SAN ANTONIO — Zach Calzada showcased an impressive performance by tossing five touchdown passes, guiding the Incarnate Word Cardinals to a commanding 55-10 win against Nicholls in their Southland Conference opener on Saturday evening.

Calzada completed 25 of his 33 attempts for a total of 270 yards. He connected for two touchdown passes each with receivers Jackson Lowe and Jalen Walthall, along with one pass to Lontrell Turner. A standout moment in the game was Calzada’s 71-yard scoring pass to Walthall, which increased the Cardinals’ advantage to 35-10 early in the third quarter.

In addition to Calzada’s aerial assault, wide receiver Josh Lorick also contributed, throwing a touchdown pass to Logan Compton. Furthermore, Lloyd Johnson made a significant impact by scoring on a 68-yard fumble recovery, adding to Incarnate Word’s dominant performance, improving their record to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference.

For Nicholls, quarterback Pat McQuaide completed 17 out of 28 passes, accumulating 90 yards along with a touchdown but was hindered by two interceptions. McQuaide managed to connect with Scrappy Osby for an 8-yard touchdown pass that narrowed the gap for the Colonels to 14-10 with 10:30 left in the second quarter. However, they could not keep pace with the Cardinals and fell to a record of 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference.