Oct. 10, 2009

Final Stats

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Nicholls played Sam Houston State tough in the first half - trailed 17-14 at halftime - and even took the lead early on in the third quarter, but could not hold on as the Bearkats prevailed 44-21 in Bowers Stadium on an overcast Saturday afternoon.

"Even though it was a loss, I have to give it our team," said Head Coach Jay Thomas. "We had over eight guys playing with the flu and others playing injured, and they never gave up. But we do have improvements to make."

The Colonels were led by redshirt freshmen quarterback Laquintin Caston in the game with 172 yards passing to go along with a touchdown and 18 yards rushing. Assisting in Caston's cause was senior wide receiver Antonio Robinson with 108 yards receiving and a touchdown. Nicholls had its best statistical game of the year on offense, tallying 321 yards that included a balance attack of 149 on the ground and 172 through the air.

Leading the defensive charge for the Colonels was sophomore defensive back Bobby Felder and senior linebacker Yashua Willis with eight tackles each. Felder had a forced fumble and three pass breakups, while Willis had 2.5 tackles for a loss. Senior linebacker Kyle Hughes also recorded his first career interception in the loss.

The Bearkats were led by quarterback Blake Joseph with 269 yards passing and a score, while running back James Aston had 81 on the ground and three touchdowns. SHSU had 442 yards of total offense with 173 of it coming by the ground.

Nicholls trailed 17-14 at halftime, but opened the second half with a 10-play scoring drive to take its first lead of the game, 24-17, on a 1-yard run by senior fullback Trey Hopson. It was the first advantage that the Colonels have had in the second half of a game this season.

However, Sam Houston State followed with back-to-back scoring drives to take a 31-21 lead to end the third quarter, and Nicholls never recovered.

"I felt like we had a little momentum swing in the opening of the half, but we couldn't hold on to it. We have to get better at holding on to the momentum," said Thomas about the opening of the second half.

The Bearkats drew first blood in the game, taking their opening drive for a touchdown that was capped off by a 2-yard run by Aston. The drive went a total of nine plays for 73 yards.

Both teams then traded punts before Nicholls cracked the scoreboard with fumble recovery in the end zone by Robinson at the 1:18 mark of the first quarter. Robinson raced along side of A.J. Williams who scampered down the sideline for 77 yards before fumbling the ball at the 1-yard line. The ball then bounced in the end zone, and coming up with the ball underneath the pile was Robinson.

Senior kicker Ross Schexnayder converted the extra point, and both teams were tied, 7-7.

Nicholls forced a Sam Houston State punt, but after a quick three-plays then a failed fake punt, the Bearkats took over at the Nicholls 31-yard line. It only took four plays for SHSU to find pay dirt with a 16-yard run by Aston. The extra point was good, giving the Bearkats the 14-7 advantage wit 11:52 left in the first half.

With 3:56 left in the half, the Colonels responded with its second longest play from scrimmage of the game with a 68-yard touchdown pass from Caston to Robinson. Schexnayder tacked on the PAT to tie up the game once again, this time 14-14.

Just before the half, SHSU added a 42-yard Miguel Antonio field goal to go into the lockerroom with the 17-14 advantage.

"We played well in the first half and minimized our mistakes. We are going to have to build on that heading into our conference home opener next week against Texas State," said Thomas.

Nicholls will return home next Saturday, Oct. 17 to host defending SLC champion Texas State. Kickoff time is set for 1 p.m.

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