SAN ANTONIO — The University of the Incarnate Word scored 35 first-quarter points to build an early lead and never looked back defeating Lamar University, 56-17, Saturday evening at Benson Stadium. UIW scored the game’s first 35 points and built a 56-10 advantage before halftime.
The Cardinals finished the game with 446 yards of total offense, 200 of which came on the ground. UIW ended the day with 609 yards of offense, with the majority of that coming in the opening 30 minutes.
Freshman Mike Chandler completed 14-of-28 (.500) passes for 182 yards. He also carried the ball eight times for 45 yards. Freshman R.J. Carver had nine carries for 52 yards.
Freshman Major Bowden led LU with five receptions for 26 yards.
Big Red’s defensive effort was led by eight tackles from Tyler Jackson.
San Antonio’s version of the Cardinals scored on their first five possessions to build a 28-0 lead midway through the first quarter and pushed their advantage to 35-0 before the quarter ended.
Big Red got on the scoreboard with 8:09 remaining in the opening half when Chris Esqueda drilled a 31-yard field goal to trim the deficit to 35-3. The drive consumed 71 yards on 16 plays and took 7:49 off the clock, which was key for the Cardinals’ defense which was on the field three minutes longer than UIW in the opening 15 minutes.
The good guys tacked on another scoring drive with 1:58 remaining in the opening half when senior Jalen Dummett carried the ball around the left end from seven yards out for the score. Dummett’s TD run capped a five-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 2:24 off the clock.
UIW finished the first half with 489 yards of total offense, 401 of which came through the air. San Antonio’s version of the Cardinals did most of their damage early with 313 of those yards coming in the first quarter. Big Red had 235 yards of offense in the first 30 minutes of play.
The Cardinals will have two weeks to prepare for Prairie View A&M. The game against the Panthers will kick off at 4 p.m. from Provost Umphrey Stadium.