No. 21 Cougars Overpower Eagles 63-20 on Senior Day
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Judson (IL) (0-11) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 20 |
|
#21 Saint Francis (9-2) | 14 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 63 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The No. 21 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) football team overpowered Judson University 63-20 to close out the regular season during Senior Day at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium on Saturday, November 15.
From the opening drive, the Cougars set the tone offensively. Saint Francis took the early 14-0 lead thanks to a two-yard rushing touchdown from Azariah Wallace and a 31-yard receiving touchdown from Crosley MacEachen. The Cougars scored three more times in the second quarter, including a receiving and rushing touchdowns from Chris Mullen and another TD from MacEachen for the 35-0 advantage at halftime.
Judson got on the scoreboard in the third quarter with two field goals, from 33 yards and 31 yards out, but SF tacked on 14 more points to extend the score to 49-6 in favor of the Cougars. A 33-yard pass from Carson Clark to Bohde Dickerson put SF up by 50 points at the 13:08 mark of the fourth quarter. The Eagles would answer by finding the endzone for their first touchdown of the afternoon to cut Saint Francis's lead to 56-13. A two-yard rush from DeNiro Johnson extended SF's lead to 63-13 with 44 seconds left on the clock. Judson used a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play of their last drive of the game to make the score 63-20. After taking a knee to end the game, the Cougars secured their fourth consecutive win to conclude the regular season with their overall record at 9-2 and a MSFA Midwest League record of 4-1.
Quarterbacks Joshua Kulka and Garrett Yoon combined for a near-flawless afternoon, throwing for 426 total yards and five touchdowns. Kulka led the way with 257 yards and three scores, while Yoon added 112 yards and a long 58-yard strike. Adjaye Dandridge led the SF receivers with 99 yards, followed by Trey Schoch (62 yards) and Bohde Dickerson (40 yards, TD). MacEachen added two touchdowns on just two receptions. Four Cougars finished the afternoon with rushing touchdowns, including Mullen, Wallace, Johnson, Braylen Gillard. Gillard and Wallace also combined for 90 total rushing yards on 15 carries.
Defensively, Saint Francis stayed disciplined and disruptive, allowing just 30 rushing yards and holding Judson to 33% on third down. Jaydin Evans recorded a team-high five tackles, while Tracy Dowling had a sack. Dowling, AJ Moore, Elijah Hunter, Tamarris Springfield, Aidan Ewers, Nate Johnson, Michael Fuller, and Dylan Krehl combined for nine tackles for a total loss of 27 yards during Saturday afternoon's game.
With the win, the Cougars now sit on the playoff bubble. NAIA officials will announce the 20-team Football Championship Series field at 7 p.m. ET on November 16, during the NAIA Football Selection Show on the NAIA's YouTube Channel.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 21 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.
