HOUSTON – The HCU football team used a huge second half with kicker
Dillon Fedor booting a 50-yard field goal with under a minute to play to earn a 24-21 Homecoming win over defending Southland Conference champion Nicholls at Husky Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The game was a defensive battle for much of the first half with the game's first points coming at the 3:12 mark in the second quarter. Nicholls (4-6, 2-3 SLC) came up with a timely interception of a
Cutter Stewart pass at the HCU 41 that was returned to the 29 to set the Colonels up with a short field. It took just four plays for Nicholls to score with Collin Guggenheim punching it in from the one. Leading 7-0, the Colonels forced a three and out by the Huskies (4-6, 2-3 SLC) and Terry Matthews returned the ensuing
Reed Chandley punt 66 yards for a score and a 14-0 halftime lead.
Nicholls won the coin toss and deferred to start the second half with the ball. The Colonels drove into the HCU red zone with a first-and-goal from the 10. The Huskies' defense stood firm and came up with a two consecutive stops at the two to force a turnover on downs. On second-and-nine from their own three, Stewart completed a short pass to
AJ Wilson at the HCU nine and Wilson turned the corner near the sideline, shedding a tackle and racing for a 97-yard touchdown to put HCU on the board and make it a 14-7 ballgame midway through the third quarter.
The Huskies forced consecutive three-and-outs on defense, taking over at the Nicholls 35 with 2:30 left in the quarter. On the first play of the possession,
Champ Dozier motioned out wide and caught a deep pass from Stewart at the five-yard line and took it in to even the score at 14-14.
The Colonels responded on the next drive, putting together a 12-play, 75-yard drive with Guggenheim again punching it in from the one for a 21-14 lead with 13:32 to play.
Just over five minutes later, HCU started a drive at its own 27 and marched up the field with an 11-play, 73-yard drive capped by a nine-yard touchdown run by Stewart on third-and-three to bring the score back level, 21-21, with just 3:46 to go.
Zayteak McGhee and
Khary Crump came up with big pass breakups on first and second downs and another incomplete pass on third down forced a Nicholls punt.
Jesse Valenzuela returned that punt nine yards to the Nicholls 49 to give the Huskies less than half the field ahead of them with 3:22 on the clock.
HCU quickly faced fourth-and-one at the 40-yard line and Valenzuela rushed up the middle for four yards to pick up a crucial first down. The Huskies moved it up to the 33-yard line and sent the field goal unit out on fourth down for a 50-yard attempt. Fedor nailed it with 58 seconds left for the second 50-yarder of his career.
The Colonels moved the ball downfield on their next possession with the help of consecutive penalties on the HCU defense and found themselves at the HCU 22 with just 10 ticks left on the clock. Gabe Showalter's 39-yard attempt missed wide right but a roughing the kicker penalty gave him another shot from 34. The 34-yard attempt, however, also missed wide right and the Huskies took the 24-21 victory.
Wilson's 97-yard touchdown catch is the longest play from scrimmage in program history and the sophomore finished the night with a career-high 132 yards receiving. Those 132 yards come just a week after he totaled 111 yards at UIW. Stewart ended the game with 237 yards through the air with a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions, completing 13-of-30 attempts. Running back
Champ Dozier finished with 82 all-purpose yards with 48 receiving, 23 on a kickoff return and 11 on the ground.
Zae Smith and
Braden Hay led the Huskies with nine tackles while
D.J. Harris and
Ruperake Fuavai each had eight. Smith sacked Nicholls' quarterback Pat McQuaide twice and now has four sacks on the season. Fuavai and
Rufus Toe had a sack each. McGhee ended the game with three pass breakups while Crump had two. Chandley finished the game with eight punts, averaging 44.6 yards per punt and pinning the Colonels inside their own 20 twice.
HCU managed just 25 yards of total offense in the first half but out-gained the visitors 268-183 in the second. The Huskies finished with 237 yards through the air and 56 rushing. Nicholls totaled 96 yards on the ground with 246 passing.
HCU closes out the road portion of its schedule next Saturday, Nov. 16, with a trip to Commerce, Texas to take on East Texas A&M at 1:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
