Waxahachie, TX – The Nelson University football team secured its first win of the season in dramatic fashion, scoring a go-ahead touchdown with just five seconds remaining to defeat the Arkansas Baptist Buffaloes 35-28.
The game was full of action from start to finish, featuring big plays, multiple momentum swings from both sides, and everything in between.
At the beginning of the game, the Lions threw an early interception, which was followed by a rushing touchdown from Arkansas Baptist to give the Buffaloes an early 7-0 lead.
Nelson responded immediately on its next two offensive drives, scoring touchdowns on back-to-back possessions. Quarterback
Judah Holtzclaw connected with sophomore receiver
Bradley Develrow to tie the game at 7-7 before later finding senior
Justin Beaudion for a 36-yard touchdown pass, giving the Lions a 14-7 lead in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Nelson defense remained resilient, holding Arkansas Baptist to just one touchdown in the first half. In the meantime, the Lions' offense added another passing touchdown just before halftime, with Holtzclaw connecting with Nelson's leading receiver,
Jermaine Jones, to extend the lead to 21-7.
In the third quarter, the Buffaloes began their comeback by scoring 13 unanswered points, but they did so in an unusual way. The Lions' defense continued to keep Arkansas Baptist's offense out of the end zone, even coming away with two interceptions from junior cornerback
Kameron Franklin and senior defensive lineman
Micah Smith.
The Buffaloes' comeback began when they blocked a Nelson field goal attempt and returned it all the way to the end zone for a touchdown. On the following drive, Arkansas Baptist took advantage of another Nelson mistake, scooping up a fumble and returning it 80 yards for a touchdown to bring the Buffaloes within one point.
On their attempt to tie the game with the extra point, however, the Arkansas Baptist kick was blocked by the Lions, allowing Nelson to hold onto a 21-20 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Nelson Lions regained momentum when senior running back
Oscar Gonzalez scored a rushing touchdown to give the Lions a 28-20 lead.
Following the touchdown, the Buffaloes responded once again, matching the Lions with a touchdown before converting a two-point conversion to tie the game at 28-28 with under two minutes remaining.
The Nelson offense began its two-minute drive and managed to reach its own 47-yard line before time began to run out. With one final opportunity to get into field-goal range, Holtzclaw connected with sophomore receiver Greg Guidry down the sideline for a 53-yard touchdown with just five seconds remaining, giving the Lions a dramatic 35-28 victory.
Junior quarterback
Judah Holtzclaw finished the game 13-of-31 passing for 270 yards and four passing touchdowns, while also adding 41 rushing yards. Senior
Justin Beaudion recorded three receptions for 97 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, linebackers
Landry Leggett and
Dalton L'Esperance each finished with six solo tackles and two assisted tackles. Defensive lineman
Micah Smith added five solo tackles, one assisted tackle and two sacks.
Up Next
The Lions will look to carry their momentum into next week when they face conference rival Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth, Texas, at 6 p.m. Saturday at Crowley ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium.
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.
