FOOTBALL: Winning time it is: Cards secure plus-.500 season, dominate Huskies

Published 7:16 pm Saturday, November 10, 2018

BEAUMONT — Five winning records in the last 27 seasons Lamar has played football — not counting its 1990-2009 dormancy — is enough perspective to gain from the importance of what the Cardinals accomplished Saturday, coach Mike Schultz said.

Lamar routed Houston Baptist 38-9 at Provost Umphrey Stadium for its sixth win this season, guaranteeing a winning mark for the first time since 2014. The Cards (6-4, 5-3 Southland), who will conclude the regular season next Saturday at McNeese State, also achieved something it hadn’t since 1972 — they’ve won five straight games.

“Our first goal for this season was that we wanted to have a winning season, and our kids accomplished that tonight,” Schultz said. “I’m very proud of them. I’m very happy for the seniors. … They deserved to go out in their last home game like they did.”

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The Cards started quickly with a 14-0 lead, only to see the Huskies (1-9, 0-8) strike back with a touchdown and safety in the second quarter. But a defensive stop of Lamar’s own thwarted that comeback just before halftime, when Chaston Brooks recovered a quarterback fumble on a sack and returned it 47 yards to make it 21-9.

HBU at Lamar postgame

Posted by Port Arthur News Sports on Saturday, November 10, 2018

“I was blitzing off the edge, and all I could see was the ball in the air,” Brooks, a senior, said. “I took it, just made sure I could hold on to it. Last year, I dropped the ball. I was just like, tuck it in high and tight and make sure I scored.”

Jordan Hoy, the two-time reigning Southland Conference offensive player of the week, threw 6 for 9 for two touchdowns and 111 yards and also ran 12 times for 83 yards in his third start.

“Each week, I just try to prepare the same I always have throughout these weeks and do the same things when I started practice through the finish of it through the weeks,” Hoy said. “I just go out and do my job to help this team win.”

Case Robinson caught both touchdown passes, ending up with three receptions for 88 yards. His longest went for 46 yards in the third quarter, but he scored his first TD from 16 yards out one play after Garrison Mitchell returned an interception 76 yards.

“This is a guy that, three weeks ago was in a club,” Schultz said, referring to a hand injury Robinson suffered against Sam Houston State on Oct. 20. “… If you notice tonight, this is a guy who had surgery on it, went in and wore a glove. That’s an incredible job by our people here in Beaumont on our staff here. For Case, it was great.”

Regular starter Darrel Colbert saw his first action since an ankle injury against Sam Houston State, but was not as productive (3-of-9 passing for 56 yards and five carries for 7 yards).

Senior free safety Lane Taylor also intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.

ATTENDANCE

Cold, cloudy weather didn’t stop 8,028 from watching Saturday’s home finale. That topped Lamar’s previous high for a home game, set Sept. 22 against Southeastern Louisiana, by 11 persons.

THE GAME BALL GOES TO …

Dedrick Garner, a senior defensive end who had two sacks for a total loss of 29 yards and three tackles for losses in all. He forced the fumble that Brooks returned for a momentum-ending touchdown.

NEXT UP …

Lamar will visit McNeese State in the annual Battle of the Border. Kickoff in Lake Charles is set for 6 p.m.

I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews

 

Cardinals 38, Huskies 9

HBU    0          9          0          0          —        9

Lamar 14       7          7          10       —        38

First quarter

Lamar — Kirkland Banks 5 run (Elvin Martinez kick), 10:19

Lamar — Case Robinson 16 pass from Jordan Hoy (Martinez kick), 7:30

Second quarter

HBU — David Racine 13 pass from Bailey Zappe (David Dominguez kick), 5:58

HBU — Caleb Johnson safety, 2:17

Lamar — Chaston Brooks 47 fumble recovery (Martinez kick), 0:07

Third quarter

Lamar — Robinson 46 pass from Hoy (Martinez kick), 3:29

Fourth quarter

Lamar — Myles Wanza 22 run (Martinez kick), 13:55

Lamar — Martinez 30 field goal, 5:46

 

HBU                Lamar

First downs                17                   19

Rushes-yards             25-19             49-205

Passing yards                        259                 167

Total yards                 278                 372

Comp-Att-Int             29-54-2          9-18-0

Fumbles-lost              2-1                  4-1

Penalties-yards         5-31                2-10

Possession                  29:54              30:06

 

Individual statistics

RUSHING — HBU: LaDarius Dickens 12-72, Jerreth Sterns 1-9, Ean Beek 2-4, Team 2-(-26), Zappe 2-(-26). Lamar: Myles Wanza 13-88, Jordan Hoy 12-83, A.J. Walker 10-25, Jawun Ruffin 1-5, Dewan Thompson 1-4, Zae Giles 1-3, Desmond Veals 1-3, Darrel Colbert 5-0, Kirkland Banks 3-0.

PASSING — HBU: Zappe 28-49-1, 238; Andrew Haidet 0-4-1; Sterns 1-1-0, 21. Lamar: Hoy 6-9-0, 111; Colbert 3-9-0, 56.

RECEIVING — HBU: Sterns 8-107, Racine 5-44, Corey Ceniceros 5-38, Terry Tillmon 3-26, Jeremy Smith 2019, Dickens 2-(-1), Zappe 1-21, Nick Sexton 1-9, Coleman Robinson 1-3, Trevor Larkin 1-2. Lamar: Case Robinson 3-88, Dorian Gaston 2-37, Ruffin 2-24, Thompson 1-13, Wanza 1-5.

About I.C. Murrell

I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

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