October 18, 2025

Pineville, LA – The Nelson University Lions football team traveled south for another Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) road matchup on Saturday evening, falling to Louisiana Christian University by a final score of 38–6 at Wildcat Field.

Despite an energetic start, Nelson found itself playing from behind early as the Wildcats struck first with a 4-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. Louisiana Christian capitalized on a string of efficient drives and took advantage of short fields to build a 28–0 halftime lead.
A lightning delay midway through the second quarter briefly paused play, but the Lions regrouped with improved focus and energy upon resumption, continuing to show fight on both sides of the ball.

Kicker Cade Whitehead provided the Lions' offensive highlights of the night, drilling field goals from 37 and 39 yards, both set up by sustained late-game drives. His accuracy gave Nelson points on the board against a disciplined Wildcat defense.

Quarterback Judah Holtzclaw completed 9 of 30 passes for 125 yards, including a 43-yard strike to Dylan Lamphere, who finished with two catches for 59 yards to lead all Lion receivers. On the ground, Quinton Jones ran hard between the tackles, posting 53 rushing yards on 10 carries and averaging 5.3 yards per attempt, while Gregory Guidry added a 22-yard burst to spark Nelson's longest first-half drive.

Defensively, Dalton L'Espera was everywhere for the Lions, tallying 15 total tackles (6 solo) with 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack. He was joined by Johnathan Bloom, who recorded 10 tackles, and Jace Williams, who snagged an interception early in the third quarter to stall an LCU drive.

Nelson's defense forced a pair of punts and made key red-zone stands to hold LCU to a single field goal in the fourth quarter.

Looking Ahead
The Lions (1–5, 1–4 SAC) will regroup and turn their attention to another road test next weekend, traveling to Abilene, Texas, to face Hardin-Simmons University on Saturday, October 25 at 1:00 PM.

Nelson University (formerly SAGU) is a private Christian university, established in 1927 by P.C. Nelson. The University is located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas, and offers more than 70 associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees on campus or online. For more information, visit www.nelson.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-NELSON.