HOUSTON (Interstat) — Houston Christian turned three field goals and a timely defensive score into a 16-2 victory over Nicholls State on Saturday in an NCAA Football Championship Division game at Husky Stadium (TX). The Huskies improved to 3-3, while the Colonels slipped to 2-4. Houston Christian never trailed, leaning on a defense that produced an interception return for a touchdown and a pass rush that kept Nicholls State off balance. Nicholls State’s only points came on a safety. The Huskies’ Cutter Stewart managed the game efficiently from the pocket, and the Houston Christian defense delivered the decisive play when Javon Bejarano intercepted a pass and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown.

Cutter Stewart, a 6-foot, 175-pound quarterback from Alice, Texas, completed 19 of 31 passes for 173 yards and rushed four times for 8 yards. He spread the ball to multiple receivers and avoided turnovers. Champ Dozier powered Houston Christian’s ground game with 15 carries for 85 yards while also catching six passes for 59 yards. Jaylen Middleton added 12 carries for 38 yards. Jamaal Hall II caught five passes for 59 yards, Trayjen Llanas-Wilcox had four receptions for 25 yards, Mason Graham had two for 21, and Keith Wheeler had two for 9. Lukasz Smolen provided the early scoring with field goals of 43, 28 and 23 yards. Julian Maceri punted once for 37 yards, and Smolen also recorded three punts for 130 yards.

Nicholls State rotated quarterbacks but could not generate consistent offense. Ean Rodrigue completed 14 of 23 passes for 102 yards. Chase Richardson completed 7 of 14 passes for 84 yards, rushed nine times for 49 yards and made one tackle. Tamaj Hoffman led the Colonels’ rushing attack with 16 carries for 70 yards and caught one pass for minus-3 yards. Shane Lee added 11 carries for 30 yards and one reception for 5 yards. Jordan Smith was the top receiving target with nine catches for 122 yards and returned one kickoff for no gain. Pax Hughes caught two passes for 19 yards, Ellis Stewart had one for 13, Jayden Milton one for 12, Greg Donaldson one for 10, Lynard Harris one for 6 and Karaaz Johnson two for 2. Jake Godfrey had two receptions for no yards. Wyatt Guidry missed a 57-yard field goal attempt, and Pharrell Harewood punted four times for 214 yards. Houston Christian’s defense limited the Colonels’ rushing attack, though Hoffman managed 70 yards on 16 carries and Richardson added 49 yards on nine attempts.

Houston Christian’s defense made life difficult for Nicholls State. Bejarano finished with four tackles, one interception and one touchdown. Jayven Anderson recorded 12 tackles, Trent Zappe had 10 tackles and one quarterback hurry, Darius Bean had nine tackles, and Mike Sylvalie added eight tackles with two sacks and one quarterback hurry. Hope Tita contributed four tackles, one sack and one quarterback hurry. Jadon Ducos had three tackles, Rufus Toe had two tackles and one quarterback hurry, Jaden King had four tackles, Tyran Magee had two tackles, and Daniel Amasha had two tackles. For Nicholls State, Kasai Jones made eight tackles and one quarterback hurry. Kennon Loftin led the Colonels with 11 tackles, Skylar Husband had nine, Gary Bailey Jr. and Kevin Martin each had seven, Alec Haynes had six, Alex Villavaso had five, and Fred Dampeer, Jhamal Shelby Jr. and Talan Bingham each had four. Gavin Duplechin added three tackles, while Lynard Harris had two. Joey Lightfoot, Chase Chesser and Griffin Ellis each had one tackle.

The scoring unfolded gradually. Houston Christian took the lead in the first quarter on Smolen’s 43-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Smolen connected from 28 and 23 yards to extend the advantage. Nicholls State had a chance to cut into the deficit before halftime, but Guidry’s 57-yard attempt was no good. Smolen missed a 43-yard field goal in the third quarter, but Houston Christian quickly found the end zone when Bejarano intercepted Ean Rodrigue at the Nicholls State 48-yard line and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. Smolen’s extra point made it a three-score game. Houston Christian’s three field goals gave it a 9-0 lead before Bejarano’s touchdown and extra point extended the margin. The Huskies’ defense then protected the lead. A safety later accounted for Nicholls State’s only points. The Colonels could not mount a comeback despite Jordan Smith’s 122 receiving yards and a combined 186 passing yards from Rodrigue and Richardson.

Houston Christian improved to 3-3 with the win, while Nicholls State dropped to 2-4. The Huskies controlled the game with balance, getting 85 rushing yards from Dozier, 38 from Middleton and 173 passing yards from Cutter Stewart. Nicholls State finished with more passing yards across two quarterbacks but struggled to finish drives. Houston Christian’s defense registered three sacks overall, with Sylvalie recording two and Tita adding one. The Huskies also got a quarterback hurry from Zappe, Sylvalie, Tita and Toe. Nicholls State’s Kasai Jones had one quarterback hurry. Houston Christian next hosts Texas A&M-Commerce, while Nicholls State next hosts Stephen F. Austin. The Colonels will then visit Northwestern State and McNeese State, and they will host Texas A&M-Commerce later in the season. Houston Christian is scheduled to visit Lamar and Stephen F. Austin, then host McNeese State and Northwestern State. UT Rio Grande Valley is also set to visit Houston Christian later in the schedule.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Houston Christian 43, Nicholls State 25. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Nicholls State with a 66.1 percent probability to win. Nicholls State had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +1.5. The total score of 18 went over the over/under line of 51.5.