THIBODAUX, La. _ A game that featured 68 points and 857 yards of offense all came down to one defensive play on Saturday afternoon at Guidry Stadium.
The University of Central Arkansas Bears held the Nicholls State Colonels on fourth and goal from the 7 with 1:16 remaining to preserve a 37-31 victory in Southland Conference play. UCA won its second consecutive conference game and improved to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in league play.
The Bears had taken a 37-31 lead on a 16-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Nathan Dick to junior Dominique Croom with 10:06 remaining, UCA’s first lead of the day. The Bears had a chance to seal it with a short field after a shanked punt by the Colonels but threw an interception in the end zone on their first play from scrimmage. After forcing Nicholls to punt, the Bears stalled in their own territory but went for it on fourth down and 1 from their own 33 with 1:38 to play.
Dick’s quarterback keeper was inches short, giving the Colonels one last shot at victory with 33 yards to go. After a roughing the passer penalty moved Nicholls down to the 10, UCA held on three consecutive downs. Jestin Love and Seth Allison then tackled NSU receiver Nick Scelfo short of the first down on fourth and goal at the 7 to hold on for the win.
“The defense made the one play it took to win the game,’ said UCA head coach Clint Conque. “It’s a game of inches. We came up an inch short on our fourth down, and they come up a couple of inches short on theirs. Credit our defense for a big stop.’
The Colonels scored quickly to start the game, just as the Bears did a year ago, capitalizing on a turnover. Marcus Washington capped a 4-play, 26-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 12:10 left in the first quarter. UCA responded with a 19-yard Eddie Camara field goal but Nicholls struck again.
Quarterback Landry Klann scored from the 1 early in the second quarter and Andrew Dolan’s PAT made it 14-3. UCA took advantage of Jesin Love’s interception and quarterback Nathan Dick scored on a keeper from 15 yards out to pull UCA within 14-10 with 9:19 left in the half. The interception was sophomore's third in two games against Nicholls.
Nicholls matched the score again on another short touchdown run by Washington, this one from 5 yards out, for a 21-10 lead with 4:59 remaining. UCA junior Anthony Blackmon then broke off a 49-yard run down the left sideline and scored at the 3:51 mark. Camara’s point-after was blocked, leaving the score 21-16. Dolan added a 39-yard field goal in the final seconds for the Colonels, who took a 24-16 halftime lead.
` “I thought we executed much better offensively in the second half,’ said Conque. “We spread it out a little bit after softening them up in the first half and Croom, Dezmin Lewis and Jesse Grandy made some nice catches. And our defense played well in the second half, as well. They came up big on the fourth-down play.
“We put them in a tough position there after we didn’t make our first down. Hindsight is 20-20, but I thought we could make six inches.’
The Bears tied the game quickly in the third quarter when Dick passed to junior Jesse Grandy, who advanced inside the 2 before fumbling into the end zone. Senior receiver T.J. Adams fell on the ball in the back of the end zone and a two-point pass from Dick to tight end Brennan Rushing knotted the game at 26-26.
UCA quickly drove back down deep into Nicholls territory, and on fourth and 9 from the 20, Dick lofted a jump ball to the right corner of the end zone and freshman Dezmin Lewis outjumped All-SLC cornerback Chika Madu to tie the game at 31-31 with seven seconds left in the third quarter.
The Bears then grabbed their first lead with a 9-play, 76-yard drive, ending when Dick passed 16 yards to junior Dominique Croom with 10:06 left. The PAT was blocked again, leaving UCA with a 37-31 lead.
The Bears backed the Colonels up to their own 2 with a sack by Markeith Gaines and Nicholls punter Cory Kemps shanked a a short punt, setting the Bears up inside the 40. But Dick’s pass to the end zone intended for Croom was intercepted by Madu for a touchback.
Dick, the preseason All-SLC first-team quarterback, completed 25 of 33 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns and added 35 rushing yards and another touchdown. Croom caught five passes for 82 yards, while Grandy caught 5 for 58 yards. Hinton rushed for 79 yards on 14 carries to lead UCA on the ground. Senior defensive end Jermayne Lett had eight tackles, including 4.5 for loss and 3 sacks.
Washington had 101 rushing yards for the Colonels, while Klann completed 15 of 21 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown.
UCA returns home to First Security Field at Estes Stadium next Saturday, hosting McNeese State in the annual “Red Beans and Rice Bowl.’ Kickoff is 3 p.m., with Southland Television broadcasting the game.
