UIW's Late Comeback Falls Short in 38-35 Loss to No. 10 Lamar

For the second consecutive week, the University of the Incarnate Word came within striking distance of upsetting a top-10 opponent. And for the second consecutive week, the Cardinals left the field with a narrow defeat.

Despite a furious fourth-quarter comeback, UIW fell 38-35 to No. 10 Lamar on Saturday at Provost Umphrey Stadium, dropping its second straight Southland Conference contest by three points or fewer.

Trailing by 17 points early in the final quarter, Incarnate Word scored 14 unanswered points and regained possession with less than two minutes remaining. But a fumble deep in its own territory ended the comeback attempt, allowing Lamar to escape with its fourth consecutive victory.

The loss dropped UIW to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play, while Lamar improved to 5-1 and remained unbeaten in Southland competition at 3-0.

Fourth-Quarter Rally Gives UIW a Chance

For much of Saturday's contest, Lamar appeared to have control.

The home Cardinals carried a 24-14 advantage into halftime before extending their lead to 31-14 on a 62-yard touchdown run by Parker Jenkins early in the third quarter.

UIW responded almost immediately.

Quarterback Emmett Brown connected with wide receiver Jacob Emmers on a 74-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 31-21. The play marked Incarnate Word's longest offensive gain of the season and gave the visiting Cardinals renewed momentum.

However, Lamar restored its 17-point cushion when quarterback Aiden McCown found Davin Driskell for a three-yard touchdown pass just three seconds into the fourth quarter.

With the score at 38-21, UIW faced an uphill battle.

The defense delivered the first major turning point.

Xavier Trotter forced a fumble from McCown, and Patrick Batiste recovered the loose ball before racing 58 yards for a touchdown. The defensive score reduced Lamar's lead to 38-28 with 12:45 remaining.

After another defensive stop, Brown directed a 12-play, 61-yard touchdown drive, connecting with Tyrece Fairly-Diyem for a five-yard score with 5:02 left.

Suddenly, a game that appeared out of reach had become a three-point contest.

UIW's defense forced another stop, giving the offense one final opportunity to complete the comeback.

Starting at its own eight-yard line with less than two minutes remaining, Incarnate Word moved into a critical third-down situation.

Brown completed a screen pass to Jayden Hibbler, who appeared positioned to pick up a first down. But Lamar defender Jordan James delivered a hit that knocked the football loose.

Lamar recovered the fumble and ran out the remaining clock, ending UIW's comeback bid.

Brown, Emmers Lead Offensive Effort

Despite the loss, Brown delivered another productive performance for Incarnate Word.

The UIW quarterback completed 26 of 39 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He also led the team with 50 rushing yards and scored on a nine-yard run late in the second quarter.

Brown accounted for 353 total yards and three touchdowns, helping keep the Cardinals competitive despite facing one of the Southland Conference's top teams.

Emmers emerged as his primary receiving target, recording career highs with seven receptions and 104 receiving yards.

His 74-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter was particularly significant, coming shortly after Lamar had extended its lead to 17 points.

The performance followed Emmers' 53-yard touchdown reception against Stephen F. Austin the previous weekend.

Hibbler also contributed a 10-yard rushing touchdown early in the second quarter, which gave UIW its first points after Lamar opened the game with a 10-0 lead.

Incarnate Word finished with 386 yards of total offense, including 303 through the air.

Lamar's Ground Attack Proves Decisive

While UIW found success throwing the football, Lamar established its advantage on the ground.

The home Cardinals rushed for 275 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

Running back Jojo Uga led the attack with 144 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns, including a 57-yard run in the second quarter.

Jenkins added another explosive play with his 62-yard touchdown run early in the second half.

Those big gains highlighted one of UIW's biggest defensive problems throughout the afternoon: limiting explosive rushing plays.

Lamar finished with 398 yards of total offense, just 12 more than Incarnate Word, but controlled possession for 36 minutes and 40 seconds compared with UIW's 23:20.

The turnover battle also proved costly.

UIW lost three fumbles, compared with one for Lamar. The final turnover was particularly damaging because it denied Incarnate Word an opportunity to drive for a potential game-tying field goal or winning touchdown.

Defensively, Christian Barney led UIW with 10 tackles, while Jeremiah Young recorded nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

For Lamar, Andrew Huff finished with seven tackles and two sacks, contributing to a defensive effort that survived UIW's late offensive surge.

Another Narrow Defeat Against Elite Competition

Saturday's result continued a frustrating stretch for an Incarnate Word program that has demonstrated an ability to compete against nationally ranked opponents but has struggled to finish close games.

A week earlier, UIW fell 28-26 to No. 5 Stephen F. Austin.

Combined with Saturday's three-point loss to Lamar, Incarnate Word has now lost consecutive games against top-10 opponents by just five points.

The Cardinals are also winless in four road games this season, although their schedule has included three nationally ranked FCS opponents and FBS program Texas State.

The narrow margins suggest UIW remains capable of challenging the Southland's strongest teams. However, Saturday's defeat also underscored the importance of ball security, defensive consistency and execution in decisive moments.

Lamar head coach Pete Rossomando acknowledged the difficulty of facing Incarnate Word after the game, pointing to the program's history of success in the conference.

For UIW, the challenge now is translating competitive performances into victories before the conference race moves further out of reach.

Cardinals Return Home Against UTRGV

Incarnate Word will have an opportunity to regroup when it returns to San Antonio next Saturday, Oct. 17, to host the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., with the game available on ESPN+.

The matchup begins a three-game homestand for UIW, which has not played at home in nearly a month.

After consecutive heartbreaking road losses, the Cardinals will look to turn their recent offensive production and late-game resilience into a much-needed conference victory.