Waxahachie, Texas – Former and current Lions made their way back to Lumpkins Stadium for Homecoming weekend as Nelson hosted its final home game of the season in a big-time Sooner Athletic Conference matchup. Despite building a 20-10 lead in the second half, the Lions couldn't hold on as the Wayland Baptist Pioneers stormed back with 35 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to hand Nelson a tough 45-20 loss.
The Pioneers struck first, opening the scoring with a field goal in the first quarter before adding a touchdown in the second to take an early 10-0 lead. Before the first half came to a close, redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Vasquez connected with star receiver
Jermaine Jones for a 39-yard touchdown pass. However, a blocked extra point left Nelson trailing 10-6 heading into halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Lions continued to build momentum. Vasquez found Jones for a 50-yard reception before connecting with fellow redshirt freshman
James Spivey for a 34-yard touchdown pass. The score marked the first touchdown of Spivey's collegiate career and gave Nelson its first lead of the afternoon at 13-10.
The Lions weren't done there. Not long after, the Nelson defense got in on the scoring action as redshirt sophomore
Dalton L'Esperance came up with an interception and returned it 15 yards for a pick-six. The touchdown extended Nelson's lead to 20-10, giving the Lions 20 unanswered points and putting them in control of the matchup.
However, the Pioneers responded in a big way in the fourth quarter, completely flipping the momentum. Wayland Baptist scored 35 unanswered points to erase Nelson's 10-point lead and spoil the Lions' Homecoming with a 45-20 victory.
Quarterback Isaiah Vasquez finished the afternoon 24-of-46 for 244 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Running back A.J. Morrison led the ground game with five carries for 31 yards.
Through the air,
Jermaine Jones,
Justin Beaudion and
James Spivey led the Lions' receiving attack. Jones hauled in five receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown, while Beaudion added five catches for 63 yards. Spivey finished with 34 receiving yards on his lone reception, which resulted in his first collegiate touchdown.
Defensively, linebackers
Xavier Garcia and L'Esperance led the way in tackles. Garcia finished with a team-high 10 tackles, while L'Esperance followed closely with nine tackles to go along with his third-quarter interception return for a touchdown. The Nelson defensive line also made its presence felt, with four Lions recording a sack:
Tyre Gordon, Lonnie Collins,
Micah Smith and
Ryan Lynch.
The loss drops Nelson to 1-8 overall and 1-5 in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
Up Next
The Lions will look to bounce back next week as they hit the road to take on the Langston Lions in Langston, Oklahoma, on Saturday at 4 p.m.
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.
