An early start by the Sam Houston State Bearkats propelled them to a 47-37 victory over the Nicholls State Colonels Nov. 8 in Guidry Stadium. The Colonels faced a 24-0 deficit in the first quarter. Turnovers on their first three drives allowed the Bearkats to establish such a lead. Moreover, the Colonels struggled on defense in the opening quarter. “You can’t do that,” Colonel coach Jay Thomas said. “Just because these guys were 1-3 in the conference doesn’t mean they are not a good football team. You can’t turn the ball over, and you can’t bust assignments in coverage and expect to beat a good football team.”
The Bearkats opened the game with a 37-yard successful field goal to make the score 3-0. Then the three consecutive Colonel turnovers allowed the deficit to swell to 24-0.
The Colonels were able to gain momentum in the second quarter, though, and make a run. The Colonels got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter on a 44-yard field goal by junior kicker Ross Schexnayder. Later in the quarter, junior cornerback Jamal Simmons recorded an interception in the end zone to cease a Bearkat scoring threat. Though the Colonels were unable to capitalize on the ensuing offensive drive, the Bearkats got the ball back and scored after a Colonel punt to make the score 31-3.
However, the Colonels were able to put the ball in the end zone via a four-yard touchdown run by senior running back Issa Hines.
“We just knew coming out in the second half we had to start off strong because we started off the game real slow,” Hines said. “We needed to make something happen.”
Following an interception by senior defensive back Ladarius Webb and his runback to the Colonel territory, the Colonels scored again late in the half on a five-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Vince Montgomery. Despite the slow start, the Colonels went into halftime with the score being a manageable 31-16.
The second half opened with a 66-yard touchdown reception by Hines from senior quarterback Chris Bunch. This connection allowed the Colonels to only trail by eight points. This was as close as the Colonels would come. The Bearkats increased the score to 44-23 early in the fourth quarter. In the quarter, the Colonels got two touchdowns to no avail on a 26-yard touchdown reception by senior wide receiver Patrick Gordon and a career first touchdown by senior running back DeMarko Hutchinson on a five-yard run. The Colonels were unsuccessful on its subsequent onside kick attempt.
“We started slow, but everybody came back with the effort,” Webb said. “They came out and got some big plays on us, and that kind of slowed us down. But we came back with 100 percent effort and made a game of it again. We couldn’t think about the early turnovers. We just had to keep moving.”
The Colonels will be back in action Saturday in San Marcos, Texas to face the Texas State Bobcats. Gametime is set for 3 p.m.
Colonels quarterback Chris Bunch tries to throw a pass before being sacked during the game against Sam Houston State University on Saturday in John L. Guidry Stadium. (Ashley Falterman)
