By Lamar SID Office

 

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Lamar University outgained University of the Incarnate Word Saturday evening but UIW won the annual battle of the Cardinals posting a 35-17 victory at Benson Stadium. The setback dropped LU to 4-4 (.500) on the season and 2-3 (.400) in Southland Conference play.

The Red and White finished with 478 yards of total offense, while UIW finished with 470. Senior Jordan Hoy completed all six of his pass attempts for 21 yards and recorded four carries for 77 yards and a touchdown – the score came on a 73-yard run. Shane Johnson came on in relief of Hoy and completed nine passes for 124 yards. Junior Myles Wanza led the Cardinals with 16 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown.

Junior Daniel Crosley led the defensive effort with 10 tackles, while Michael Lawson added eight tackles. Junior Kyron Norwood added three stops and an interception which set up another score.

“We played a very good football team tonight,” said LU head coach Mike Schultz. “We knew that coming in. We had moments tonight where we didn’t play well, and that falls on me. We have to do a better job. I thought Jermaine (Givens) and Shand Johnson did some nice job tonight. We have some athletic quarterbacks.”

UIW took the first lead of the game on their opening possession, a drive that took less than two minutes off the clock. UIW’s Jon Copeland hit Ameer King on the right side of the field and he carried the ball 26 yards for the touchdown. Unaffected, the good guys responded immediately. Hoy took the football on the second play from scrimmage and carried it 73 yards for the equalizing score.

The score remained unchanged for the next 10 minutes until San Antonio’s version of the Cardinals jumped back in front. Copeland went back to the air completing a 24-yard pass to Brady Rogers. UIW tacked on another score but missed the point after try to give the home team a 13-point lead, 20-7 lead minutes later.

It appeared Big Red was driving right before the end of the opening half, but Jermaine Givens’ – who came on the field in replace of an injured Hoy – pass was picked off by Jerick Pitre and returned all the way out to the LU 38 but was pushed back 10 yards following a holding call. The interception set up a UIW touchdown with eight seconds remaining in the half to take 28-7 lead into the locker room.

The Cardinals finished the half with 250 yards of total offense, with 163 of that coming on the ground. The bad guys finished the half with 338 yards, with 301 coming through the air.

 

UIW opened the second half seeking the knockout punch but Copeland was picked off in LU territory by Kyron Norwood, and Norwood returned the intercepted pass back to UIW 30. Five plays later, Wanza carried the ball in from 10 yards out to trim the deficit down to 14, 28-14.

After tacking on another score, the home team picked off a pass deep in LU territory and moved it down inside the LU one before fumbling the ball away. Beaumont’s Cardinals recovered the ball and Johnson led the Cardinals on a 12-play, 88-yard drive which ended in a Bailey Giffen 28-yard field goal. The drive took 5:34 off the clock. Following the field goal Big Red attempted an on-side kick and recovered but on fourth down of the ensuing drive LU attempted a fake field goal and was stopped.

The Cardinals return to action Saturday, Nov. 2 when they host Central Arkansas. The game against the Bears will begin at 3 p.m. from Provost Umphrey Stadium.