Jacks Match Program-Best Start with Trouncing of Nicholls

Saturday, October 17

Thibodaux, LA

3:00 PM

Stephen F. Austin

7-0 , 4-0

Nicholls

2-5 , 1-3

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
SFA	14	21	7	14	56
Nicholls	0	0	0	0	0

Bugs Mortimer Moss vs. Nicholls State (10-17-26)

Photo by: Alex Nabor

Jacks Match Program-Best Start with Trouncing of Nicholls

10/17/2026 9:39:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Historic day inside Guidry Stadium for Harris, Kitna & Pine Curtain defense

By: Jacob Pumphrey, Assistant AD for Communications

THIBODAUX, La. – #3 Stephen F. Austin bombarded Nicholls State on Saturday afternoon from Manning Field inside John L. Guidry Stadium as the Jacks' onslaught of the Colonels included over 640 yards of total offense, including 354 yards on the ground, and resulted in a 56-0 victory to match the 1995 Lumberjacks for the program's best start to a season. It marked the Jacks' first shutout of a Southland Conference opponent in 15 years.

Thirty-five first half points were highlighted by three touchdown catches by Bugs Mortimer from Gavin Rutherford with an impressive ladder-climbing snag over a defender in the back corner of the endzone for his third trip to the endzone. Fellow wideout Kylon Harris, the last Lumberjack wideout to catch three touchdowns in a game, hauled in a 34-yard score in-between Mortimer's second and third trips to paint and in the process became the newest member of SFA's 3,000-yard receiving club.

Harris was far from done making history as his second catch of the third quarter, his third of the day, moved him to the top of the program's all-time receptions list with 244. Rutherford, who enjoyed a comfortable pocket much of the afternoon, fired four touchdown passes and accounted for three completions of 30+ yards including an early 51-yard connection to Jaylen Jenkins.

JT Kitna recorded the longest rush ever by a Lumberjack as his fourth quarter scoring jaunt covered 94 yards. Bryson Broadway connected with Braden Lewis a little over three minutes later and the latter dove for the pylon and an eighth SFA touchdown and Cam Brooks intercepted the Colonels to end a Nicholls drive deep in SFA territory and keep the shutout intact.

The Jacks exploited the kickoff return team of the Colonels earning an extra possession on a soft pooch kick to the middle of the field that was recovered and blossomed into a 36-yard scoring drive capped by Harris' grab midway through the second quarter. The ensuing SFA kickoff was squibbed and misjudged and handled at the Nicholls 6, leading to quick and unsuccessful drive by the Colonels.

Nicholls marched 68 yards in an opening ten-play drive that covered the game's first 5:39 of play but was turned away at the SFA7 as the Jacks held firm on a fourth down attempt. SFA then proceeded to cover 93 yards in a dozen plays and converted a fourth and goal opportunity as Preston Alford hit paydirt untouched for the afternoon's first points. He also added an 11-yard rush to open scoring in the second half.

SFA took advantage of a short field after an 11-yard punt and a penalty put the Jacks at the visiting 25-yard line. The second play of the drive saw Rutherford connect with Mortimer from 21 yards out for a two-possession lead.

After the Colonels churned out 68 yards in the first drive, the Pine Curtain limited the host to just 18 yards on the remaining nine first quarter plays. Over the second through fourth quarters, Nicholls managed just 159 yards on 43 plays.

POSTGAME NOTES

Kitna's 94-yard rush aided a 102-yard effort, and he was joined by Speedy Jones who totaled 100 yards on nine carries including two rushes of 30 yards
Mortimer became the third different Lumberjack wide receiver this season to produce a 100-yard game with 103 receiving yards on six receptions
Jenkins finished with 100 all-purpose yards (62 rec, 44 rush)
Eli Ennis, in his return to Thibodaux, led a Lumberjack defense that saw 15 players record multiple stops with six tackles
SFA delivered eight TFLs and saw sacks by Kaiden Turner, Jaydon Eason and Tim Muhammad
The Jacks totaled 354 yards on the ground, the most under Carthel and the most in a single game in over a decade

ABOUT THE WIN

It is the first shutout win of a Southland Conference opponent since a 33-point blanking of Northwestern State on November 19, 2011
The Jacks move to 6-4 in games immediately following an open week in Carthel's tenure
The victory pushes SFA's regular season winning streak to 17 games
SFA's win is the program's 12^th straight in SLC play which is tied for the fourth-longest streak in league history
SFA is off to the program's second 7-0 start to a season and first since the 1995 campaign
The Jacks improve to 28-11 all-time against Nicholls, to 13-6 in Thibodaux and have won three-straight meetings for the first time since 2013-15
The margin of victory is the largest in the series besting the '95 team's 56-3 win
Carthel improves to 9-6 all-time against Louisiana programs and 9-5 against Southland schools from the Pelican State
The win is his sixth in the state of Louisiana, the fourth straight and the sixth consecutive against Louisiana foes
The victory is the 110^th overall in Carthel's career and his program-leading 51^st at SFA
It is the 238^th win for the Lumberjacks as a Division I program

UP NEXT
SFA returns home to Homer Bryce Stadium for a pivotal Southland Conference matchup with Southeastern Louisiana. It will be the 23^rd meeting all-time between the two teams, just the third in Carthel's tenure and the first in Nacogdoches since 2016. SFA leads the all-time series 11-10-1 with a 6-4 record at home but has dropped its last three meetings to the Lions and five out of the past seven.

It will be the 86^th Homecoming game (43-41-1) on the SFA campus. The Jacks are 3-3 in Homecoming contests under Carthel having won back-to-back games for the first time since 2014 and 2015 which capped a five-game homecoming win streak. The October 24 kickoff from inside Homer Bryce Stadium is set for 5 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.SFAjacks.com.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THE HOME STRETCH
The Lumberjacks have just three more home games on the regular season schedule! Don't miss a single snap as SFA looks to defend its Southland Conference title. Visit www.SFATickets.com to secure your tickets today and be part of the action all season long.

FOLLOW THE LUMBERJACKS
For all the latest information on SFA football, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.