Seven Touchdowns Paves the Way for Cougars in 52-14 Win Over Fighting Saints
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (1-0) | 17 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 52 |
|
St. Francis (Ill.) (0-1) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Saturday afternoon the University of Saint Francis Cougars (1-0) opened up the 2022 season on the road in Joliet, Illinois with a game against the Saint Francis Fighting Saints (0-1) and backed by strong defense and many successful offensive possessions prevailed 52-14 with seven touchdowns.
After a long opening drive ended to no avail, the Cougars went out on defense and defensive tackle Connor Price forced a fumble that was then recovered and returned for a five-yard defensive touchdown by defensive end Joey Schaufelberger to put the Cougars in the lead 7-0.
On their next defensive drive, it was linebacker River Walsh who got an interception and after senior quarterback Heath Simmons guided the offense down the field, a 39-yard field goal by kicker Jack James went through the uprights as Saint Francis now led 10-0.
Meanwhile, the Cougars defense continued to step up and make big stops when needed. In the final two minutes of the first quarter, Simmons passed the ball to sophomore Crosley MacEachen for an 11-yard touchdown pass and the game entered the second quarter with Saint Francis leading 17-0.
Opening the second quarter, the Cougars had forced a three-and-out and after getting the ball back, Simmons connected with wide receive Adjaye Dandridge for 32 yards and the sophomore receiver ran it to the end zone for a fourth scoring drive for the Cougars in the first half.
The Cougars now led 24-0 with under two minutes played in the frame.
The remainder of the second quarter didn't see anymore scoring as both defenses stepped up and the game went to halftime with the Cougars still leading 24-0.
After a dominant first half, the Cougars didn't skip a beat when they took the field for the second half.
This time it was the Fighting Saints who started with the ball and produced their first successful drive of the game as they took 12 plays to find the endzone and get on the board.
Then the Cougars got the ball back and answered right back. Heath Simmons produced another successful scoring drive that ended with a second touchdown pass to Crosley MacEachen, this time for three yards, to regain their 24-point lead at 31-7.
After three quarters, it was still the Cougars firing on all cylinders as they entered the fourth quarter with the ball already ahead by 24.
Then in the fourth quarter, a touchdown rush by senior Luke Conner capped off a six-play drive to put the Cougars' lead at 31 points. The longest pass of the day though came from junior quarterback Luke Robertson who hurled the ball down field and found wide receiver Dawan Langston open and completed a 70-yard touchdown pass on a third-down play.
An interception by defensive back CJ Tanner gave the Cougars one last chance at the endzone, and they took advantage.
It was then wingback Isaac VanCuren who scored the seventh touchdown of the game for the Cougars and the Saint Francis Cougars earned their way to a 52-14 win to open the season.
Throughout the game the Cougars totaled 498 yards on offense and had six sacks on defense for a total loss of 32 yards and two interceptions returned for a total of 26 yards.
The Cougars resume play next Saturday when they come home to Bishop D'Arcy Stadium for their season home opener against the Judson University Eagles (0-1) with kickoff set for 6:00 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.
