NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Incarnate Word came within one play of completing a dramatic road comeback Saturday night, but a penalty on a potential game-tying two-point conversion helped No. 5 Stephen F. Austin escape with a 28-26 win.
Trailing by eight in the final minute, UIW quarterback Emmett Brown connected with Jacob Emmers for a 53-yard touchdown to cut SFA’s lead to 28-26.
The Cardinals appeared to complete the comeback moments later.
Brown’s pass to Price Morgan in the back corner of the end zone was caught for what initially looked like a successful two-point conversion. But an offensive pass interference penalty wiped the play off the board and pushed UIW back 15 yards.
The Cardinals were unable to convert on their second attempt, and an ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, allowing the Lumberjacks to run out the clock.
It was a crushing finish for a UIW team that went toe-to-toe with one of the top-ranked programs in the FCS.
SFA jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter before UIW began to chip away. Brown found Isaiah Champagne for a 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and the Cardinals entered halftime trailing by just one, 14-13.
UIW carried that momentum into the second half.
The Cardinals opened the third quarter with a 10-play, 70-yard drive that ended with backup quarterback David Rasor sneaking into the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 1. The score gave UIW its first lead of the night at 20-14.
The Cardinals’ defense then gave the offense another opportunity when D’Arius Carmouche intercepted SFA on the Lumberjacks’ next possession.
But UIW could not turn the takeaway into points, and SFA eventually regained control.
The Lumberjacks scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions to turn the six-point deficit into a 28-20 advantage.
UIW still had opportunities to close the gap before its final drive. One possession ended with an interception in the end zone, while another came up empty after a missed 51-yard field-goal attempt.
Despite the loss, the Cardinals outgained SFA 470-425 and finished with 26 first downs to the Lumberjacks’ 24. UIW’s passing attack accounted for 372 yards, although the Cardinals struggled on third down, converting just two of 14 opportunities.
Penalties were also costly. UIW was flagged 10 times for 103 yards, including the offensive pass interference call that erased the potential game-tying conversion.
Brown finished with 372 passing yards and two touchdowns while adding 34 yards on the ground. He was intercepted twice.
Jameson Garcia led UIW’s receivers with 86 yards, while Emmers finished with 81, highlighted by his late 53-yard touchdown.
The Cardinals also received a standout performance from Jeremiah Young on defense. Young recorded nine tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, all of them coming in the first half. Christian Barney led UIW with 12 tackles.
The loss drops UIW to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in Southland Conference play, while SFA improves to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
And the road does not get any easier for the Cardinals.
UIW travels to face another nationally ranked Southland opponent, No. 14 Lamar, next Saturday at 3 p.m.
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