Big plays haunt Huskies during 4th loss in a row

Houston Baptist moved the ball at times, but finding the end zone was a different matter. And Southeastern Louisiana kept making big plays, resulting in three touchdowns covering more than 80 yards each.

The Lions scored on a 91-yard run, an 80-yard fumble return and 85-yard interception to blitz the Huskies 56-10 on Saturday night at Husky Stadium, sending HBU to its fourth consecutive defeat, all in the Southland Conference.

“Aside from those big plays, we competed,” Huskies coach Vic Shealy said. “You got to get the ball in the end zone.”

HBU’s lone touchdown came on a 78-yard pass from backup quarterback Andrew Haidet to David Racine with 13:07 remaining. By then, the game was out of reach.

Just 40 seconds earlier, Mayori Ellison returned a Haidet interception 85 yards for a score.

The Huskies were more than competitive in the opening half, despite trailing 21-3 at halftime. Over the first two quarters, HBU ran 55 plays for 221 yards to Southeastern Louisiana’s 23 plays for 214 yards.

“There was a lot of execution in the first half,” Shealy said. “It’s just that we can’t convert that to the scoreboard. The second half, it got away from us early, and then the frustration set in a little. That’s the effects of having lost several games. We’re a better football team than we were last year. We just can’t get over the hump. We’re better on defense.”

For the fourth consecutive game, the Lions exceeded 49 points and 500 yards of offense. They held a 503389 yard advantage over the Huskies.

Ryan Sigers’ secondquarter fumble return for a touchdown turned the game in favor of Southeastern Louisiana (4-3, 4-1), which won for the fourth consecutive time.

HBU (1-5, 0-4) trailed 14-3 and were driving before Terrance Peters was hit and fumbled. Sigers picked up the loose ball at the Huskies’ 20 and ran untouched down the sideline with 8:06 remaining in the opening half. Shamar Busby made the hit that forced the fumble for the Lions’ first defensive score of the season.

Marcus Cooper’s 91-yard scoring run, the longest in school history, came on Southeastern Louisiana’s second offensive play, and the Huskies were in catchup mode the rest of the way.

“Our defense made some mental errors,” said HBU linebacker Kyle Bowling, who recovered a first-half fumble. “We know we’re a better defense than that. We shouldn’t have given up that many points.”

Huskies freshman quarterback Bailey Zappe had some early success, throwing for 166 yards in the first half, including a 33-yarder to tight end Tyler Kelly before being replaced in the fourth quarter. Zappe was 17-of-27 passing for 182 yards.