MOBILE, Ala. – The Nicholls State University football team put forth its best offensive showing of the season with 21 points and 418 yards of total offense, but the Colonels could not hold off South Alabama as the Jaguars pulled away for a 39-21 win in Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile on Saturday afternoon.

"We could not keep the momentum.  We made big plays and had good scoring drives, but they [South Alabama] matched our momentum, and once they took it, we could not get it back," said head coach Charlie Stubbs.

"We are getting better on offense, but we still missed on plays that were there.  I tell the team all the time that in a given game you are only going to have a few opportunities to make big plays, and we missed on our fair share tonight."

The Colonels (0-3) were led by sophomore quarterback LaQuintin Caston with 319 yards passing that included two touchdowns, while also finishing 13-of-23 with one interception.  Accounting for two of the scores was junior running back Jesse Turner with a career day that included 205 yards of total offense (144 receiving and 61 rushing).

Leading the Colonels on the defensive side was junior linebacker Pa'a Kamauoha with 10 total tackles (six solo), while true freshman linebacker Warren Lennix accounted for the team's only sack.  

The Jaguars (2-0) had 490 yards of total in the win with 282 of it coming on the ground.  South Alabama had two running backs go over the 100-yard mark in the victory.

After stopping the Jaguars on their opening possession, the Colonels marched right down the field and scored on a fourth-and-one play that saw Turner shake two would-be tacklers for a 33-yard touchdown run.  Turner sprung free off the left side following a key block by redshirt freshman fullback Russ Gisclair.

True freshman kicker Andrew Dolan put it through the uprights for the PAT, and Nicholls led 7-0 with 10:33 left in the first quarter.  It was the first time that the Colonels had stopped an opponent on their opening drive, and scored on their opening offensive series.

South Alabama followed with a score, and capping of a 2-play 11-yard drive was Brandon Ross with a 1-yard touchdown run.  The Jaguars were aided on the drive by a 69-yard kickoff return and a Colonel penalty.

However, Nicholls matched their momentum, and on the next offensive series, Caston and Turner hooked up with a screen pass that went for a 95-yard touchdown.  It was the second longest pass play in school history, second to the 97-yard score Brad Smith and Sullivan Beard connected on against Jacksonville State in 1999.

Dolan's PAT was good, and Nicholls retook the lead, 14-7 with 49 seconds left in the first quarter.

However, South Alabama went on a scoring tirade in the second quarter, outscoring Nicholls 20-0 to take a 27-14 lead into halftime.  The first two scoring drives in the quarter by the Jaguars were made possible after the Colonels failed to convert a fourth down attempt, and the next came after a fumble by Kenyad Blair.

After stalling on their opening drive, Nicholls needed a stop on defense and got one with a bad quarterback-to-running back exchange that sophomore defensive end Fernandez Garner came up with.  

Nicholls then went 86 yards on four plays with the drive being capped off with a 62-yard touchdown reception by sophomore wide receiver Andrew Wynn.  It was Wynn's first career touchdown, and longest reception.

Dolan's PAT was good, cutting the Jaguar lead, 27-21 at the 6:22 mark of the third quarter.  It was the only score in the third quarter by either team.

However, the first play of the fourth quarter was a Jaguar score that went 20 yards on the ground by Kendall Houston to give South Alabama the 34-21 advantage with 14:52 left in the game.

South Alabama scored a total of 12 points in the fourth quarter, while Nicholls was held without for the remainder of the game.

Nicholls will play its first home game of the season next week when they host Bacone College.