McNeese St. 24, Nicholls 14

Published Oct. 31, 2010 12:33 a.m. ET

foxsports

Andre Anderson rushed for a career-high 171 yards on 29 carries as McNeese State defeated Nicholls State 24-14 on Saturday night.

Anderson, a junior transfer from Michigan State, rushed for 27 yards on his first carry, sparking an 80-yard drive that culminated in Jacob Bower's 8-yard scoring run.

The Cowboys (4-4, 3-1 Southland Conference) added a 1-yard scoring run by Champlain Babin and a 1-yard TD pass from Bower to Corday Clark to lead 21-0 with 11:18 left in the first half.

The Colonels (2-6, 1-3) pulled within seven points early in the third on Landry Klann's 1-yard run and Klann's 35-yard TD pass to Kenyad Blair.

After McNeese State's Josh Lewis kicked a 21-yard field goal with 14:22 left, Nicholls State could get no closer than the Cowboys 34.

McNeese State, which had 404 yards total offense, has won nine of its last 11 games against the Colonels.