# 2024 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team

The 2024 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team represented the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals played their home games at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. They were led by second-year head coach Clint Killough.

## Preseason
### Preseason poll

The Southland Conference released their preseason poll on July 22, 2024. The Cardinals were picked to finish second in the conference and received eight first-place votes.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Nicholls | 119 (9) |
| 2 | Incarnate Word | 113 (8) |
| 3 | Southeastern Louisiana | 94 |
| 4 | Lamar | 88 (1) |
| 5 | Stephen F. Austin | 72 |
| 6 | McNeese | 64 |
| 7 | Houston Christian | 41 |
| 8 | East Texas A&M | 37 |
| 9 | Northwestern State | 25 |

### Preseason All–Southland Teams

The Southland Conference announced the 2024 preseason all-conference football team selections on July 22, 2024. UIW had a total of 10 players selected.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 6:00 p.m. | Northern Colorado* | No. 14 | Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, TX | ESPN+ | W 28–7 | 2,257 |
| September 7 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 1 South Dakota State* | No. 12 | Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD | ESPN+ | L 24–45 | 19,321 |
| September 14 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 9 Southern Illinois* | No. 12 | Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL | ESPN+ | L 28–35 | 7,879 |
| September 21 | 6:00 p.m. | Northern Arizona* | No. 15 | Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, TX | ESPN+ | W 38–14 | 1,413 |
| October 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Prairie View A&M* | No. 15 | Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, TX | ESPN+ | W 52–28 | 2,003 |
| October 12 | 6:00 p.m. | Nicholls | No. 15 | Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, TX | ESPN+ | W 55–10 | 1,801 |
| October 19 | 4:00 p.m. | McNeese | No. 14 | Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, TX | ESPN+ | W 30–17 | 1,634 |
| October 26 | 6:00 p.m. | at Southeastern Louisiana | No. 10 | Strawberry StadiumHammond, LA | ESPN+ | W 34–31 | 3,116 |
| November 2 | 2:00 p.m. | Houston Christian | No. 9 | Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, TX | ESPN+ | W 45–20 | 2,189 |
| November 9 | 2:00 p.m. | Lamar | No. 8 | Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, TX | ESPN+ | W 41–20 | 2,055 |
| November 16 | 2:00 p.m. | at Stephen F. Austin | No. 6 | Homer Bryce StadiumNacogdoches, TX | ESPN+ | W 27–20 | 4,116 |
| November 23 | 1:00 p.m. | at East Texas A&M | No. 6 | Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX | ESPN+ | W 38–24 | 3,724 |
| December 7 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 12 Villanova* | No. 6 | Gayle and Tom Benson StadiumSan Antonio, TX (NCAA Division I Second Round) | ESPN+ | W 13–6 | 1,926 |
| December 14 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 2 South Dakota State* | No. 6 | Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal) | ESPN | L 14–55 | 8,640 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

Source:
| Name | Position | Alma mater | Joined staff |
| Clint Killough | Head coach | Incarnate Word (2015) | 2018 |
| Kenny Hill | Associate head coach / running backs | TCU (2017) | 2023 |
| Conner McQueen | Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks | Texas A&M (2017) | 2023 |
| Jim Gush | Defensive coordinator | Bucknell (1981) | 2023 |
| Blair Cavanaugh | Special teams coordinator | Portland State (2016) | 2022 |
| Sam Bennett | Linebackers / academic coordinator | Texas Tech (2010) | 2023 |
| Ty Darlington | Offensive line / run game coordinator | Oklahoma (2016) | 2023 |
| Ben Olson | Defensive line / defensive run game coordinator | Eastern Illinois (2013) | 2023 |
| George Sanders | Defensive backs / defensive pass game coordinator | Southwest Baptist (2016) | 2023 |
| Willis White | Wide receivers / pass game coordinator | Alabama State (2018) | 2023 |
| Nick Young | Tight ends / recruiting coordinator | Toledo (2012) | 2023 |
| Tre Spragg | Defensive quality control | Incarnate Word (2015) | 2023 |
| Ashaad Mabry | Defensive quality control | UTSA | 2024 |
| Trevor Begue | Offensive quality control | Incarnate Word (2022) | 2024 |
| John Scifers | Special teams quality control / video coordinator | Incarnate Word (2021) | 2023 |
| Taylor Grimes | Offensive quality control | Incarnate Word (2022) | 2024 |
| Cody Dunn | Director of football operations | McGill (2021) | 2022 |
| Mauricio De La Garza | Offensive graduate assistant | | 2023 |
| Lamont Johnson | Offensive graduate assistant | Incarnate Word (2019) | 2023 |
| Luke Pardee | Offensive graduate assistant | TCU | 2024 |
| Brayden Strauss | Defensive graduate assistant | Baylor | 2024 |
| Davis Conley | Head strength and conditioning | LaGrange (2017) | 2022 |
| Augie Melendez Jr. | Head football athletic trainer | Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi (2017) | 2017 |

### Roster

Source:

## Depth chart

Defense :
* STAR
* 1 Darius Sanders OR 13 Dune Smith
* 31 Devonte Wilson
* FS
* 6 Ronald Wilson
* 25 Patrick Baptiste
| WLB | MLB |
| 11 Tylan Foster | 12 Mister Williams |
| 32 Josh Emmanuel OR 30 Jordan Norwood | 5 Jonathon Thomas |
* SS
* 3 Mason Chambers
* 16 Matt Kordas
* CB
* 7 Kendrick Stone
* 21 AJ Tisdell
| DE | DT | DT | DE |
| 44 Devin Grant | 99 Josh Gonzalez OR 41 Terrell Elliott | 8 Chase Carter | 15 Marcus Brown OR 0 Declan Williams |
| 9 Talib Salahuddin | 91 Lloyd Johnson | 90 Myron Warren OR 10 John Mathis | 42 Caleb Lewis |
* CB
* 18 D'Arius Carmouche OR 14 Emmonte Davis
* 24 Barry Dillon
Offense :
* WR
* 11 Josh Lorick
* 8 Jameson Garcia
* WR
* 9 Roy Alexander
* 13 Jaren Mitchell
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| 75 Rasheed Jackson | 70 Traveon Newsome | 60 Mason Williams | 77 Jayden Borjas OR 73 Caleb Flores | 72 Nolan Hay |
| 78 Branon Jackson | 76 Lawson Petty | 62 Austin DeArmond | 68 David Hensley | 65 Shontrail Key |
* TE
* 89 Logan Compton OR 18 Jackson Lowe
* 47 Dane Farley
* WR
* 6 Jalen Walthall
* 7 Jaelon Travis
* QB
* 10 Zach Calzada
* 15 Richard Torres
* Key reserves
* WR - 1 Mason Pierce
* CB - 2 James Tuayemie
* WR - 2 Anthony Stell
* CB - 4 Chris Pierce
* RB - 20 Timothy Carter
* DL - 97 Isaiah Pedack
* RB
* 4 Isaiah Robinson OR 3 Dekalon Taylor
* 5 Jarrell Wiley OR 0 Lontrell Turner
* Special teams
* PK 46 Brack Peacock
* PK 48 Julian Lee
* P 27 Ryan Shamburger
* KR 3 Dekalon Taylor OR 1 Mason Pierce
* PR 3 Dekalon Taylor OR 1 Mason Pierce
* LS Bryce Felt
* H 35 Chance Trentman-Rosas

## Game summaries
### Northern Colorado

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 14 Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 6:00 pm
* Game weather: Temperature: 92 • Wind: NE 10 mph • Weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 2,257
* Referee: James Brookhart
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Karl Schoening (play-by-play) & Blair Villarreal (analyst)
* Box Score Recap
| Statistics | UNC | UIW |
| First downs | 15 | 24 |
| Total yards | 71–360 | 74–408 |
| Rushing yards | 43–214 | 39–203 |
| Passing yards | 146 | 205 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17–28–2 | 21–35–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:47 | 30:13 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Colorado | Passing | Peter Costelli | 16/26, 141 yards, 2 INT |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing | Vann Schield | 11 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving | Brayden Munroe | 7 receptions, 66 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 21/35, 205 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 14 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Jalen Walthall | 5 receptions, 103 yards, 1 TD |

### at No. 1 South Dakota State

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 Cardinals | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| No. 1 Jackrabbits | 0 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 45 |
at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, SD
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 6:00 pm
* Game weather: Temperature: 73 • Wind: W 5 mph • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 19,321
* Referee: Jason Perkins
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jay Elsen (play-by-play) & Kurtiss Riggs (analyst)
* Box Score Recap
| Statistics | UIW | SDSU |
| First downs | 20 | 31 |
| Total yards | 59–419 | 74–515 |
| Rushing yards | 20–68 | 42–230 |
| Passing yards | 351 | 285 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 31–39–0 | 21–31–1 |
| Time of possession | 24:43 | 35:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 31/39, 351 yards, 3 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Zach Calzada | 7 carries, 43 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Jalen Walthall | 7 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TD |
| South Dakota State | Passing | Mark Gronowski | 21/32, 285 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT |
| South Dakota State | Rushing | Amar Johnson | 19 carries, 112 yards, 2 TD |
| South Dakota State | Receiving | Griffin Wilde | 10 receptions, 106 yards, 2 TD |

### at No. 9 Southern Illinois

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| No. 9 Salukis | 14 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
at Saluki Stadium, Carbondale, IL
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 6:00 pm
* Game weather: Temperature: 80 • Wind: S 2 mph • Weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 7,879
* Referee: Aaron Adams
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dan Gresham, Lemont Williams, Bob Slovak
* Box Score Recap
| Statistics | UIW | SIU |
| First downs | 25 | 23 |
| Total yards | 77–437 | 77–543 |
| Rushing yards | 23–71 | 45–207 |
| Passing yards | 366 | 336 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 35–54–1 | 22–32–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:39 | 29:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 35/54, 366 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 8 carries, 32 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Roy Alexander | 10 receptions, 117 yards |
| Southern Illinois | Passing | DJ Williams | 19/27, 301 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Southern Illinois | Rushing | DJ Williams | 12 carries, 79 yards, 1 TD |
| Southern Illinois | Receiving | Keontez Lewis | 8 receptions, 148 yards, 1 TD |

### Northern Arizona

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lumberjacks | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 15 Cardinals | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 6:00 pm
* Game weather: Temperature: 94 • Wind: SE 11 mph • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 1,413
* Referee: Gary Leeper
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dan Gresham, Lemont Williams, Bob Slovak
* Box Score Recap
| Statistics | NAU | UIW |
| First downs | 21 | 18 |
| Total yards | 75–439 | 60–412 |
| Rushing yards | 34–166 | 37–232 |
| Passing yards | 273 | 180 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 24–41–0 | 14–23–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:39 | 26:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Arizona | Passing | Ty Pennington | 20/35, 247 yards, 1 TD |
| Northern Arizona | Rushing | Darvon Hubbard | 12 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD |
| Northern Arizona | Receiving | Bryzai White | 4 receptions, 63 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 14/23, 180 yards, 2 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 17 carries, 184 yards, 2 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Roy Alexander | 5 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD |

### Prairie View A&M

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| No. 15 Cardinals | 10 | 9 | 23 | 14 | 56 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
* Date: October 5
* Game time: 6:02 pm
* Game weather: Temperature: 92 • Wind: NE 8 mph • Weather: Clear
* Game attendance: 2,003
* Referee: Craig Helser
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Karl Schoening, Blair Villareal
* Box Score Recap
| Statistics | PVAMU | UIW |
| First downs | 15 | 30 |
| Total yards | 54–280 | 78-516 |
| Rushing yards | 26-83 | 42–225 |
| Passing yards | 197 | 291 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 15–28–0 | 27–36–1 |
| Time of possession | 25:06 | 32:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Prairie View A&M | Passing | Jaden Johnson | 12/24, 149 yards, 2 TD |
| Prairie View A&M | Rushing | Scooter Adams | 6 carries, 39 yards |
| Prairie View A&M | Receiving | Scooter Adams | 1 reception, 54 yards, 1 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 27/34, 291 yards, 3 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 17 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Jalen Walthall | 12 receptions, 170 yards, 1 TD |

### Nicholls

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colonels | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 15 Cardinals | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 55 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 6:02 pm
* Game weather: Temperature: 92 • Wind: S 8 mph • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 1,801
* Referee: Craig Helser
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Karl Schoening (play-by-play), Sam Kaman (analyst), and Blair Villarreal (sideline)
* Box Score Recap
| Statistics | NIC | UIW |
| First downs | 18 | 16 |
| Total yards | 72–260 | 57–363 |
| Rushing yards | 40–123 | 23–89 |
| Passing yards | 137 | 274 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 19–32–2 | 26–34–1 |
| Time of possession | 36:24 | 23:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nicholls | Passing | Pat McQuaide | 17/28, 90 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Nicholls | Rushing | Jaylon Spears | 12 carries, 44 yards |
| Nicholls | Receiving | Dany'e Brooks | 3 receptions, 41 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 25/33, 270 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 6 carries, 31 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Jalen Walthall | 4 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TD |

### McNeese

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| No. 14 Cardinals | 0 | 13 | 14 | 3 | 30 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, Texas
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 4:02 PM
* Game weather: Temperature: 85 • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 1,634
* Referee: Matt Beck
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Karl Schoening (play-by-play), Sam Kaman (analyst), and Blair Villarreal (sideline)
* Box Score Recap
| Statistics | MCN | UIW |
| First downs | 15 | 24 |
| Total yards | 324 | 424 |
| Rushing yards | 105 | 182 |
| Passing yards | 219 | 242 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 21–36–0 | 23–44–1 |
| Time of possession | 23:30 | 36:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| McNeese | Passing | Kamden Sixkiller | 21/36, 219 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese | Rushing | Joshon Barbie | 10 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese | Receiving | Jer'Michael Carter | 3 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 21/42, 204 yards, 1 INT |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 25 carries, 103 yards, 1 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Josh Lorick | 5 receptions, 76 yards |

### at Southeastern Louisiana

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 10 Cardinals | 7 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
| Lions | 3 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 31 |
at Strawberry Stadium, Hammond, LA
* Date: October 26
* Game time: 6:00 pm
* Game weather: Temperature: 80 • Wind: S 7 mph • Weather: Clear
* Game attendance: 3,116
* Referee: James Brookhart
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Logan Loving (play–by–play) & Chase Gispert (analyst)
* Box Score Recap
| Statistics | UIW | SLU |
| First downs | 18 | 25 |
| Total yards | 63–369 | 79–341 |
| Rushing yards | 32–131 | 35–112 |
| Passing yards | 238 | 229 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 21–31–0 | 26–44–2 |
| Time of possession | 28:25 | 31:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 21/31, 238 yards, 2 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 16 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Logan Compton | 2 receptions, 71 yards |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Passing | Eli Sawyer | 25/42, 207 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Rushing | Antonio Martin Jr. | 18 carries, 75 yards |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Receiving | Jaylon Domingeaux | 10 receptions, 97 yards, 1 TD |

### Houston Christian

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
| No. 9 Cardinals | 10 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 45 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
* Date: November 2
* Game time: 2:03 pm
* Game weather: Temperature: 81 • Wind: SE 11 mph • Weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 2,189
* Referee: Ed Bourgeios
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Karl Schoening (play-by-play), Sam Kaman (analyst), & Blair Villarreal (sideline)
* Box Score Recap
| Statistics | HCU | UIW |
| First downs | 14 | 31 |
| Total yards | 64–301 | 89–573 |
| Rushing yards | 30–84 | 39–241 |
| Passing yards | 217 | 332 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–34–2 | 32–50–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:05 | 35:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Houston Christian | Passing | Cutter Stewart | 10/12, 145 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston Christian | Rushing | Calvin Hill | 4 carries, 53 yards |
| Houston Christian | Receiving | AJ Wilson | 3 receptions, 111 yards, 1 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 29/44, 306 yards, 4 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 14 carries, 128 yards, 1 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Roy Alexander | 7 receptions, 89 yards, 3 TDs |

### Lamar

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lamar | 7 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| No. 8 Incarnate Word | 10 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 41 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
* Date: November 9
* Game time: 2:00 pm
* Game weather: Temperature: 78 • Wind: NE 6 mph • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 2,055
* Referee: Gary Leeper
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Karl Schoening (play-by-play), Sam Kaman (analyst), & Blair Villarreal (sideline)
* Box Score
| Statistics | LU | UIW |
| First downs | 18 | 26 |
| Total yards | 61–330 | 72–606 |
| Rushing yards | 29–72 | 38–204 |
| Passing yards | 258 | 402 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 21–32–0 | 23–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:10 | 28:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Lamar | Passing | Robert Coleman | 17/22, 238 yards, 3 TD |
| Lamar | Rushing | Major Bowden | 5 carries, 44 yards |
| Lamar | Receiving | Kyndon Fuselier | 6 receptions, 90 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 23/33, 402 yards, 5 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 15 carries, 98 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Jalen Walthall | 7 receptions, 165 yards, 1 TD |

### at Stephen F. Austin

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 Cardinals | 3 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Lumberjacks | 6 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 20 |
at Homer Bryce Stadium, Nacogdoches, TX
* Date: November 16
* Game time: 2:03 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 4,116
* Referee: Craig Helser
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Chris Simmons (play-by-play) & Courtney Garcia (analyst)
* Box Score Recap
| Statistics | UIW | SFA |
| First downs | 16 | 21 |
| Total yards | 66–390 | 79–331 |
| Rushing yards | 34–185 | 43–122 |
| Passing yards | 205 | 209 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 15–32–3 | 21–36–2 |
| Time of possession | 25:54 | 34:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 15/32, 205 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Dekalon Taylor | 12 carries, 74 yards, TD |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Roy Alexander | 6 receptions, 69 yards, TD |
| Stephen F. Austin | Passing | Gavin Rutherford | 21/35, 209 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Stephen F. Austin | Rushing | Gavin Rutherford | 17 carries, 47 yards |
| Stephen F. Austin | Receiving | Kylon Harrs | 6 receptions, 79 yards, TD |

### at East Texas A&M

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 Cardinals | 7 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 38 |
| Lions | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium, Commerce, TX
* Date: November 23
* Game time: 1:00 pm
* Game weather: Temperature: 69 • Wind: S 11 mph • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 3,724
* Referee: Austin Mezzacasa
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Greg Higgins, Adam Routon
* Box Score Recap
| Statistics | UIW | ET |
| First downs | 29 | 14 |
| Total yards | 83–496 | 64–231 |
| Rushing yards | 43–163 | 25–66 |
| Passing yards | 333 | 165 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 26–40–1 | 21–39–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:22 | 26:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 26/40, 333 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Lontrell Turner | 16 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Jalen Walthall | 7 receptions, 125 yards, 1 TD |
| East Texas A&M | Passing | Ron Peace | 21/38, 165 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| East Texas A&M | Rushing | KJ Shankle | 12 carries, 56 yards, 1 TD |
| East Texas A&M | Receiving | Jaden Proctor | 4 receptions, 49 yards |

## FCS Playoffs
### No. 12 Villanova Wildcats – Second Round

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 Wildcats | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| No. 6 Cardinals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium, San Antonio, TX
* Date: Saturday December 7, 2024
* Game time: 1:02 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 46 • Wind: NE 6 mph • Weather: Rain
* Game attendance: 1,926
* Referee: Kelly Holman
* TV announcers (ESPN+): David Saltzman, Taylor McHargue
* Box Score AP Recap UIW Recap
| Statistics | VILL | UIW |
| First downs | 9 | 25 |
| Total yards | 138 | 441 |
| Rushing yards | 35 | 259 |
| Passing yards | 103 | 182 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–27–1 | 22–37–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:45 | 36:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Villanova | Passing | Connor Watkins | 12/27, 103 yards, INT |
| Villanova | Rushing | David Avit | 10 carries, 36 yards |
| Villanova | Receiving | Jaylan Sanchez | 6 receptions, 54 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 22/37, 182 yards, TD |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Lontrell Turner | 18 carries, 120 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Jalen Walthall | 6 receptions, 75 yards |

### at No. 2 South Dakota State Jackrabbits – Quarterfinals

Uniform combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 2 Jackrabbits | 7 | 24 | 7 | 17 | 55 |
at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, SD
* Date: Saturday December 14, 2024
* Game time: 11:02 a.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 26 • Wind: SE 10 mph • Weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 8,671
* Referee: Paul Matt Overton
* TV announcers (ESPN/ESPN+): Jay Alter (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst), and Marilyn Payne (sideline)
* Box Score ESPN Recap UIW Recap SDSU Recap
| Statistics | UIW | SDSU |
| First downs | 19 | 19 |
| Total yards | 345 | 476 |
| Rushing yards | 87 | 273 |
| Passing yards | 258 | 203 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 37–51–1 | 8–17–1 |
| Time of possession | 27:12 | 32:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 37/51, 258 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Lontrell Turner | 6 carries, 41 yards |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Roy Alexander | 13 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD |
| South Dakota State | Passing | Mark Gronowski | 7/16, 174 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| South Dakota State | Rushing | Amar Johnson | 18 carries, 132 yards |
| South Dakota State | Receiving | Griffin Wilde | 3 receptions, 67 yards, 2 TDs |

## Conference awards and honors

Cardinal players received player of the week recognition nine times during the season.

### Weekly awards

Weekly honors :
| Honors | Player | Position | Date Awarded |
| SLC Offensive Player of the Week | Jalen Walthall | WR | September 2, 2024 |
| SLC Offensive Player of the Week | Dekalon Taylor | RB | September 23, 2024 |
| SLC Defensive Player of the Week | Mister Williams | LB | September 23, 2024 |
| SLC Offensive Player of the Week | Zach Calzada | QB | October 14, 2024 |
| SLC Defensive Player of the Week | Dune Smith | LB | October 14, 2024 |
| SLC Offensive Player of the Week | Roy Alexander | WR | November 4, 2024 |
| SLC Offensive Player of the Week | Zach Calzada | QB | November 11, 2024 |
| SLC Defensive Player of the Week | Darius Sanders | DB | November 18, 2024 |
| SLC Offensive Player of the Week | Zach Calzada | QB | November 25, 2024 |

### Player and Coach of the Year Selections

Two Incarnate Word players and one coach were individual superlative award winners.
2024 Southland Conference Football Individual Superlative Winners Football Player of the Year: Zach Calzada, UIW Offensive Player of the Year: Jalen Walthall, UIW Coach of the Year: Clint Killough, UIW

### Postseason All–Southland Teams

The Southland Conference announced the 2024 all-conference football team selections on November 26, 2024. Incarnate Word had a total of 14 players selected.

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| STATS FCS | 14 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Coaches | 15 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 |