'Jacks Ward Off Lamar's Late Charge, Claim First Win of Carthel Era

Saturday, September 28

Beaumont, Texas | Provost Umphrey Stadium

6 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

1-4 , 1-1

--/rv Lamar

2-3 , 0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

SFA

Lamar University

'Jacks Ward Off Lamar's Late Charge, Claim First Win of Carthel Era

9/28/2019 10:39:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Ward runs and throws for a touchdown as SFA ends seven-game skid

By: Charlie Hurley | Director of Athletic Strategic Communications

BEAUMONT, Texas - Up 10 entering the fourth quarter, the SFA football team watched as —/rv Lamar scored 17 of the next 20 points to take the lead. Facing a do-or-die situation deep in their own territory, the 'Jacks maintained their composure and ultimately did what they had been doing since Colby Carthel arrived in Nacogdoches in December of 2018.

They believed in a vision and that belief led them to victory.

Da'Leon Ward faked out Lamar's defense - and just about everyone else in attendance at Provost Umphrey Stadium - by tossing a four-yard touchdown strike to sophomore tight end Carson Spence with 5:15 to go, sophomore quarterback Trae Self converted the ensuing two-point conversion and SFA's defense put the finishing touches on a splendid all-around effort by stopping Lamar's final two drives of the game to help the 'Jacks claim a 24-17 victory over the Cardinals Saturday night.

The win - Carthel's first as SFA's head coach - snapped the Cardinals' seven-game home winning streak and spoiled their homecoming festivities. Additionally, the 'Jacks put an end to their seven-game losing skid that dated back to the 2018 season.

First Quarter
• Hoping to spoil the Cardinals' homecoming, the 'Jacks took a step in that direction on their first drive of the game. Self directed a 10-play, 68-yard drive which was highlighted by the sophomore's 36-yard hookup to freshman wide receiver Xavier Gipson that put the 'Jacks inside the Cardinals' 15.
• Senior kicker Storm Ruiz put the finishing touches on the scoring drive by splitting the upright on his 24-yard field goal try that put the visitors on top.
• Lamar answered with a scoring drive of its own on its first set of offensive snaps. A little less than half of the yards accumulated on Lamar's 38-yard drive came when quarterback Jordan Hoy found Myles Wanza for a 17-yard pickup that put the home team in Lumberjack territory.
• Bailey Giffen capped the Cardinals' drive by booting a 44-yard field goal that tied things up.

Second Quarter
• A sack by freshman Marcus Mosley on the Cardinals' first full drive of the second forced a Lamar punt with 8:10 to go in the half. Once the 'Jacks got the ball in their hands, they wasted little time in moving in front for good.
• Sophomore wide receiver Calvin Clater burned the Cardinals' secondary on a second down play and picked up 53 yards on a deep ball from Self that put the 'Jacks at Lamar's 13-yard line.
• Da'Leon Ward did the rest, scoring his first touchdown in an SFA uniform by bouncing to the left side for a three-yard scoring scamper that pushed SFA ahead 10-3.
• SFA tacked on three more points just before the halftime horn when Ruiz drilled a 30-yard field goal that capped an eight-play, 30-yard scoring drive for the visitors.
• The 'Jacks' defense held up their end of the bargain in the quarter, limiting the Cardinals to just 37 yards. Not only did Mosley pick up a sack, but redshirt freshman Amad Murray did as well, dropping Lamar quarterback Jordan Hoy for a seven-yard loss on 3rd-and-7. That play gave the ball back to the 'Jacks and allowed them to convert their second field goal.

Third Quarter
• The halftime break didn't stop the 'Jacks' momentum on defense in the slightest as they held the Cardinals scoreless for the second-straight quarter. SFA held Lamar to only 70 yards in the quarter and Murray continued his mastery of the Cardinals' offensive line by breaking through it once again for his second sack of the night.

Fourth Quarter
• Showing signs of life, the Cardinals used a dose of defense to bring their home crowd back into it. After a Giffen punt pinned the 'Jacks at their own five yard line, Self watched as his first-down pass attempt got picked off by Kyron Norwood and returned for a touchdown that trimmed SFA's lead to 13-10 with 11:43 left.
• It didn't take long for the 'Jacks to respond with a scoring drive of their own. Propelled by a 22-yard reception by Clater followed by a 27-yard run by Gipson, SFA got well within Ruiz's field goal range and the senior upped SFA's lead to 16-10 by converting a 46-yard try with 10:17 to go.
• Aided by a pass interference penalty against the 'Jacks, Lamar marched 75 yards down the field on the ensuing drive in an effort to give their fans a come-from-behind victory. Hoy fired a 40-yard pass to A.J. Walker during the drive to put the Cardinals' at the 'Jacks six-yard line and the quarterback finished the drive with a six-yard touchdown toss to Mason Sikes to put the home team ahead 17-16.
• Not done yet, the 'Jacks used another big play to set up the game-winning score. Facing a 3rd-and-10 on his own 25, Self located his favorite target of the night in Clater and watched as the speedy sophomore turned a 10-yard pass into a 68-yard gain with his breakaway speed. That put SFA down to the Cardinals' seven and set the table for Ward's go-ahead touchdown pass.
• Gerard McKnight all but put the game on ice for the 'Jacks when he came up with a sack of Hoy on a 3rd-and-10 play for the Cardinals on their final drive of the game. One incomplete pass later, the 'Jacks headed out and finished things off with a kneel down.

Key Performers/Statistics of Note
• Murray was a terror on defense, racking up six tackles and two of the 'Jacks' four sacks on the night. In all, SFA racked up eight tackles for loss with Mosley and Murray finishing with two apiece.
• Trenton Gordon finished with a team-high 11 tackles for the 'Jacks while Mosley ended his night with a career-high 10.
• Self finished with 291 yards through the air while Ward accounted for both of the 'Jacks' touchdowns and finished with 55 rushing yards, four passing yards and five receiving yards.
• Clater put on a show, hauling in a trio of balls for a game and career-high 143 receiving yards. Gipson piled up 119 all-purpose yards in the victory including 89 through the air and 30 on the ground.
• Hoy went down four times but still accumulated 203 passing yards and a touchdown while amassing 54 more yards on the ground for the Cardinals.

Coming up Next
• SFA heads to Houston, Texas, next Saturday where they will clash with age-old Piney Woods rival Sam Houston State inside NRG Stadium for the 94th Battle of the Piney Woods presented by HEB. Kickoff between the 'Jacks and Bearkats is set for 3:00 p.m. with ESPN+ and the ESPN app carrying the highly anticipated Southland showdown.

Winnin' feels great! #AxeEm | #RaiseTheAxe pic.twitter.com/ZRE6UFLLn4
— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) September 29, 2019

Beaumont, Texas was the site of @CoachCarthel's first win as our head coach. We caught up with him following our 24-17 @SouthlandSports win at Lamar and previewed next week's showdown with the Bearkats in Houston.#AxeEm | #RaiseTheAxe pic.twitter.com/1OSGetDJHV
— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) September 29, 2019