Back-and-Forth Battle with Lawrence Tech Ends Roughly for Cougars, Falling 24-19
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (4-5) | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
|
Lawrence Tech (3-6) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Saturday afternoon the University of Saint Francis Cougars (4-5; 2-4 MSFA MEL) traveled to Southfield, Michigan to take on the Lawrence Tech University Blue Devils (3-6; 2-4 MSFA MEL) and despite a hard-fought game, lost 24-19 late in the fourth quarter.
After a dominating win last Saturday on Senior Day against the Taylor Trojans, the Cougars were looking to pick up right where they left off when they took the field against the Blue Devils.
The Cougars kicked off to begin the game, and the Blue Devils took advantage of the game's first drive. Lawrence Tech drove down the field and exploited the Cougars' defense through a 14-play drive that resulted in a six-yard touchdown pass though the extra point attempt was blocked as the Cougars were trailing 6-0.
After his stellar performance last Saturday against Taylor, freshman quarterback Garrett Yoon started the game for the Cougars and worked well with senior running back Cam Peterson. The duo guided the Cougars offense down the field to answer the Blue Devils with a 10-play possession ending in a one-yard touchdown run by Peterson. Senior kicker Jack James made the extra point attempt to give Saint Francis a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Entering the second quarter, the Cougars and Blue Devils were amid a scratch and claw battle with both sides answering each other.
After the Cougars took their first lead of the game, the Blue Devils answered right back with their first possession of the second quarter. Saint Francis' defense couldn't stop the offensive attack by Lawrence Tech as they fell behind 12-7 after the Blues Devils scored their second touchdown of the game on a seven-yard rush.
Both defenses then took control of the game for the remainder of the first half. The Cougars managed a late interception to keep the margin at five though their offense could not find the endzone and the game went to halftime with Lawrence Tech leading 12-7.
Heading into the second half matters didn't get any better for the Cougars to start out. Yoon threw his first interception of the game in the frame's opening drive, and the Blue Devils capitalized on it by scoring their third touchdown of the game with a six-yard rush.
Once again, the extra point attempt was muffed, and the margin was still only 11 points.
It did not take long after that for Saint Francis to answer back. This time the duo of Yoon and Peterson connected in the air and the senior running back ran it in for a 24-yard touchdown pass and though the extra point failed for them too, the game was within reach now with the Cougars trailing just 18-13.
The game entered the fourth quarter a five-point game as both defenses stayed poised.
Opening the final frame, the first several drives ended in either a punt, fumble, or turnover on downs until the Cougars got the ball back with nine minutes to play.
Saint Francis then put together their best drive of the game as Yoon propelled the offense down the field for 12 plays and ultimately taking their first lead of the half as Yoon connected with wide receiver Crosley MacEachen for a 24-yard touchdown pass and although the two-point conversion failed, Saint Francis now led 19-18 with three minutes left to play.
Unfortunately, though for the Cougars, like they had all day, Lawrence Tech answered back resulting in a 15-yard touchdown pass to cap off a nine-play drive to put the Blue Devils back in the lead at 24-19, and the Cougars got the ball back with one minute to play and one shot left.
But the Cougars did not have an answer as they ran out of time and suffered the tough loss.
Throughout the game the Cougars had 313 total yards on offense with 276 in the air and 37 on the ground. Yoon had two touchdown passes on the day while Peterson had two himself, one on the ground and one in the air.
The Cougars will resume play next Saturday afternoon when they travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan to take on the Concordia University Cardinals (3-5; 2-3 MSFA MEL) in the regular season finale with kickoff set for 1:00 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.
