BEAUMONT, Texas – HCU jumped out to a 30-point lead sparked by a pair of defensive scores, before Lamar roared back, but the Huskies escaped with a 37-34 victory in the Southland Conference opener Saturday afternoon at Provost Umphrey Stadium. Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), underwent a name change in September 2022.
 
Sophomore quarterback Justin Fomby completed 31-of-45 passes for 249 yards, three touchdowns and an interception for the Huskies (2-2, 1-0 SLC). Junior wide receiver Karl Reynolds made nine catches for 109 yards and tied the school single-game record with three touchdowns. Deon Cormier had seven catches for 30 yards, while freshman running back Nate Livingson had three catches for 50 yards and led HCU with 33 yards rushing.
 
Junior linebacker Jalyx Hunt and sophomore linebacker Rodney Dansby led HCU with 11 tackles each, with Dansby returning a fumble for a touchdown and Hunt recording a sack and forced fumble. Senior linebacker Brennan Young finished with 10 stops. Senior safety Coi Miller also returned a fumble for a touchdown and sophomore safety Xavier Toliver had an interception.
 
Michael Chandler completed 11-of-27 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 13 times for 45 yards and two more scores for the Cardinals (0-5, 0-2). Kyndon Fuselier had three catches for 104 yards and Devyn Gibbs made four catches for 35 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Tyler Jackson totaled 15 tackles for Lamar, while Samuel Scaife IV had 11 and added an interception, and Caleb Arnold also had 11 tackles, adding half a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. Antorius Hambric made four tackles and forced a fumble on a sack.
 
Lamar outgained HCU, 376-323, in total yards, and edged HCU in first downs, 18-17. Each team had 257 passing yards, with Lamar rushing for 119 and HCU 66. The Huskies came up with three takeaways to the Cardinals' one. HCU was penalized six times for 60 yards and Lamar six times for 50 yards.
 
After a scoreless first quarter, the Huskies finally broke through when redshirt freshman linebacker Zavion Evans forced a fumble and Dansby scooped it up and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown. On Lamar's next possession, sophomore safety Corey Smooth forced a fumble and senior safety Coi Miller returned it 40 yards for another defensive score.
 
Lamar answered on Demashja Harris' 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
 
HCU went up 21-7 on Fomby's 28-yard touchdown pass to Reynolds and took a 24-7 lead into halftime after junior kicker Alberto Arroyo's 34-yard field goal with 2:11 remaining.
 
The Huskies opened up the third quarter with Fomby hitting Reynolds for a 40-yard touchdown and exactly five minutes later, Reynolds caught a 3-yard touchdown pass, but the extra point failed, as HCU led 37-7 with 7:20 left in the quarter.
 
Chandler completed a 23-yard touchdown to Gibbs with 4:24 to go in the third as the Cardinals cut the Huskies' lead to 37-14 heading into the final quarter.
 
Lamar again struck quickly with Gibbs catching a nine-yard touchdown with 10:16 on the clock. Chandler finished off a nine-play, 77-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run, but the two-point conversion failed and HCU held a 37-27 lead with 5:56 to go. After forcing another HCU punt, Chandler led a four-play, 68-yard drive and scrambled 13 yards for a touchdown to make the score 37-34 with 2:12 to go.
 
The Cardinals got the ball back at their own five-yard line with 25 seconds left and no timeouts, but the Huskies were able to hold on for the win.
 
HCU returns for back-to-back home games, beginning with Nicholls Saturday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. at Husky Stadium. The Huskies will be hosting the HCU Athletic Alumni Reunion – with free tickets and food for former student-athletes – so visit HCUHuskies.com to RSVP or call 281.649.3143.