Cougars Bounce Back with 53-0 Route Over Madonna Crusaders
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (4-2) | 21 | 7 | 19 | 6 | 53 |
|
Madonna (0-8) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Saturday afternoon the University of Saint Francis Cougars (3-2; 1-1 MSFA) traveled to Livonia, Michigan to take on the Madonna University Crusaders (0-6; 0-2 MSFA) and won 53-0 as both offense and defense were on point.
After a couple tough losses over the past couple of weeks, the Cougars came out Saturday firing on all cylinders determined to return to their winning ways.
The Cougars forced a three and out in the opening drive, and then the offense went to work. Senior quarterback Heath Simmons and senior running back Cam Peterson got themselves across field to the Madonna 27, and then broke through.
A 27-yard touchdown pass from Simmons to sophomore wide receiver Crosley MacEachen gave the Cougars a 7-0 lead less than six minutes into the game.
After that, the Cougars kept pressing. After the Crusaders were forced to punt for the second straight time, the special team's unit for the Cougars stepped up and a blocked punt by freshman defensive back Nick Nondorf was returned for eight yards to the endzone as Nondorf doubled the lead for the Cougars with his punt block return.
But the Cougars weren't finished in the first quarter. The biggest play of the game was on its way. The Crusaders drove the ball down the field and got themselves into field goal range before the special team's unit came through once again for Saint Francis.
A 25-yard field goal attempt was blocked by senior cornerback Damon Hunter and recovering the ball for the Cougars was junior defensive back Bailey Parker who ran the ball back 96 yards to the endzone for the second special teams' touchdown of the frame, and the first quarter ended with Saint Francis leading Madonna 21-0.
Heading into the second quarter, the Cougars defense continued its tear on the opposition's offense. Senior defensive end Joey Schaufelberger forced a fumble that Saint Francis recovered early in the frame, and never let the Crusaders get back into field goal territory for the remainder of the half.
A fourth touchdown for the Cougars came on a 10-yard pass from Simmons to MacEachen for the duos second touchdown of the game as the game went to halftime with Saint Francis ahead by 28.
As the third quarter got underway, the Cougars didn't skip a beat. A few more rushes by Cam Peterson got the Cougars on the goal line, and then it was freshman running back Markavaun Brownlee who ran it in for a yard to put another touchdown on the board for Saint Francis.
Peterson then got in on the fun midway through the frame as he scored the sixth touchdown on the Cougars with a three-yard touchdown rush to put make the score 44-0, and a couple made field goals by senior kicker Jack James made the margin 47 points as the game entered the fourth quarter.
Another touchdown this time on a seven-yard pass from freshman quarterback Prince Powell to sophomore Adam Smith to put Saint Francis at 53 points.
Meanwhile, the Cougars defense could do no wrong as Saint Francis cruised to their third victory of the season.
Throughout the game, Simmons threw for 201 yards and two passing touchdowns, while Crosley MacEachen led the way with two receiving touchdowns, and Cam Peterson rushed for 107 yards with a rushing touchdown.
On defense it was senior defensive tackle Connor Price who had a team-leading seven tackles with 15 yards for a tackle for a loss and two sacks.
The Cougars resume play next Saturday when they return home to Bishop D'Arcy Stadium for their biggest challenge of the season thus far to face the No. 5 Marian University Knights (4-0; 2-0 MSFA) with kickoff set for 12:00 pm.
Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting Saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.
