Final Stats THIBODAUX  - The Nicholls State University football team put together one of its best offensive showings, guided by sophomore quarterback Landry Klann,  but Central Arkansas outscored Nicholls 21-6 in the second half and came up with a late game-winning goal line stance to secure a 37-31 victory at John L. Guidry Stadium.

“It was a very difficult loss, but I saw a lot of positives,” said Nicholls head coach Charlie Stubbs. “We fought back and had some tremendous plays on special forces, on offense and on defense. We had a lot of inexperience guys out there today, but I thought they executed our game plan very well.”

With Nicholls (1-5, 0-2 SLC) trailing by six with 4:31 remaining in the game, the Colonels forced a three-and-out, but Central Arkansas (3-3, 2-1 SLC) elected to go for a 4th-and-1 at their own 33. Nathan Dick, who finished with 306 yards passing and three touchdowns for UCA, was stuffed on a sneak by linebacker Jordan Piper, giving the ball back to Nicholls.

On the ensuing possession on 4th-and-goal at the 7 with 1:43 on the clock, Klann, playing in his first game this season, found tight end Nick Scelfo open on the right side. Scelfo made a diving reach for the end zone, but a pair of UCA defenders knocked him out of bounds at the 1 to deny the game-tying touchdown.

Klann, who got the start due to injuries, had a remarkable 2011 debut, throwing for a career-high 237 yards on 19-of-26 with one touchdown. The San Antonio native also rushed for 35 yards and scored on a 1-yard sneak in the second quarter.

“I thought for his first complete start this season, he played very well,” said Coach Stubbs. “He took what they gave him, he made some good decisions in his zone read package, and he also showed great leadership skills out there.”

Sophomore running back Marcus Washington led the ground attack, accumulating a career-best 101 yards on just 15 carriers with two touchdowns.

Washington got the scoring started in the first, barreling into the end zone on a 1-yard score following a forced fumble by Bobby Felder that gave the Colonels the ball at the 16. UCA then made it 7-3 on a field goal at the 7:04 mark.

In the second quarter, the teams exploded for 30 combined points as Nicholls led 24-16 at the break. After Klann scored to cap off a 10-play, 77-yard drive, UCA answered with a rushing TD from Dick. The squads then traded touchdowns again as Washington scored for Nicholls on a 15-yard run, while Anthony Blackmon outran the Colonel defense on a 49-yard toss to make it 21-16 Nicholls. Felder, who finished with 12 tackles, blocked the PAT . Andrew Dolan added a 39-yard field goal for Nicholls to make it 24-16 at the half.

The offenses were quite for most of the third until UCA evened up the game at 24, recovering its own fumble in the end zone. However, Nicholls wide receiver Kenyad Blair quickly gave the Colonels back the lead, scoring on a 47-yard pass from Klann with 4:34 on the clock. Blair led the receivers with a career-high 80 yards on four receptions.

Right before the end of the third, UCA took a gamble of 4th down at the Nicholls 20 by going for it, and Dezmin Lewis caught a jump ball in the corner of the end zone to make it 31-all.

In the fourth, the Bears grabbed their first lead of the game on a 9-play, 76-yard drive on Dick's third touchdown pass. The Colonel special forces came through again with a blocked PAT, keeping the score at 36-31.

Later in the fourth, UCA looked to be on their way of putting the game out of reach before Felder outleaped Croom in the end zone for his third interception of the season.

On the Colonels' final drive, Klann found Scelfo open in the end zone of third down, but he was unable to reel it in to tie the game. Scelfo, who had 45 yards receiving, then made his fourth reception of the game on Nicholls' final play before being forced out just shy of the goal line.

Piper and Felder led all defenders with 12 tackles. Vergenal added eight and Ryan Bruno had seven.

Nicholls will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Sam Houston State. Kickoff in Huntsville, Texas is scheduled for 2 p.m.