BEAUMONT — Now that Lamar has played the role of the big boys, the Cardinals will take on the big boys next weekend.

Eight different Cardinals either ran or caught for touchdowns during a 70-7 romp over NAIA Kentucky Christian on Saturday before 7,056 at Provost Umphrey Stadium.

Any measure of momentum from an expected win over the Knights (0-2) could be of some help to the Cardinals (1-0) against a Texas Tech team that opened the season Saturday losing to Ole Miss in Houston. Lamar last defeated a team from the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1981 when it stunned Baylor.

Lamar outgained Kentucky Christian 602-211 in total yards through the first half, thanks in no small part to Darrel Colbert Jr. The senior starting quarterback was nearly flawless in the first half, as he completed 12 of 15 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.

KCU’s Hammond St. Hubert came up with that pick in the end zone, running into one of the advertising barriers and over a small runoff ditch just behind the south goalpost.

Other than that turnover, Lamar proved efficient as expected on offense. Schultz, who did not want to say earlier in the week whether he would take a look at multiple quarterbacks against Kentucky Christian, did just that with Colbert, Groves redshirt sophomore Adam Morse, Old Dominion junior transfer Jordan Hoy, and Orange redshirt freshman Jack Dallas.

All four found success rushing the ball Saturday, with all but Dallas rushing for a touchdown.

Hoy ran five times for 101 to finish as the Cardinals’ leading rusher. He had touchdown runs of 10 and 65 yards.

Colbert ran seven times for 61 yards before giving way to Morse in the second quarter. The former Port Neches-Groves star showed off his mobility in his first game since 2016 — he redshirted all last season behind Andrew Allen and Colbert — and turned in runs of 20, 18 and 15 yards in a five-play, 64-yard series.

Dallas, two years removed from guiding West Orange-Stark to a second straight state championship, broke off a 17-yard run in the third quarter.

The Cardinals’ opening series resulted in a missed 34-yard field goal by Elvin Martinez, who connected on all 10 extra-point makes.

Lamar racked up 30 first downs, compared to KCU’s 15, but the Knights didn’t gain a first down on their first eight series.

Stanley Norman, Tariq Gordon and Milton Holmes each picked off a pass for the Cardinals.

 

The game changed when …

Colbert broke off a 35-yard run from his own 47, and Lamar scored two plays later on his 11-yard pass to tight end Case Robinson for the game’s first score. The Knights didn’t have any momentum in their favor beforehand, except for Martinez’s missed field goal.

 

The game ball goes to …

The Lamar offensive line. All offseason, Schultz boasted the offseason accomplishments of his front six, and they paved the way for the Cardinals’ 602 total yards.

 

Lamar injury report

Hamshire-Fannett graduate and junior Kendrick King apparently injured his left ankle on a 5-yard catch to the Knights’ 19 in the first quarter and did not return.

Cardinals left guard Tamatoa Neher, a junior transfer originally from Hawaii, was helped off the field early in the second quarter and didn’t return.

Schultz did not have any updates on either injury.

 

Next up

Lamar’s game at Texas Tech will kick off at 3 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest.

 

Southland upset watch

Nicholls State defeated Kansas 26-23 in overtime.

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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews

 

Cardinals 70, Knights 7

Ky. Christian  0          0          0          7          —        7

Lamar             21       28       7          14       —        70

First quarter

Lamar — Case Robinson 11 pass from Darrel Colbert Jr. (Elvin Martinez kick), 10:38

Lamar — Colbert 6 run (Martinez kick), 7:11

Lamar — Kirkland Banks 3 pass from Colbert (Martinez kick), 3:29

Second quarter

Lamar — Isaiah Howard 29 pass from Colbert (Martinez kick), 12:54

Lamar — A.J. Walker 10 run (Martinez kick), 11:37

Lamar — Derrion Randle 10 run (Martinez kick), 7:51

Lamar — Adam Morse 15 run (Martinez kick), 1:55

Third quarter

Lamar — Jordan Hoy 10 run (Martinez kick), 5:37

Fourth quarter

Lamar — Randle 1 run (Martinez kick), 7:12

Lamar — Hoy 6 run (Martinez kick), 4:48

KCU — Dametric McGrue 49 pass from Jug Smith (Eric Curiel Parra kick), 4:06

 

                                    KCU                Lamar

First downs                15                   30

Rushes-yards             30-52             59-409

Passing yards             159                 193

Total yards                 211                 602

Comp-Att-Int             15-40-3          14-17-1

Fumbles-lost              1-1                  3-0

Penalties-yards         7-35                12-114

Possession                  26:06              33:54

 

Individual statistics

RUSHING — KCU: Javin Harrison 10-41, Jug Smith 4-12, Darian Rawls 5-9, Cameron Moody 6-4, Barkei Minter 1-1, Jakwon Roberts 4-(-15). Lamar: Hoy 5-101, Morse 5-67, Colbert 7-61, A.J. Walker 16-58, Myles Wanza 7-54, Randle 11-44, Jack Dallas 1-17, Kendrick King 1-11, DeWan Thompson 1-9, Kirkland Banks 1-7, Tanner Douglas 2-4, TEAM 2-(-24).

PASSING — KCU: Smith 10-26-2, 121. Lamar: Colbert 12-15-1, 179; Morse 1-1-0, 10; Hoy 1-1-0, 4.

RECEIVING — KCU: McGrue 2-57, Dylan Feese 2-27, Brendon Matheson 2-16, Devon McCoy 1-16, Anton Wheeler 1-15, Brayden Scott 1-9, Zach Smith 1-9, Amari Hardwich 1-8, Harrison 2-3, Lymon Glover-Walker 1-1, Rawls 1-(-2). Lamar: Isaiah Howard 4-69, Robinson 2-37, Walker 2-30, Dorian Gaston 1-20, Zae Giles 1-15, Garrison Spring, 1-10, King 1-5, Randle 1-4, Banks 1-3.

A — 7,056.