THIBODAUX, La. -- Dontrell Taylor and Kendall Bussey each ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown to help Nicholls State beat Sam Houston State 27-7 on Saturday night.

The Colonels (2-2, 1-1 Southland Conference), who had lost 11 in a row to Sam Houston State, beat the Bearkats for the first time since 2005. Nicholls State was outscored 448-161 during that span.

Chase Fourcade hit Damion Jeanpiere Jr. for a 12-yard touchdown that capped a 10-play, 74-yard drive and gave the Colonels a 10-7 lead late in the first half. Lorran Fonseca, who made a 35-yard field goal to open the scoring, hit a 22-yarder that made it 13-7 midway through the third quarter.

Taylor scored on a 6-yard run with 4:04 to play and, one play after Ty Brock's pass on fourth-and-16 from the 2 fell incomplete, Bussey capped the scoring about a minute later.

Sam Houston State (1-2, 0-1), which came in ranked No. 11 in FCS, was limited to 53 yards rushing on 30 attempts.

Fourcade was 15-of-23 passing for 197 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions for 18th-ranked Nicholls State. The Colonels beat an FCS-ranked opponent for the first time since 2008.