Box Score
BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar Cardinals rolled up 435 yards on the ground and pulled off a 41-23 upset over the No. 14 Sam Houston State Bearkats on Saturday at Provost Umphrey Stadium.
Despite the loss, it was a record-setting day for Davion Davis who finished with 225 all-purpose yards for the game. He tied a career high with 13 catches for 162 yards and a pair of touchdowns, his second setting a new Southland Conference record with his 40th of his career.
Sam Houston (4-3, 3-2 SLC) forced four three-and-outs on the first seven Lamar (3-4, 2-3 SLC) drives before the Cardinal offense got rolling, scoring just before the end of the first half to take the lead and on the first drive of the second half to push its lead to double digits.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Brock completed all three of his pass attempts on the Bearkats' opening drive and pushed the Kats right down the field to start the game. The capper came when Davis broke a tackle and raced in from 37 yards out to tie the SLC career record for touchdown receptions, putting the Kats up 6-0 after a blocked PAT.
Lamar responded with a field goal on its next drive, but came up empty on each of its next two drives. Roberson set the Kats up in prime position for its second score, sacking Lamar quarterback Darrel Colbet Jr. and forcing a fumble that was picked up by Spencer Williams, giving the Kats the ball at the Cardinal 9-yard line. Two plays later Brock found Davis again, this time in the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown that gave him the SLC record and upped the Bearkat lead to 13-3.
A 17-yard scamper from Lamar's Myles Wanza brought the Cardinals back to within 13-10 in the final minute of the first quarter. Sam Houston had a chance to add on to its lead midway through the second period when it drove deep into Lamar territory, but Tre Honshtein could not convert a 28-yard field goal try, giving the ball back to the Cardinals with five minutes left in the half.
Lamar quickly converted on that opportunity, going 80 yards the other way in just seven plays, ending in a 14-yard from Colbert Jr. that gave the Cardinals a 17-13 lead that they would take into the half. In all, the Cardinals would finish with 248 yards of total offense in the opening half, 234 of which came on the ground.
The Cardinals picked right up where they left off when the third quarter got going, scoring on each of their first two drives to go up 27-13. They needed just six plays to go 82 yards on the first drive of the half, finishing with an 8-yard run from Colbert. Backup quarterback Jared Hoy would then lead a scoring drive that ended in a 25-yard field goal by Martinez, less than six minutes into the third quarter.
Sam Houston was able to answer, taking advantage of a pair of Cardinal pass interference calls to get back to within a score. Kyran Jackson had a 24-yard run to open up the drive and then finished it off with a 2-yard plunge into the end zone, bringing the Kats back to within 27-20. A 40-yard field goal by Honshtein on the ensuing drive followed, but it took no time for Lamar to answer as Wanza scored again on the next Lamar drive from 35 yards away to grow the lead to 34-23.
Lamar would add one more score with five minutes to play in the game when Jared Hoy went in from seven yards out to ice the game.
NEXT UP
Sam Houston will return to Bowers Stadium on Saturday for homecoming when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. and will be aired on Eleven Sports.
