In a tight defensive battle, Lamar overcame Southeastern Louisiana 14-12 in a battle of ranked teams, Nov. 8.
The Lions were ranked 14th nationally and the Cardinals were 18th heading into the Southland Conference matchup.
After a quiet first quarter from both teams, Big Red scored the first points of the game in the second when quarterback Robert Coleman found receiver JaCorey Hyder in the corner of the endzone for nine-yard touchdown with 28-seconds left in the half. The Cards took a 7-0 lead into the break.
The defensive centered tussle continued in the second half. Lamar’s offense could not muster any points, but Southeastern was able to kick 2 field goals to bring the score to 6-7 going into the fourth quarter.
The Cards opened up the final quarter with a methodical 15-play, 77-yard drive for a one-yard rushing touchdown by running back Major Bowden. Southeastern responded with trickery. On a fake field goal, the punter ran past the LU defense for a 22-yard touchdown. After a failed two-point attempt, Lamar led 14-12 with three-minutes left.
LU attempted to run out the clock, but they had a mishap. With around a minute and a half left, LU fumbled the ball away, giving the Lions great field position to win the game. The LU defense stood its ground, however, getting a fourth-down stop to end the game in the Cardinals favor.
Head Coach Pete Rossomando said the defense propelled Big Red to the win.
“The defense stepped up,” he said. “They played really good. Twice, inside the 20, they kept them to a field goal or came away with nothing. I think they did a great job.”
Next up for the Cardinals is a road trip to face SLC leaders Stephen F Austin, another top-25 ranked team. Rossomando said the Cardinals are looking forward to the game and the environment surrounding it.
“I think it will be a hell of a playoff type of environment,” he said. “I think both teams are really good teams. We have to go prove ourselves again, once more.”
The Cardinals moved up to 14th nationally with the win and are tied for second in the SLC, one game behind SFA.
Kickoff is scheduled for 4 pm. in Nacogdoches.
