Senior Lane Taylor broke through the line to block Cody Seidel’s 40-yard field goal attempt with 12 seconds on the clock, and junior Caleb Abrom picked up the loose ball and sprinted 66 yards for the game-winning touchdown as Lamar University defeated Incarnate Word in thrilling fashion, 27-21, Saturday afternoon at Provost Umphrey Stadium. The heart-stopping victory put an end to the Cards four-game skid, and handed UIW its first conference setback of the season.
“I’m excited for the kids,” said LU head coach Mike Schultz. “Believe it or not, when we were in the huddle before the actual kick the first thing the defense said was we’re going to block it, scoop it and score. It was an exciting moment for our kids and our fans.”
The game saw more than 1,000 yards of total offense as the Red and White finished the day with 422, including 254 through the air. Senior Darrel Colbert, Jr. completed 14 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, and also carried the ball 20 times for 66 yards and a score. The Cardinals rushed for 168 yards in the game led by the return of sophomore Myles Wanza. The Houston native had 14 carries for 79 yards in his first game back since Texas Tech.
Despite the offensive numbers, it was the LU (2-4/1-3 SLC) defense that stole the spotlight in the opening 30 minutes of action. The Cardinals kept their guests off the scoreboard by taking the ball away in the first half. LU picked off four passes in the game led by two from Garrison Mitchell. Senior Rodney Randle, Jr. and Taylor had the other two picks.
“I’m very proud of our guys tonight,” said LU head coach Mike Schultz. “These kids fought really hard the whole game. I thought our defense did an outstanding job of taking the ball away causing four turnovers. Offensively, we did what we had to do when we needed to. UIW is good on both sides of the ball and we knew that going in. We will enjoy this one tonight but we have to get prepared for Sam Houston State beginning tomorrow.”
Big Red’s defense also did what no other team has been able to accomplish this season. UIW’s running back Ra’Quanne Dickens entered the game with an astounding 9.2 yards per carry but the Red and White held him to just 57 yards on 17 carries (3.4 ypc).
The Southland’s other Cardinals cracked the scoreboard first when Jon Copeland hooked up with Lamont Johnson for a 50-yard touchdown. The 7-0 lead held until the second quarter when LU evened things up. After Taylor picked off a Copeland pass at the LU 11, Colbert connected with junior Jawun Ruffin on the very next play for one of the biggest plays in program history. Colbert found Ruffin open five yards down the field and Ruffin zig-zagged his way through traffic 89 yards for the touchdown – it is the longest pass play in program history. It breaks a record which was originally set during the 1957 season (George Parks to Larry Ward).
The score would remain tied at 7 until early in the third quarter when Colbert guided the Cardinals on a six-play, 75-yard that ended with a 40-yard pass to Zae Giles. The scoring strike handed LU its first lead of the game. The advantage held for eight minutes until San Antonio’s version of the Cardinals tied the game up with 3:11 remaining in the third.
The hometown Cardinals still had more left in the tank as Colbert led the Cards right back down the field on the very next possession. LU moved the ball 75 yards on nine plays and the drive ended with a Colbert one-yard run to retake the lead, 21-14. Unfortunately, the bad guys answered with a scoring drive of their own on the very next possession.
The second half was setting up as the team who had the ball last would win as both teams appeared to be moving the ball will, but that changed after the UIW score. Big Red moved the ball into UIW territory on the next possession but was forced to punt it away. UIW could manage only one first down on the ensuing possession. The Cardinals got the ball back but were forced to punt it away after a three-and-out.
Following the punt, UIW took over from its own 13 with just under two minutes remaining. San Antonio’s version of the Cardinals methodically moved the ball down the field aided by a pass interference against LU, to set up a 40-yard Seidel attempt with 12 seconds on the clock.
Schultz had all three of his timeouts remaining and elected to use one. Once the team’s lined back up Schultz called his second timeout, but the gamesmanship still wasn’t finished. After the second timeout, the ball was snapped and it had the distance but Schultz called his third and final timeout just prior to the snap. It was just what LU needed as Taylor and Abrom stepped into the spotlight to play the role of hero.
“This was a good win tonight,” said Schultz. “A win is a win and we’re excited about it, but we still have a long way to go. Our kids are very excited tonight, and I’m very proud of how they fought, how hard they played and the fact they never gave up.”
Senior Chaston Brooks led the Cardinals’ defense with 12 tackles, including seven solo stops. Seniors Davon Jernigan and Randle each added 11 stops (both had nine unassisted tackles). LU finished the night with six tackles for losses, two sacks, four interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Sophomore Kirkland Banks caught a team-high four passes for 60 yards, while Ruffin had a career night with three catches for a career-high 104 yards and one touchdown. He also carried the ball twice for four yards, and returned a punt and a kick for 20 yards.
The Cardinals will be back in action Saturday, Oct. 20th when they host Sam Houston State. The game against the Bearkats will kick off a 3 p.m. from Provost Umphrey Stadium.
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