Sat., Oct. 31, 2009

   FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Daniel Carter didn't need to dress up in a scary costume on Saturday afternoon against Olivet Nazarene University.

   All he needed to do was touch the football on Halloween.

   Carter only played the equivilent of a half on a mostly cloudy, raw, windy, but mostly dry Saturday. That's all Carter needed to score three touchdowns and vaulted to the University of Saint Francis career rushing record in the Cougars 56-7 win over Olivet Nazarene University at Bishop D'Arcy Stadium. USF, winners of 56 consecutive games at home, improved to 7-1 overall, 5-0 in Mid-States Football Association Mideast League play setting up a showdown in Fort Wayne next Saturday with MEL-leading St. Xavier University, 10-0 overall and 6-0 in MSFA MEL play.

   Carter finished 120 yards rushing on just 12 carries shooting past Mike Ledo, who finished with 3,905 yards rushing from 2002 through the 2005 season, with 68 yards on six carries in the first quarter. That total included a 36-yard TD dash on USF's first possession for a 7-0 lead with 10:16 to play. Carter finished the half with 98 yards advancing up to the No. 3 slot in MSFA career rushing passing Tri-State's Barron Chambers (1996-98) at 3,935. When the Decatur Central grad was done for the day after USF's first possession of the third quarter, he settled at 3,964 yards.

  Along with the rushing record, Carter also eclipsed the 100-yard plateau for the sixth straight game, another USF record for consecutive 100-yard rushing games, and it was his 13th during his career, which also moved him ahead of Ledo on that career list. He also became the first player in MSFA history with more than 7,000 career all-purpose yards with 7,127 after Saturday.

   Of course, there is more to this No. 8-ranked Cougars team than Carter. QB Shaine Tierney completed 18-of-22 passes for 267 yards including a 51-yard TD pass to Armando Bustamante for USF's third score of the first quarter. Tierney also ran for a 4-yard TD in the second quarter. Carter added a 7-yard TD run around end in the third quarter.

   Justin Boser passed for two TDs, a 15-yarder to Frank Wolfe III and a 20-yarder to Austin Coleman. Derek Atwood scored a 3-yard TD on a run after ONU got on the board on Nick Darland's 3-yard pass to Shane Steckman in the fourth quarter.

   Bustamante finished with 82 yards receiving on two catches for the Cougars. Coleman added 70 yards, Ben Clifford 44 and Brian Schultz and Koby Frye each added 32 yards apiece.

  The Cougars, winners of 27 straight MEL home games, piled up 615 yards in total offense while limiting the Tigers to 199. Marshall Fraley led ONU rushing with 74 yards on 19 carries. Darland finished 21-for-38 with one interception for 127 yards passing. Joshua Howells led ONU receiving with 55 yards on five receptions.

  On defense, Stephen Whited had 1.5 sacks, Travis Craven and Anthony Moore one sack apiece while Troy Hudson, Jarrell Hunter and Adam Greene had a half a sack apiece. Quinn Doan led USF tacklers with nine (2 solo) while Carl Thomas, Derek Prather, Whited, Hudson and Cody Williamson all had eight apiece. Thomas led the Cougars with four solo tackles. Hudson had the lone interception for USF, the Cougars first after getting shutout the last two weeks.

   Photos: Donnell Johnson