Box Score Box Score
Updated Season Stats
In a back-and-forth shootout between two of the nation's most explosive offenses, the Louisiana College Wildcats kept the "Border Claw" in Pineville for the seventh consecutive year with a 52-49 win over the East Texas Baptist Tigers on Saturday night in Wildcat Stadium. 

The Wildcats 28 point 1st quarter gave them the early momentum they needed, and oustanding individual performances from freshman running back Devin Sylve, seniors Shaquille Lewis, Beau Brewer, and Ira Jewitt held off a late comeback attempt by ETBU to help LC win the Battle of the Border Claw once again. 

The afternoon did not start out so smooth for the Wildcats, as an Easton Melancon pass was intercepted by ETBU's Dominique Bailey and returned all inside the Wildcats' 10 yard line, which led to a 4 yard Kendall Roberson touchdown just two plays later to give the Tigers the 7-0 advantage less than three minute into the game.
 
The two teams would then trade scores on the next three possessions, as Melacon hit Ladarius Gardner for a 3 yard touchdown on LC's next drive to tie the game at 7-7 before Roberson scored his second touchdown of the game from 2 yards out to put ETBU back ahead 14-7.
 
After Melancon hit receiver Farron Jones for a 39 yard touchdown to tie the game back up at 14, senior punt returner followed an impressive stop by LC's defense with a school record 91 yard punt return for a touchdown to give the Wildcats a 21-14 lead, which they never gave up the rest of the way.
 
Senior defensive back Shaquille Lewis, who tied the LC career record for interceptions (13) with his two interceptions in the game, scored the Wildcats final touchdown in a wild first quarter when he blocked an ETBU punt, picked it up himself, and trotted into the endzone for a touchdown to put LC up 28-14.
 
Melancon would close out the first half with long touchdown passes to Shedrick Davis and Cole Crook to give the Wildcats a 42-29 lead heading into the locker room.
 
It was the second time in Melancon's career that he had thrown four touchdown passes in one half, the first coming in 2013 against Sul Ross.
 
The second half belonged to LC freshman running back Devin Sylve, who gashed the ETBU defense for 168 yards on 17 carries in the second half, as he accounted for 192 all-purpose yards overall in the contest.
 
Sylve's 9 yard touchdown run at the 7:37 mark of the third quarter gave LC a 52-35 lead, which proved to be enough to keep a late ETBU comeback out of reach and secure the all-important win for the Wildcats.
 
Sylve's 192 all-purpose yards were hardly the only noteworthy individual performance, as Lewis and Jewitt's historic performances were matched by senior LB Beau Brewer, who recorded 21 total tackles on the night, just one shy of Nate Janzen's single game school record against Mississippi College in 2010. 

The Wildcats moved to 3-4 on the season and 1-1 in ASC play with the win. They will take on the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets next Saturday at Wildcat Stadium in Pineville as they look to move back to .500 on the season. 

More details to come...