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THIBODAUX, La. – After an hour long lightning delay, the Nicholls State University football team had its best showing of the season, led by 136 yards on the ground by Michael Henry and another 104 by Tobias Lofton, but Stephen F. Austin scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull away as the Colonels fell 42-20 on Saturday night at John L. Guidry Stadium.
 
Nicholls drops to 0-7 on the year and 0-3 in Southland play after losing its 13th consecutive contest. With the win, Stephen F. Austin ups its record to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in conference, and also ends its 12-game road losing streak.
 
The Colonels racked up a season high 381 yards of total offense, headed by their 1-2 punch at running back. Henry toted the ball 19 times and found the end zone twice, while Lofton carried the ball six times and scored on a 66-yard run in the third, which was the Colonels' longest play of the year.
 
The wet field conditions may have played a factor early on as the teams were knotted up at 7-7 at the half. But after the defense came up big in the first and second quarters, SFA found its groove in the final 30 minutes as they were able to turn their yardage into points. The Lumberjacks finished with 599 yards on offense, with quarterback Zach Conque accounting for 291 yards passing with 51 yards rushing and three scores.
 
In the third, the squads combined for 34 points as SFA led 28-20 heading into the final quarter.
The 'Jacks had a 28-13 led after Gus Johnson, who rushed for 202 yards on 19 carries, found the end zone for the third time on the night. Nicholls answered right before the end of the quarter with a 41-yard touchdown run by Henry, his longest rush of the season.
 
Conque engineered a 12-play, 81 yard drive on SFA's first possession of the fourth to give the 'Jacks a 35-20 lead. The drive was highlighted by a 35-yard pass to Aaron Thomas. Nicholls looked to have forced a turnover right after the long pass as Chris Lorden poked the ball out from Johnson, but SFA recovered the fumble and  Conque capped the drive with a 1-yard score.
 
Nicholls had to punt on its next possession, and then a 4th-and-10 attempt at midfield came up short, giving SFA the ball back with five minutes to go. SFA tacked on one more touchdown to make the final.
 
The Colonels were led on defense by senior Davin Bovie, who racked up a season-high 19 tackles, which was four shy of tying the program record. Nicholls also had a season-high four tackles for loss, and Ronnie Walker came up the team's first sack of the year, which forced a turnover-on-downs in the fourth quarter.
 
The defense looked to be in for another long day on the opening drive as SFA scored on a 1-yard run by Johnson. But the team rallied back in the quarter, holding the Lumberjacks to a punt before Byron Cobb came up with a pass breakup to force a turnover-on-downs.  
 
Early in the second, SFA drove down to the Colonels' 5-yard line, but Josh Dewey came up with an interception in the end zone to keep the score at 7-0. The offense then responded, getting long runs from Henry and Lofton before Henry punched it in on 3rd-and-goal at the 1 for his first TD of the season.
 
In the third quarter, Johnson gave SFA the lead with a 34-yard touchdown scamper. However, Lofton made a great read with two blockers ahead of him, cutting it inside before sprinting down the sideline for a 66-yard touchdown. The Colonels had their extra-point blocked, keeping SFA ahead at 14-13.
 
A 48-yard run by Johnson set up another touchdown run by Conque, and a costly fumble by the Colonels on the ensuing kickoff led to another Johnson score, making the score 28-13 in the third. But a big kick return of 36 yards by Keenan Canty led to Henry's 41-yard TD to end the third.
 
While Nicholls ran for 258 yards, the team struggle in the passing game, finishing with 128 yards on 12-of-28 by Kalen Henderson. The senior was able to avoid the rush, being sacked only three times and added 18 yards rushing. Eight different Colonels had receptions, with Henry (34 yards) and Canty (13 yards) finishing with three each.
 
Nicholls will return to the gridiron next Saturday for Family Day against Lamar. Kickoff at John L. Guidry Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m.