Lamar defeats East Texas A&M 45-26 to take sole lead in Southland Conference

Aiden McCown completed 17 of 29 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Lamar Cardinals to a 45-26 victory over East Texas A&M on Saturday. The win gives Lamar its fourth straight victory and moves the team to a 9-2 overall record.

The Cardinals took sole possession of the top spot in the Southland Conference with the result. Lamar enters the game tied with Stephen F. Austin, whom they defeated 45-28 the previous week. Lamar currently holds the No. 7 ranking in the Stats Perform Top 25.

Blake Thomas contributed significantly to the passing attack, catching four passes for 100 yards and two scores. He hauled in a 37-yard reception followed by a 19-yard touchdown pass shortly after Parker Jenkins opened the scoring with a one-yard run with 4:59 left in the first quarter. Thomas later caught a 29-yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

East Texas A&M’s offense was led by Reese Mooney, who completed 21 of 44 passes for 299 yards. He threw a 42-yard touchdown to Kaden Taylor for the Lions, who finished the season 3-8 and 3-5 in conference play. Major McBride and Tanner Harrison also found the end zone on the ground for East Texas.

The Cardinals extended their lead after a kickoff muff by Jordan Hamilton in the second quarter. De’Kelvion Beamon recovered the fumble at the 13-yard line, and Jaydn Girard caught an 18-yard touchdown pass two plays later to make the score 31-7 at halftime.

Lamar travels to McNeese next Saturday for its next game. East Texas A&M hosts Incarnate Word the following week.