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PINEVILLE, La. – In a defensive struggle on a field that resembled a swamp more than a football field, Louisiana College came away with a 14-3, non-conference victory, over Rhodes College Sunday afternoon. The LC defense held Rhodes to 87 yards, which is the lowest total for an LC defense in the modern era. The win improves LC to 2-0, while Rhodes falls to 0-1. The Wildcats open American Southwest Conference play next Saturday, hosting Hardin-Simmons in a 6 p.m. contest.
Both teams had difficulty moving the football in very wet conditions. The game field was already wet from rain received Friday and Saturday from Hurricane Ike, and it rained on and off during the game. “We were very limited in what we could do on offense,” LC head coach Dennis Dunn said. “Our defense really rose to the challenge though, giving us the opportunity to get a win,” added Dunn.
LC had their share of offensive struggles in the muck as well. The Wildcats were able to record 153 yards of total offense, with 131 of those yards coming in the second half. Not being able to throw the ball deep down the field limited LC to short passing routes, resulting in a 16-of-28, 94 yard, passing performance by quarterback Derek Lewis. The LC offense also fumbled five times, losing three of them.
The LC defense was the story of the game though. Besides allowing only 87 yards, the they had three interceptions and limited Rhodes quarterbacks to just six completions on 28 attempts. They also allowed only 49 yards on 35 Rhodes rushing attempts.
Rhodes scored first, on a 35-yard field goal by Justin Egger, and took a 3-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, LC went up 7-3 when Lee Jones scored on a 20-yard run with 8:05 remaining in the third quarter. The run was Jones’ first collegiate rush. The second score came when Kendale Rayford returned one of his two interceptions 78 yards for a touchdown.
James Gathright led the LC rushing attack with 43 yards on 10 carries. Detrick James added another 41 yards on 11 rushes, and Jones rushed for 31 yards on four carries.
Defensively, Stephen Jackson led the Wildcats in tackles with nine. Jackson also had a forced fumble.
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