Stephen F. Austin's big game came a week early.
Or maybe they are all big when a title is on the line.
Photo by Jeff Abt |
SFA's Gralyn Crawford against Nicholls State Saturday.
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The Lumberjacks proved they had the mettle to withstand a challenge by a huge underdog by coming up with big plays down the stretch to pull out a comeback victory, their first of the season.
Quarterback Jeremy Moses threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to senior Duane Brooks with 2:45 left in the game to cap a late rally and give the Lumberjacks a 31-27 decision over Nicholls at Homer Bryce Stadium Saturday night.
The game-winning drive took eight plays and covered 61 yards — the touchdown coming on a simple toss from Moses on a comeback route to Brooks for his school-record 69th catch of the season.
But really, nothing was simple in this one for SFA in defeating the Colonels, who didn't play the part of being a 1-7 team coming into the contest.
After Brooks' score, Nicholls drove to the SFA 40-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. SFA then gave the Colonels more life, when running back Vincent Pervis was stripped of the football at the SFA 46-yard line with 43 seconds to go.
Nicholls quarterback LaQuinton Caston's long fourth-down pass was out of bounds at about the 10-yard line on the game's last play.
SFA (7-2, 4-1) needed the victory to remain in a first-place tie going into Saturday's road showdown with Southeastern Louisiana, which improved to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the league with a 27-0 win over Northwestern State Saturday.
A 26-point underdog, Nicholls was supposed to be a tune-up for the Lumberjacks.
The Colonels stung SFA for 314 yards offense — 253 rushing — in the first half in taking a 27-21 lead into the break.
SFA's defense held the Colonels scoreless and to 120 yards in the second half.
All 10 of SFA's second-half points came in the final 9 minutes. Freshman Evan Engwall hit a 27-yard field goal with 8:48 left to cut the margin to 27-24.
Brooks' catch was the hard-earned game-winner.
"A comeback route," Brooks said of his game-winning catch. "With Moses throwing and with our timing, it's hard to shut us down."
After the first half, it was hard to see SFA's defense shutting Nicholls out in the final 30 minutes.
But the Colonels managed just seven first downs in the second half. The visitors were also hurt by a holding call in the fourth quarter on a play in which Caston broke free for a long run after Engwall's field goal had cut the margin to 3 points.
SFA's comeback victory was its first of the season. The team defeated Central Arkansas with a late drive to set up a field goal in a 33-30 win in a game in which SFA never trailed.
In fact, SFA never trailed in its other six wins before Saturday's game.
"That's what champions do," SFA coach J.C. Harper said of his team's dramatic win Saturday. "We played like champions."
Moses completed 36-of-47 passes for 366 yards with four scoring throws and two interceptions.
But the junior's performance was overshadowed throughout the game, largely because SFA was playing from behind and most of his throws were underneath the Colonels' coverage.
Brooks and Aaron Rhea each had eight catches and one touchdown catch. Senior Contrevious Parks had six receptions for 111 yards, including a 12-yard score from Moses that tied the game at 21-21 with 13:43 left in the second quarter.
But after that score, SFA didn't score again until the 8:48 mark of the fourth, on Engwall's 27-yard field goal.
Nicholls rushed for 354 yards, led by senior fullback Marlin Meeks 144 yards on 16 carries. The Colonels also got free on options when Caston and A.J. Williams found the Lumberjacks' corner of the defense.
"We came into the game with seven healthy lineman," Colonels coach Jay Thomas said. "We showed a lot of guts, a lot of heart — to play with a ranked opponent like that.
"They made plays when they had to make the plays."
The first half featured 48 points and 523 yards between the two teams.
Nicholls scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, The 21 points came on drives of eight, three and four plays.
Williams broke free for a 55-yard run for the second touchdown, and Meeks struck for a 45-yarder to set up the third, which was capped by a 26-yard run by Meeks after he took a well-timed option pitch from Caston, who had just stepped over an SFA player before flipping the ball backward.
SFA scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions, yet trailed at intermission.
The second half turned into a chess match of field position, with SFA limiting Nicholls' big plays and the Lumberjacks moving the ball but coming up empty until their last two drives that won it.
The other three SLC teams that entered the day tied for first play all won.
Texas State defeated Central Arkansas 27-24; SLU defeated Northwestern 27-0; and McNeese downed Sam Houston 63-42.
