BEAUMONT — Nicholls State jumped out to a 20-0 first-half lead and never looked back defeating Lamar, 41-14, Saturday evening at Provost Umphrey Stadium.

It is the third consecutive loss for the Cardinals (1-4, 0-3 Southland) on the season.

The Cardinals struggled to move the ball finishing the night with 237 yards of total offense. LU’s quarterbacks struggled Saturday completing 14 of 33 passes for 121 yards and two interceptions.

Nicholls recorded 506 yards of total offense behind a strong ground attack. The Colonels rushed for 354 yards led by Kyran Irvin’s 152 yards and two scores. Jeremy Rounds rushed 16 times for 103 yards and a score.

LU was led defensively by senior Manasseh Miles who recorded a career-high 11 tackles, including 1.5 for losses. Miles was one of nine Cardinals to record a tackle for loss Saturday evening. Junior Lane Taylor and freshman David Crosley each added 10 tackles.

“We have to stay the course right now,” said LU head coach Mike Schultz. “We have to keep working. Needless to say we’re not where we want to be. Right now we have to stay the course and get better. As a 37-year veteran of coaching, I can tell them the process will work – we just have to trust the process.”

The Colonels scored on the game’s opening drive. Nicholls QB Chase Fourcade moved the visitors down the field on a five-play, 84-yard drive that ended with 28-yard pass to Chris Booker. The score would stay at 6-0 as the Cards blocked the extra-point attempt. It would be the only score of the first quarter, but the Colonels would score two more times before Big Red cut into the lead.

LU capped a five-play, 75-yard drive with a 36-yard pass from Kendrick King to Kirkland Banks midway through the second quarter. King took the pitch from Colbert, rolled out to his right and found Banks wide open down the sideline. Nicholls closed out the half by tacking on one more score to take a 27-7 lead into the locker room.

Nicholls went back to the ground game in the second half adding two more touchdowns before the Cardinals scored the final points of the game. LU’s final touchdown came from a Nicholls mistake. After being forced to punt the ball away, Nicholls’ Jarrell Rogers fumbled the return and sophomore Kevin O’Neill fell on the ball. Three plays later the Cardinals were in the end zone when senior Andrew Allen carried the ball in from four yards out.

Freshman punter Tyler Slaydon had the best night of his young career averaging 44 yards per punt, including a 73-yarder – the third-longest punt in program history, and the longest since the 1973 season.

The Cardinals will have an extra week to prepare for Incarnate Word. The Red and White will be back in action Saturday, Oct. 14, when they travel to San Antonio to take on coach Larry Kennan’s Cardinals. The game against UIW will kick off at 6 p.m.