COMMERCE, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word football team made history Saturday afternoon, beating East Texas A&M University 38-24, to claim the title as the first UIW football team to go undefeated in conference play (7-0).

Zach Calzada and Josh Lorick tag teamed the first touchdown of the day. Lorick ran up the field for 26 yards then, Calzada juked his defender to scramble for 12 more yards. Lorick reached the Lion's one-yard line and Calzada faked the hand off to walk straight up the middle for the score (7-0).

East Texas A&M tied up the game three minutes later on a 14-yard run into the end zone and proceeded to take the lead after an unsportsmanlike conduct call on the Cardinals moved the Lions up 15 yards to UIW's 34-yard line. East Texas A&M rushed in for 14 yards once more for the 14-7 lead.

The Cardinals were intercepted five minutes into the second quarter, but Darius Sanders immediately returned the ball back to UIW with his third interception in two games. On the ensuing play, Calzada launched a deep 43-yard pass to Jalen Walthall who dove into the end zone for the tie game, 14-14.

ETAMU fumbled the ball on the UIW 22 and was recovered by Lloyd Johnson, which was later overturned. The Lions went on to nail the 39-yard field goal for the 17-14 edge.

In the final seconds of the second quarter, the Cardinals found themselves in field goal range and once again tied the game with a 37-yard FG from Brack Peacock to close out the first half.

The Lions extended their lead with a short 7-yard touchdown and a 24-17 advantage in the third for the only score of the quarter.

UIW started the fourth quarter with a touchdown behind 27 yards of offense from Lontrell Turner capped off by him diving over the Lion defense and retying the game (24-24).

East Texas A&M looked to reclaim the lead on a 45-yard field goal, but the Cardinals defense came up huge with a block from Marcus Brown, which was picked up by Sanders to set UIW up on its own 29-yard line.

The Cardinals quickly moved up the field and capped off the drive with Calzada finding a wide open Logan Compton for the 31-24 lead with seven minutes to go in the game.

UIW continued to attack on offense and a 18-yard pass from Calzada to Mason Pierce solidified the 38-24 historic victory on Saturday afternoon.
 
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