Sophomore kicker Alex Romero’s 27-yard field goal on 4th down lifted the Colonels to a 32-29 overtime victory over No. 5 Texas State Bobcats in the Colonels homecoming game at John L. Guidry Stadium Saturday night. Romero lined up for the field goal attempt from the Texas State 10-yard line with the Colonels facing a fourth down and nine situation. After Texas State called a timeout, Romero converted his field goal, propelling the Colonels to a win in the “Battle for the Paddle.”

With the win, the Colonels (3-3 overall) moved into a four-way tie for first place in the Southland Conference standings with a record of 2-1. Texas State dropped to 6-2 and 2-1 in conference play. The Colonels will travel to play Northwestern State in Natchitoches next Saturday, who is also tied for the league’s top spot.

“I didn’t expect this,” Romero said of his performance after returning for his first action since a groin injury sidelined him for the Sam Houston State game. “I’ve been in the training room everyday twice and three times a day just trying to get something together so I could get back in the game.”

Romero’s kick was his second field goal for the Colonels during the game as he connected on a 23-yard field goal as time expired in the 4th quarter to tie the game up between the two squads at 29-all.

“I’m so happy for him to make that field goal,” head football coach Jay Thomas said. “We have a lot of confidence in him.”

Texas State received the ball first during overtime where it began its drive at the Colonels 25-yard line. Bobcat quarterback Barrick Nealy threw an incomplete pass on third down, but junior defensive back Tony Edison was called for a 15-yard pass interference penalty, giving the Bobcats a first-and-goal situation at the Colonels 10-yard line. Nealy finished the game with 227 yards passing and two touchdowns.

On first down, Bobcat running back Daniel Jolly fumbled the ball away, and Edison pounced on it, ending the Bobcat drive.

Nicholls began its overtime drive at the Bobcat 25-yard line. The Colonels moved the ball down to the Texas State 11-yard line. After the Colonels gained one yard on its first three downs, the Bobcats called a timeout before Romero made the field goal through for a Colonel victory.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Colonels held a 26-7 lead over the Bobcats, but Texas State outscored the Colonels 22-3 in the final period of regulation.

Continuing a drive that began late in the third quarter at its own 31-yard line, the Bobcats drove down the field behind the arm of Nealy.

Facing a third and eight situation at its own 33-yard line, Nealy completed a 16-yard pass to wide receiver Markee White for a Bobcat first down at the Texas State 49-yard line. On third down, Nealy completed a 13-yard pass to wide receiver Tyrone Scott for another Bobcat first down.

Following another incomplete pass, Nealy connected with wide receiver Dameon Williams for a 38-yard touchdown, trimming the Colonels lead to 26-14 with 13:40 remaining in regulation.

Later in the quarter, the Bobcats embarked on a five-play, 34-yard drive, ending in a five-yard touchdown run by Bobcat running back Nick Sessions, cutting the Colonels lead to 26-21 with 5:04 left in the fourth.

The Colonels began their next drive at their own 23-yard line. The Colonels ran the ball three consecutive times but failed to pick up a first down, forcing the Colonels to make a decision on a fourth-and-one situation at their own 32-yard line. Thomas elected to go for it, but senior running back Anthony Harris was stopped for no gain, turning the ball over to Bobcats.

Three plays later, Jolly ran for a 23-yard touchdown to put the Bobcats ahead of the Colonels 27-26. Jolly finished the game with 75 yards rushing and one touchdown to lead the Bobcats ground game. The Bobcats were successful on the two-point pass from Nealy to White to increase its lead to 29-26 with 2:18 remaining in the game.

“They really had the momentum at that time, and (I) didn’t want to give the ball back to them-not to that quarterback,” Thomas said. “He’s phenomenal. He was getting hot there late, and we were getting a little tired. They got back in it (the game) and took the lead on us, but our team showed a lot of character (and) a lot of grit to come back and tie the thing up.”

The Colonels began their next drive at their own 37-yard line with 2:10 remaining in the game. Senior quarterback Yale Vannoy ran for 10 yards on first down moving the ball to the Colonels 47-yard line.

After two incomplete passes, Vannoy completed a 13-yard pass to junior wide receiver Kenley Horton for a first down in Bobcat territory. A Bobcat holding penalty gave the Colonels a first down at the Texas State 30-yard line.

After gaining four yards on first down, the Bobcats were flagged for an offside penalty, moving the ball down to the Texas State 21-yard line.

The Colonels were able to gain two more first downs before Vannoy spiked the ball on second and goal, stopping the clock with three seconds remaining. Romero came in and kicked a 23-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime.

“Yale did an outstanding job just taking command of the offense and moving it down in a pressure type situations,” Thomas said. “We didn’t panic. We played smart, and our offense really functioned well on the field. It gave us an opportunity to get back in the game. (We) tied the game and did a really good job in overtime.”

Vannoy passed for 56 yards and rushed for another 56 yards and two touchdowns for the Colonels. Cole led the Colonels rushing attack with a career high 126 yards. He also scored one touchdown.

The Colonels scored on their second play from scrimmage on its first drive of the game when sophomore fullback Broderick Cole raced down the field for a 76-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 Colonels lead.

Neither team scored again until the Colonels began a 7-play, 67-yard drive at its own 33-yard line. Vannoy capped the drive with a 1-yard run for a 14-0 Colonels lead.

The Bobcats responded with a five-play, 65-yard drive, ending with a six-yard pass from Nealy to White to cut the Colonels lead to 14-7.

The Colonels failed to move the ball on their first possession of the second half and punted the ball to the Bobcats. Texas State wide receiver Morris Crosby fumbled the ball on the return and sophomore linebacker Robert Ellis recovered it, giving the Colonels a first down at the Bobcat 42-yard line.

The Colonels marched down the field before Harris scored a touchdown on a four-yard run. Romero’s extra point failed leaving the Colonels with a 20-7 lead.

The Colonels began a seven-play 41 drive after junior linebacker Cory Vavala intercepted a pass and returned it to the Bobcat 41-yard line. The drive ended in a Vannoy three-yard run with 2:43 remaining in the third quarter. Harris’s rush on the two-point conversion failed, leaving the Colonels with a 26-7 lead.