THIBODAUX, La. (AP) Sam Vidlak threw for 262 yards and four touchdowns and Stephen F. Austin broke it open with three touchdowns in less than three minutes in the second quarter to beat Nicholls 28-12 on Saturday.

Nicholls' kicker Gabe Showalter booted field goals of 43 and 31 yards in the first and early second quarter respectively for a 6-0 Colonels lead.

With 4:28 before halftime, Vidlak threw a 28-yard scoring pass to Kylon Harris to end a three-play, 59-yard and 53-second drive. After forcing a three-and-out, the Lumberjacks recovered a blocked Nicholls punt at the Colonels' 8. Two plays later, Vidlak threw an 8-yard touchdown to Clayton Wayland for a 14-6 lead with 2:26 before halftime.

On Nicholls ensuing drive, Pat McQuaide threw an interception just beyond midfield. Two plays later, Vidlak threw a 41-yard touchdown to Harris with 1:30 to go before halftime.

Stephen F. Austin (6-3, 4-2 Southland) concluded its scoring when Vidlak threw a 50-yard touchdown to Jordan Nabors for a 28-6 advantage.

Nicholls (4-5, 2-2) scored its lone touchdown with 6:47 left when McQuaide threw a 10-yard touchdown to Treylin Whaley. The two-point conversion attempt failed.

The Lumberjacks' defense came up with three interceptions of McQuaide. ---

AP college football: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football