Veals scores on a blocked punt, Lamar beats Houston Baptist

HOUSTON -- Brandon Dabney blocked a punt and Desmond Veals recovered it in the end zone to spark Lamar to its first Southland Conference win of the season, beating Houston Baptist 23-16 on Saturday. Lamar (2-8, 1-7) was trailing 16-9 when Veals fell on the football in the end zone to tie the game early in the final quarter. Later Blake McKenzie hit Isaiah Howard on a 35-yard scoring strike to give the Cardinals a 23-16 lead with 6:11 remaining. HBU (1-9, 0-8) drove to Lamar's 27 in the final minutes but Cameron Houston sacked Jack Swenson to thwart that drive. McKenzie threw for 193 yards and rushed for 42 yards. Myles Wanza ran for 140 yards on 25 carries. Raphael Lewis picked off a McKenzie pass early in the first quarter, sprinting 96 yards for the score. Terrance Peters hit LaDarius Dickens on a 13-yard scoring strike to go up 13-0.