SAN ANTONIO (Interstat) — In a Southland Conference clash between two teams sharing the Cardinals nickname, the Incarnate Word Cardinals capitalized on a strong first half and held off a late rally to defeat the Lamar Cardinals 24-17 on Saturday at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium.

Quarterback EJ Colson was the catalyst for Incarnate Word, efficiently directing the offense and accounting for three touchdowns. Colson, a junior from Byron, Georgia, completed 21 of 28 passes for 161 yards and added 17 yards on the ground. His performance helped Incarnate Word improve to 3-6 overall, while Lamar, which entered the game on a five-game winning streak, fell to 7-2.

Incarnate Word established control early, marching 55 yards on the game’s opening possession. The 16-play drive culminated in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Colson to Jalen Walthall, giving the home team a 7-0 lead with 7:52 remaining in the first quarter.

The second quarter saw Incarnate Word extend its lead. Colson connected with tight end Jackson Lowe on an 8-yard scoring strike to cap a 53-yard drive, pushing the advantage to 14-0. Lamar finally got on the board late in the half with a 41-yard field goal from Ben Woodard, making the score 14-3.

Just before halftime, Colson delivered a decisive blow. He found receiver Josh Lorick for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds left, giving Incarnate Word a commanding 21-3 lead at the intermission. Lorick finished as the game’s leading receiver, hauling in eight catches for 90 yards and the score.

Incarnate Word’s defense and special teams helped maintain the lead in the third quarter. After the defense forced a three-and-out, a 35-yard punt return by Tyler Morton set up a short field. The drive stalled, but Will Faris connected on a 39-yard field goal to extend the Incarnate Word lead to 24-3.

Lamar, which had been held in check for three quarters, mounted a furious comeback attempt in the fourth. The visiting Cardinals engineered a 75-yard drive, finished by a 1-yard touchdown run from Joshua Robinson to cut the deficit to 24-10.

After forcing an Incarnate Word punt, Lamar quarterback Robert Coleman went back to work. Coleman, who completed 18 of 25 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown, engineered a 70-yard scoring drive. He capped it with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jaydn Girard with 1:10 remaining, pulling Lamar within a single score at 24-17.

Lamar’s ensuing onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, and Incarnate Word was able to run out the clock to secure the victory. The result was an upset according to pregame projections, as Interstat’s game simulator had projected a Incarnate Word win by a score of 42-28, and its ELO system gave the home team a 73.8 percent probability to win.

The game defied the point spread, where Incarnate Word was a 1.5-point favorite, but the total points scored of 41 fell well under the over/under line of 51.5. Lamar will look to rebound next Saturday when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana. Incarnate Word hits the road to face Northwestern State.