-reel 19-yarder in the right corner of the end zone to give the Bears their 21-17 halftime margin. Lewis caught the ball behind the back of SFA cornerback Keavon Madison.
 
Lewis, with six catches for 80 yards, moved into fourth place in UCA history in career receptions with 164 and is tied with former tight end John Cameron for fourth in career receiving touchdowns with 19. Senior placekicker Eddie Camara, in his first action of the season due to injury, was 3 of 3 point-after attempts, putting him as the career leader at UCA with 140 PATs.
  
“That turnover we got late there, the scoop and score by Wellmaker, was the difference in the ballgame,” said Campbell. “They were driving for a go-ahead touchdown. So turnovers were the difference in the ballgame. And guys making plays.
 
“The play Dez made on that touchdown, that’s an ESPN top play. Defensively the scoop and score was a big-time play. Taylor’s run for the final touchdown was huge on a third and four. We just had some guys make some plays, and that’s what it’s all about.”
 
Reed completed 14 of 18 passes for 212 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 44 yards and a pair of scores. Conque, the coach’s son, was 19 of 33 for 322 yards, with 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions and six sacks. The Bears recorded 12 tackles for loss, giving them 40 over the past three games. Junior defensive end Jonathan Woodard had 3.5 of the sacks.  Senior linebacker Blake Childress had a first-half interception that set up Lewis’ third touchdown reception.
 
UCA, which improved to 6-3 in the series against SFA, returns home to face Houston Baptist at 6 p.m. at First Security Field at Estes Stadium. 
 
– Return to top –

 
No. 11/11 Southeastern Louisiana 30, Northwestern State 22
HAMMOND, La. – The No. 11/11 Southeastern Louisiana football team forced four turnovers and blocked three kicks on the way to a 30-22 Southland Conference victory over Northwestern State Saturday afternoon at Strawberry Stadium.
 
Southeastern improved to 4-2 and 2-0 in Southland Conference play. The Lions have won their last 12 games versus league competition and extended their winning streak versus in-state league opponents to eight games. Northwestern State fell to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in league action.
 
The Lions built a 30-8 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Demons rallied to cut it to a one-score game with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter. NSU recovered an onside kick, but junior Denzel Thompson intercepted NSU senior quarterback Zach Adkins in the end zone to thwart the Demon rally.
 
The interception was the second of the game for Thompson and the fourth of Adkins by Lion defenders. Senior Isiah Corbett returned an Adkins pick for a score early in the third quarter, while sophomore Derrick Raymond also posted the first interception of his young Lion career.
 
Senior Tyler Stoddard led the Lions with 10 tackles, while seniors Marice Sutton and Drew Misita had eight stops each. Misita, senior Jacob Newman and junior Jordan Batiste were all credited with sacks for the Lions.
 
Adkins finished with 217 passing yards on 25-for-43 passing for one touchdown and four interceptions. Adkins and senior Garrett Atzenweiler each rushed for scores for NSU, while Atzenweiler also caught Adkins’ lone touchdown toss.
 
The Lion special teams came up big, as sophomore Javari Nichols, junior A.J. Bowen and junior Ashton Henderson each blocked kicks. Senior Ryan Adams was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, including a school-record-long 55-yard field goal. A 79-yard kickoff return by junior Xavier Roberson also set up a SLU touchdown.
 
The Lion offense was limited to 235 yards. Senior quarterback Bryan Bennett finished with 103 yards passing on 10 of 21 attempts with a touchdown pass to senior Devante Scott. Junior Kody Sutton rushed for a touchdown for the Lions.
 
Northwestern State mounted the game’s first scoring threat late in the first quarter, driving to the Lion 34-yard line. With the wind at his back, NSU junior kicker Chris Moore attempted a 51-yard field goal that Nichols got a hand on to keep the game scoreless.
 
On the ensuing Southeastern drive, Sutton fumbled to give the Demons the ball in Lion territory. After NSU drove into the red zone, Thompson stepped in front of a short Adkins pass and returned it 51 yards to the Northwestern State 34-yard line. Seven plays later, Adams knocked in a 41-yard field goal to give SLU a 3-0 lead with 10:31 left in the half.
 
Northwestern State mounted another scoring threat on its next drive, but the Lion defense stiffened after the Demons earned a first-and-goal at the one-yard line. Moore attempted a 24-yard field goal to tie the game, but Ashton Henderson blocked the attempt and Thompson returned it to the Lion 24-yard line.
 
Southeastern moved into Demon territory, but were stopped at the 38-yard line. That brought in Adams, who hit a line drive 55-yard field goal to put Southeastern up, 6-0, with 1:00 left in the half. The field goal was three yards farther than the previous school standard of 52 yards by Jeff Turner in 2009.
 
After a Raymond interception, the Lions had an opportunity to add to its advantage late in the half. However, a fake field goal attempt on the final play of the half failed and SLU went into the break with a six-point advantage.
 
On the third play of the second half, Corbett snatched an Adkins pass and raced in from 44 yards out to give the Lions a 13-0 lead with 13:38 left in the third quarter. The interception was the team-high third of the season for the Belle Glade, Florida native.
 
After forcing Northwestern State into another three-and-out, Southeastern moved deep enough into Demon territory to allow Adams to kick a 30-yard field goal to extend the lead to 16-0 with 8:54 left in the third quarter.
 
NSU answered with a methodical 16-play, 75-yard drive to cut the lead in half. Adkins capped the march, plunging in from a yard out. The Demons converted the two-point conversion and pulled within, 16-8, with 2:59 left in the third quarter.
 
The explosive Roberson made a huge play on the ensuing kickoff, rolling 79 yards to the NSU 7-yard line. Two plays later, Sutton bulled in from six yards out to put the Lions back on top, 23-8, with 2:10 left in the third quarter.
 
The Lions seemingly put the game away on their first drive of the fourth quarter. On a third-and-21, Bennett found Scott and the Ferriday native dived in the end zone. The 28-yard strike put SLU up, 30-8, with 12:24 left in the contest.
 
Northwestern State would not go away, quietly, however, as Atzenweiler scored touchdowns on NSU’s next two drives to help the Demons cut the lead to 30-22 with 2:47 left in the game.
 
The ensuing onside kick squirted through the hands of junior Dylan Bossier and NSU sophomore Tuff McClain fell on the loose ball at the Lion 48-yard line. The Demons were able to move down to the Southeastern 36, but Thompson snagged a pass from Adkins in the end zone to secure the victory.
  
Southeastern will be back on the road next Saturday, heading to Lamar for a 6 p.m. contest in Beaumont, Texas.  
 
– Return to top –

 
Lamar 24, Abilene Christian 21
ABILENE, Texas – Lamar trailed by 11 points with just under 10:30 remaining in the game, but the Cardinals closed out the game scoring the final 14 points to pick up their first Southland win of the season. The Cardinals rallied to defeat Abilene Christian, 24-21, Saturday night at Shotwell Stadium. The victory propels Lamar to 4-2 on the season, and 1-1 in Southland Conference play, while the Wildcats fall to 3-3 overall, and 2-1 in Southland play.
 
The Cardinals finished the night with 464 yards of total offense, while the Wildcats recorded 449. Lamar outscored their opponents 14-0 in the final 10:29 of the game to pick up the victory.
 
“Credit goes to our kids tonight,” said head coach Ray Woodard. “Our kids showed a lot of maturity. We had an opportunity to get down and quit but we didn’t. Our defense kept us in the game until our offense could get going.
 
“Mark (Roberts) is a great player. As a coach you try and get the best matchups for your players and tonight we had that. Roberts made a great play on the ball. This is a great way to go home,” added Woodard.
 
The Wildcats got the scoring started when Cedric Gilbert caught a 38-yard pass from Parker McKenzie to give ACU a 7-0 lead with 7:38 remaining in the first quarter. The lead wouldn’t last long Lamar answered back on the next drive. Sophomore running back Kade Harrington capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a three-yard plunge.
 
After getting the ball out to midfield, ACU forced Lamar to punt the ball away. Jaun Carranco’s punt was downed at the 11, but a penalty against the Cards forced Carranco to punt it away again which worked out better for Lamar as LU downed the second punt at the one yard line. The LU defense forced a three-n-out and the Cardinals started their drive from the 43-yard line.
 
Senior Caleb Berry was able to move the offense down to the two yard line before the drive stalled, but freshman Josh Davis came on to boot a 19-yard field goal to give the Cardinals their first lead of the game, 10-7, with 3:59 remaining. The lead would stand as Lamar took the advantage into the locker room.
 
The Cardinals finished the half with 225 yards of total offense, including 146 yards on the ground. The Wildcats finished the half with 151 yards.
   
Lamar had an opportunity to add to that lead early in the second half driving inside the ACU 20-yard line but the drive stalled out and Davis came on to attempt 35-yard field goal. Davis’ attempt missed to the right which seemed to give the Wildcats the momentum as they drove the ball down to the LU five-yard line. The Lamar defense held on the first three plays setting up a fourth-n-one from the one. The Wildcats tried Herschel Simms again and he was stood up at the line of scrimmage.
 
The three-point advantage would stand until the 1:51 mark of third quarter when ACU’s Monte Green-Avery caught a 65-yard pass from Cade Stone, to give the Wildcats back a four-point lead, 14-10. ACU tacked on another score less than five minutes into the fourth quarter. ACU quarterback Parker McKenzie capped a 13-play, 78-yard drive when he found Noah Cheshier from 10 yards out. The scoring play gave the Wildcats a 21-10 lead with 10:29 remaining.
 
Trailing by 11, the Cardinals turned to Harrington who broke off a 43-yard run to move the ball deep into Wildcat territory. It appeared that Lamar had turned the ball over on downs at the ACU 12, but a personal foul penalty kept the drive alive and the Cardinals made their hosts pay on the next play. Berry found senior Payden McVey at the nine-yard line and he carried the ball in for the score. The Cardinals went for two and converted cutting the lead to three, 21-18, with 7:52 remaining.
 
On the ensuing drive, the LU defense held giving the ball back to the men in red and white. Six plays later, the Cardinals took the lead back when Berry found Mark Roberts in the back of the end zone on a fourth-and-eight. Lamar did not convert on fourth down taking a 24-21 lead with 2:30 remaining.
 
Berry finished the game completing 23 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns. Harrington returned from injury to carry the ball 20 times for 143 yards and a score. Junior Devonn Brown led all LU receivers with seven catches for 62 yards.
 
The Cardinals return to action Saturday, Oct. 11, when they return home to host defending Southland Conference Champions Southeastern Louisiana. The game against the Lions will begin at 6 p.m. from Provost Umphrey Stadium.   
 
– Return to top –

 
UIW 31, Houston Baptist 8
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word football team played a complete on Saturday night against visiting Southland Conference rival Houston Baptist University and picked up a 31-8 victory at Benson Stadium.
 
The Cardinals (1-5, 1-2) were able to move the ball all game long as they maintained possession for 37:41.  The team converted 10-of-16 third down opportunities into first downs after entering the game with a 23 percent conversion rate for the season.  The key was the team’s power running game that featured sophomore Junior Sessions and quarterback Breylann McCollum.  Sessions went over 100 yards rushing for the first time this year while McCollum picked up four first downs on quarterback sneaks.
    
The UIW defense also played their best game of the year holding the Huskies to 217 total yards of offense.  The UIW pass defense was particularly effective by limiting HBU to 7-of-19 for 71 yards with 52 coming on the second play of the game.  The defense forced two turnovers and had a shutout until midway through the fourth quarter.
 
“I thought we had a good mindset with each player focusing on winning their individual battles over 60 minutes,” said UIW head coach Larry Kennan.  “They (HBU) are better than last year and we were able to beat them worse than last year which is a good thing.  They are coming though and we have great respect for their team and coaching staff.”
 
Playing in perfect weather conditions, the game got off to a nearly perfect start for the Cardinals.  The Huskies (1-4, 0-2) received the ball to start the game and after Ka’Darius Baker hit Maxwell Brown for a 52-yard gain, the defense made a big play.  Baker botched a hand-off to his running back and Juston Edwards pounced on the ball for the Cardinals at the UIW 24-yard line.
 
The UIW offense followed with a great drive.  Sessions ran the ball on seven of the team’s first eight plays moving it into HBU territory.  On 3rd-and-2 from the HBU 37-yard line, McCollum hit tight end Cole Wick with a perfect pass over the middle for a 22-yard gain.  Broderick Reeves was able to punch the ball in the end zone with a 12-yard run followed by a three-yard touchdown jaunt with 7:17 left in the first quarter.  Ramon Coto’s extra-point made it 7-0.
 
The teams traded punts until the Cardinals regained possession with 9:28 to play in the first half at their own 27-yard line.  McCollum was nearly a one-man show on the drive picking up a pair of first downs with his legs and another with his arm.  Facing a 2nd-and-11 at the HBU 34, the Cardinals went into their bag of tricks and executed a flea-flicker to perfection.  Sessions plunged into the line with the ball and then tossed it back to McCollum who delivered a perfect pass to Casey Jennings, who was all alone in the end zone.  The 34-yard score put Jennings over 1,000 yards for his career and was his first touchdown of the season.  The extra point made it 14-0 with 4:25 left in the half.
 
The Cardinals caught a break right before halftime.  The Huskies through a flare pass to Craig Bell who caught the ball, but fumbled it after a hit by Josh Zellars.  The ball bounced back toward the HBU end zone and was recovered by Kobie Douglas who returned it to the 30-yard line before being tackled.  UIW only moved the ball seven yards on the drive, but Coto drilled a 40-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the half.
 
Coming out of halftime, the Cardinals tried to put the game away.  Kody Edwards returned the kickoff 35 yards to give the team good field position.  They quickly moved the ball into HBU territory, but the slowed after crossing the 30-yard line.  A sack and another negative play pushed the ball back to the 35-yard line.  Coto’s 52-yard field goal try was well short of the mark.
 
The Cardinals got on the board on their next drive.  After David Dunkin pinned the team deep with a 53-yard punt that was downed at the five-yard line, the Cardinals embarked on their most impressive drive of the season.  Facing a 3rd-and-7 from the UIW 8-yard line, McCollum calmly connected with Jennings on a 14-yard gain to give the team some breathing room.  A Sessions run followed by a completion to Daryl Brooks were two more first downs.  Three more first downs pushed the ball into the Red Zone.  Sessions finished the drive with a great 20-yard touchdown run where he broke three tackles on the play.  Coto’s kick made it 24-0 with 1:36 left in the first quarter.  The drive covered 95 yards on 14 plays in 7:28.
 
The Huskies finally got their offense going on the ensuing possession.  They took over at their own 22-yard line and would eventually score.  The drive nearly came to a screeching halt when they faced 4th-and-1 at their own 31-yard line.  The team ran a fake punt and Dunkin found Garrett Dolan for an eight-yard gain to keep the drive alive.  From there, the team picked up five more first downs with all but six yards coming on the ground.  B.J. Kelly scored on a 16-yard scamper off an option and then Baker connected with Kenneth Bibbins on the 2-point conversion with 8:33 to play.
 
The Cardinals went three-and-out on their next drive, but then the defense came up big again to clinch the game.  Robert Moorman and Jerome McElroy combined on a sack to start the drive and then it ended when Corey Lee sacked Baker for an 18-yard loss on fourth down.  UIW would tack on another touchdown behind the running of Sessions and Joseph Sadler.  Sessions added his second score of the night on a 3-yard run with 1:12 left in the game.
 
The Cardinals finished with 27 first downs and season high 357 yards of offense.  The running game picked up 179 yards led by Sessions’ 118 and two scored.  McCollum added 33 yards while Sadler had 24 yards on three carries.  McCollum went 16-of-22 for 162 yards and one touchdown through the air.  Jennings led the team with five receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown while Wick finished with four catches for 44 yards.
 
The UIW defense limited the Huskies to 3.2 yards per play.  Adrian Norwood and Zellars led the team with eight tackles and one tackle for loss each.  Norwood also had a pass breakup while Zellars had a forced fumble.  Lee added five tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack from his nose tackle position.  Douglas finished with two pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
 
Kelly led the HBU offense with 64 yards and a touchdown on the ground.  Terrance Peters and Larry Day each had over 30 yards.  Baker went 6-for-18 for 63 yards passing.  La’Travien Gee and Eric Amoako each had double digit tackles for the Huskies.  Josh Jones had 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
 
The Cardinals are back in action next Saturday at Northwestern State at 6 p.m.  
 
– Return to top –

 
No. 5/4 McNeese State 45, Nicholls 3
LAKE CHARLES, La. – No. 5/4 McNeese State stayed true to form on Saturday night in a 45-3 win over Nicholls in its Southland Conference opener.
 
The league’s No. 1 ranked defense didn’t disappoint as the Cowboys (3-1, 1-0) held the Colonels (0-6, 0-2) to 257 total offensive yards including 70 on the ground, sacked quarterbacks Beaux Hebert and Kalen Henderson a total of six times, and forced two turnovers.
 
“There were a lot of good things coming out of tonight’s game,” said McNeese coach Matt Viator who picked up his 65th career win and moved ahead of Jack Doland as McNeese’s second winningest coach in school history. “I really like our effort and intensity.”
 
Even when it seemed like the Colonels had something going on offense, the McNeese defense would drive them back into reality, literally.
 
Down 17-0 midway through the second quarter, the Colonels faced a third-and-2 and fourth-and-1 inside the Cowboys’ 30 yard line and both times, the McNeese defense stuffed the run. On the next drive, with a first-and-10 at the Cowboys’ 26, Gabe Hamner intercepted an Hebert pass in the endzone. Then with a first-and-10 at the McNeese 16 early in the third quarter, Henderson would get sacked by Kevin Dorn followed by Brent Spikes that forced the Colonels into a field goal.
 
But the defense wasn’t the only side of the ball that shined on the night.
 
McNeese’s offense rolled up 567 total yards with 325 on the ground. Quarterback Daniel Sams tipped the century mark for the first time in the blue and gold as he led the team with 135 yards on 13 carries and a 10.4 per carry average. His rushing total ranks tied as the fourth-highest total by a quarterback in school history and he became the first quarterback to hit 100 yards rushing since Derrick Fourroux ran for 102 against South Dakota State in 2008.
 
Ryan Ross, who played in his first collegiate game last week against Arkansas Tech, ran for 94 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown while Kelvin Bennett added 56 yards and a score.
 
Sams and Tyler Bolfing shared time behind center and combined to complete 15 of 26 passes for 242 yards and three scores. Bolfing hit 10 of 15 targets for 166 yards and a score while Sams threw for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
 
McNeese led 7-0 after the first quarter then opened up with 17 points in the second stanza to take a 24-0 lead at the half. The final scoring drive of the second quarter couldn’t have been played out any better as the Bolfing marched McNeese 80 yards in 1:17 and hit Derrick Milton on a 4-yard scoring playing to put the Cowboys up 24-0 at the break.
 
The opening drives of the third quarter put the game away as the Cowboys scored on a 9-play, 67-yard drive to open the second half then posted a 9-play, 74-yard drive that was capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run by Dylan Long to make it 38-3. Nicholls got a 47-yard field goal by Francisco Condado in between the two McNeese drives to give the Colonels their only points of the game.
 
The two scoring drives by McNeese combined to take more than half the time off the clock of the third quarter.
 
“We came out after the half and put together two consecutive touchdown drives,” said Viator. “We challenged the kids at the half to come out with energy and we did.”
 
A perfectly placed 33-yard pass from Sams to Khalil Thomas got the scoring going with 3:39 to play in the first quarter to give McNeese a 7-0 lead. Bennett made it 14-0 with a 14-yard run at the 11:08 mark of the second quarter and a 20-yard field goal by Alex Kjellsten put the Cowboys up 17-0 five minutes later.
 
A two-yard pass by Sams to R.J. Walters made it 31-0 with 10:42 to play in the third quarter. It was the redshirt freshman’s first reception and touchdown in his career.
 
Nicholls got 81 yards rushing by Michael Henry while Hebert and Henderson combined to complete 14 of 26 passes for 187 yards with an interception.
 
The Cowboys will hit the road next Saturday for the first time since the season opener when they visit Sam Houston State in a Southland Television broadcast game.

 

 

Click HERE to discuss this topic INSIDE THE BIRD CAGE Forum 

• Tweet
• Pin It