Scoreboard

Week One Game Summaries

Worcester Tech 40, Mass-Lowell 14
Senior running back Nick Fluet rushed for 147 yards and scored three TDs en route to leading Worcester Polytechnic Institute to a 40-14 victory against UMass Lowell tonight at WPI's Alumni Field. It was the season opener for both teams.

Fluet was not only impressive rushing the ball (147 yards and 1 TD on 15 carries), he also caught two balls for a total of 61 more yards, both for touchdowns. The senior now has 2,160 career rushing yards for his career. He moved into fourth place tonight on the school's all-time list, jumping ahead of Mike Carbone (1981-84), who has 2,024 yards rushing. 

WPI jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead as Fluet scored on a 4-yard run to open matters just 3:23 into the contest. Junior Josh Morrison added the extra point. With 6:50 left in the period, Morrison added a 32-yard field goal.

UML scored the next eight points to make a game of it in the second quarter. After UML netted a safety on a blocked punt, River Hawks' senior quarterback Scot Ruggles scored on a 2-yard sneak with 8:33 left and suddenly the margin was two points. A two-point conversion failed.

Fluet then struck again when he caught a 34-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Joe Golec with 6:11 left. It was Golec's first career TD pass. Morrison's kick gave WPI a 17-8 halftime lead.

In the third period, Morrison tallied his second 32-yard field goal with 10:07 remaining, giving the Engineers a 20-8 edge. It stayed that way until there was 2:59 left as UML freshman running back Amos Small ran one in from two yards out.

WPI then exploded for two TDs in the next 1:53.

First, junior fullback Eric Thiboutot ran one up the gut, and found himself immediately free for a 49-yard TD. After a Mike DiCaprio 17-yard interception return, Golec would hit junior WR Mark Vandette for 27-yard TD with only 0:04 left in the quarter. Suddenly, WPI led 33-14. The point-after rush failed.

All that remained was for Fluet to score his final TD -- a 27-yard pass play from junior quarterback Chris Busso -- with 6:23 left in the game. Morrison's kick gave WPI a 40-14 lead.

Despite the 26-point loss, UML had some decent numbers. The River Hawks had a big advantage in time of possession -- 35:52 to 24:08. They had more first downs (19 to 18), and outrushed WPI 267 to 257.

WPI outpassed UML, 142 to 48. WPI's biggest edge was likely in average gain per play -- 7.98 yards to 4.20. WPI forced three turnovers, interceptions by DiCaprio and Matt Cardinal, plus a fumble recovery by senior co-captain Jeff Martin.

Martin had a huge day. Besides the fumble recovery, he also had 16 tackles, plus one tackle for loss of 4 yards and a blocked field goal attempt.

Junior inside linebacker Mike Perkins also had 12 tackles for WPI. For UML, senior linebacker Dwayne Walker had 15 tackles during the loss.

UW-Oshkosh 31, Southwest State 7
A season-opening matchup of first-year head football coaches featured Phil Meyer of UW-Oshkosh winning his first game as the Titans defeated Division II Southwest State University 31-7 on Friday evening in Marshall, Minn.

Wisconsin-Oshkosh cruised to its 20th consecutive season-opening victory by displaying a potent offense and a stifling defense.  The Titans generated 364 yards in 82 offensive plays, with 242 coming via the arm of junior quarterback Alan Beversdorf and 88 contributing from the legs of senior running back Mike Scovronski.  Beversdorf completed 16 of 31 passes, including touchdown strikes of 13 yards to senior split end Mike Vielehr in the first quarter. 40 and 11 yards to senior split end Shannon King in the second quarter and two yards to senior tight end Matthew Welch in the third quarter.  The Titans led 24-7 at halftime.

Defensively, Oshkosh held Southwest State to 112 yards in 46 offensive plays while forcing six turnovers.  The Mustangs, who totaled only five first downs in the game, were held to a negative 16 yards rushing in 21 attempts.  The last time Oshkosh held a team to negative rushing yards was in 1988 when the Titans limited Mount Senario College to minus-15 in 36 attempts. 

Positive yards were gained for Southwest State in the passing game, where junior signal-caller Tyler Engquist completed eight of 25 passes for 128 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown toss to junior split end Jon Howard in the second quarter.  Spiriting the Titans defense was senior linebacker Louis Singleton, who totaled four solo tackles, including a pair of quarterback sacks.

Friday night's contest, the first between the schools, kicked off the 106th season of football at Wisconsin-Oshkosh and raised the Titans' all-time ledger to 340-430-45.

John Carroll 37, Catholic 3
Sophomore quarterback Tom Arth was 14-23 for 307 yards and three touchdowns as JCU jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead then cruised to a 37-3 victory in front of 1,423 fans at Wasmer Field.

The home crowd was treated to a number of big plays in the passing attack, as first-year offensive coordinator Greg Debeljak went for the home run early and often. Larry Holmes (97 yards), John Clark (94 yards) and Jeff Lerner (64 yards, 1 TD) were the benefactors of the aerial showcase.

JCU struck first on a Glen Dragoiu two-yard run, capping off a 13-play, 83 yard drive. It was the Charles Holmes getting into the act, catching a 1-yard pass from Arth for his first career reception and first career touchdown to make the score 14-0 after one quarter.

After a Greg Stokes 37 yard field goal that would provide Catholic its only points of the day, JCU responded with an 11-play, 72-yard drive, which resulted in a Jason Parker 1-yard run.

The second half was all Blue Streaks after Catholic stalled in its first drive of the third quarter. The Cardinals went 50 yards in 16 plays but came away with zero points,  being halted at the JCU 27. Jeff Lerner (31 yard pass from Arth), Charles Holmes (7 yard pass from Arth) and Scott Parker (safety after tackling Drew Interdonato in the end zone on a punt return) closed out the scoring for JCU, which won its ninth consecutive season opener.

Arth was not only the leading passer but the leading rusher for the Streak, gaining 56 yards on nine carries. Larry Holmes led JCU with 97 receiving yards on three receptions. John Carroll outgained Catholic 449-232.

For Catholic, it was the worst loss in Tom Clark's seven-year tenure, and the first time the Cardinals failed to score in double figures since the 1995 season.

Bethany 49, Shenandoah 7
Bethany claimed its first opening-game win since the 1995 season and also handed Shenandoah its first loss of its inaugural season with a 49-7 victory Saturday afternoon at Bethany's Rine Field.

The Bison wasted little time in jumping on the Hornets, who were playing their first college football game since the 1967 season. Bethany took the opening kickoff and marched 69 yards in 10 plays, with sophomore running back Brandon Isbell scoring on a nine-yard run for a 7-0 Bison lead.

Late in the first quarter, Bethany freshman running back Tom Medina opened a drive with a 42-yard run to the Hornet six. Two plays later, junior quarterback Justin Green scored on a five-yard keeper and Bethany ran its lead to 14-0.

After Shenandoah went three and out in their next possession, junior cornerback Marty Bavetz returned the ensuing punt 33 yards to the Hornet 20. Five plays later, sophomore quarterback Billy Hunter hit Isbell with an eight-yard scoring pass to make it a 21-0 Bethany lead.

Following another punt, two penalties forced Bethany back into their own territory. It would not matter as Green heaved a 68-yard scoring pass to sophomore wide receiver Justin Yanssens of to run the Bethany lead to 28-0, which is where the lead stood at halftime.

Two plays into the second half, Shenandoah fumbled with Bethany recovering. Six plays later, Hunter took off on a draw for a 25-yard scoring run to push the Bison advantage to 35-0.

After the following kickoff, the Hornets moved the ball inside Bethany's 30. But a fumble by Adam Simmons was recovered by freshman linebacker Steve Ochap  The next play, Isbell took off on a 58-yard scamper that set up a Green to sophomore tight end Pat Crossey 11-yard TD and a 42-0 Bethany lead.

Shenandoah scored their first touchdown of the season midway through the fourth quarter when backup quarterback David Hamrick hit Simmons for a 32-yard scoring strike to make it a 42-7 lead. It was the first pass Shenandoah completed in the game.  

Bethany finished the scoring later in the quarter when Medina broke three tackles and ran 40 yards for his first collegiate touchdown. Isbell and Medina each broke the century mark rushing the football with 103 and 101 yards respectively. Green had a good day under center, going 9-for-11 for 131 yards and two scores. The Bethany offense finished the game with 440 yards of offense, while the Bison defense held the Hornets to 150 total yards. Ochap had a solid game in his first collegiate effort with six tackles and a fumble recovery.

Senior Trey Kern was the top rusher for the Hornets with 43 yards on nine carries. Defensively, the Hornets were led by middle linebackers Matt Wayland and Michael Doleman. Wayland had a game-high 12 tackles, while Doleman added nine. 

The Bison victory was the most lopsided opening day win since 1968, when Bethany defeated Case Tech 69-14. The victory also runs Bethany's overall winning streak to four games, dating back to last season, the longest streak since 1995. Bethany will try for its fifth consecutive win when they travel to Newport News.

Brockport State 14, Cortland State 0
Senior running back Courtlan Green rushed for 171 yards and a touchdown as SUNY Brockport opened the season with a 14-0 win at SUNY Cortland.

The loss is the first shutout suffered by Cortland since an 18-0 setback at Mansfield on Sept. 7, 1996, and the first home blanking of the Red Dragons since September 1993. Brockport has now won five consecutive games versus Cortland after mustering only five wins and two ties in the first 47 games of the series between the intrastate rivals.

Green scored on the Golden Eagles' second play from scrimmage when he scampered 36 yards around the left end just two minutes into the contest. Brockport added an insurance touchdown with 7:32 left in the third quarter when senior Mike Haas hit junior Lionel Rhim on a 14-yard scoring pass. Rhim caught the ball at about the 2-yard line before lunging into the front right corner of the end zone. The Golden Eagles had other good opportunities to score but turned the ball over three times in the second half, twice inside the Cortland 20-yard line.

Cortland's best drive of the day was a 15-play, 63-yard march on its second possession of the game. That stalled on downs, however, at the Brockport 30-yard line after getting as close as the 27. The Red Dragons managed no drive longer than six plays the remainder of the game and moved into Brockport territory only once in the second half.

Haas completed 16-of-31 passes for 143 yards and a score for the Golden Eagles, who outgained the Red Dragons 396-269 in total offensive yardage. Rhim caught six passes for 59 yards and Green rushed for 104 of his 171 yards in the second half.

Cortland senior quarterback Ryan McCarthy completed 22 of 36 passes for 179 yards but was sacked four times. Junior Brian Babst made six receptions for 41 yards.

Norwich 17, Curry 14 (OT)
NORTHFIELD, Vt. --  Sophomore placekicker Kenny Hurren booted a 44-yard field goal in overtime lifting Norwich to a 17-14 win against Curry in the season opener for both teams here at Sabine Field.

Hurren's field goal came after the Cadet defense stopped Curry on the opening series of overtime.  Norwich took over for its offensive possession at the Curry 25 and went nowhere, losing two yards in three plays.  Facing a 4th-and-12 at the 27, Norwich sent Hurren onto the field and the second-year kicker converted the longest kick of his career, giving Norwich its fourth consecutive opening-day win against the Colonels.

Curry took a 7-0 lead into halftime thanks to Brian Walsh's 1-yard scoring run with 9:21 left in the second quarter.  Norwich answered early in the second half.  The Cadet defense forced the Colonels to punt on the opening series setting up a career-best 85-yard return for a touchdown by senior Ryan Squires. 

Norwich took its first lead when Squires (9 catches, 139 yards, 1 TD) hauled in an Eric Lewandoski (11-of-21, 141 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) pass along the right sideline and sprinted 48 yards for a score with 9:50 remaining.  Curry promptly answered on the ensuing drive.  The Colonels moved 62 yards in 10 plays and tied the game on Tony Giannetti's 12-yard touchdown catch from Neal Houghton with 5:47 left. 

Curry finished with a 329-251 advantage in total offense.  Raphael Zammit led all rushers with 86 yards on 14 carries for the Colonels.  Robert Wright gained 81 yards on 11 rushes for the Cadets.

Illinois College 44, Blackburn 7
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. -- Patrick Bowman rushed for 102 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead Illinois College past Blackburn 44-7 Saturday in the season opener for both schools.

Bowman opened the scoring with a 5-yard TD run early in the first quarter
and later tallied on a 6-yard scamper with 5:59 left in the first half.

For the game, the Blueboys piled up 486 yards of offense to just 165 for
the Beavers.  Behind quarterbacks Derek Leonard and Nic Smith, Illinois
College threw for 336 yards and rolled up 24 first downs compared to nine
for Blackburn.  Leonard had a 3-yard scoring pass to Nolan Leever in the
first half while Smith hit Park Johnston with a 3-yard touchdown pass in
the third stanza.

Illinois College's Garrett Thum returned an interception 23 yards for a
touchdown in the opening quarter while the Blueboys' Tim Thrasher ran three
yards for a score early in the final quarter.  The Blueboys' Steve Bradshaw
added a 25-yard field goal.

Blackburn got on the scoreboard near the end of the first half when
quarterback Brad Cullum found Dewayne Johnson in the end zone from 27 yards out.  The Beavers' Nathan Pickel had 36 yards in 14 carries while Johnson hauled in four passes for 68 yards.

The winners had nine different receivers, led by Thom Hilligoss with 82
yards on five catches.

Cornell 40, Simpson 31
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa -- The Cornell coaching staff designed workout T-shirts in the offseason with a slogan written in big letters across the front: "Believe."

That's exactly what the Rams did in beating Simpson 40-31 at Ash Park.

Trailing 31-14 at halftime, Cornell exploded for 26 unanswered points in the second half to post the season-opening victory -- Cornell's first since a 15-13 win against Carleton in 1995.

Senior quarterback Terry Gammell tied a school record with five touchdown passes in a game and he threw for a career-high 361 yards with a long of 80 to speedy freshman Brandon Wood.

Cornell's big-play offense racked up 531 yards on 59 plays, an average of nine yards per snap. Sophomore Ian Harden scored on a 60-yard pass and a 75-yard run. Harden carried the ball twice for 90 yards and caught two passes for 73.

Senior Aaron Holthaus, who gave the Rams the lead for good with an 11-yard touchdown reception, hauled in six for the game for 117 yards and a long of 49.  For the game Gammell completed 18 of 30 passes.

Simpson was led by quarterback Brad Zelenovich, who had identical completion numbers as Gammell for 200 yards. The Storm gained 443 yards for the game.

Cornell's defense rose to the occasion when it needed to, stopping Simpson four times inside the Rams 10-yard line in the second half. Two of those were fourth-and-goal rushing attempts from the 1.

"Our off season work was huge for us," Cornell Coach Steve Miller said. "In the past we've gotten into a two- or three-touchdown deficit because we didn't have enough team strength and then folded. We stayed in there today and then the big plays really made a difference."

Junior John Crane, an All-America linebacker candidate, topped the tackle charts with 11 solo and seven assisted stops. Junior Brett Murdock had three sacks for the Rams for 16 yards.

Central 13, Upper Iowa 9
FAYETTE, Iowa -- A 57-yard touchdown strike with 1:14 left lifted Central to a dramatic 13-9 season-opening football victory at Upper Iowa.

Senior quarterback Scott Koerselman hit classmate Joe Kain for the winning score. Upper Iowa, which was looking for its first win against the Dutch since 1978, held a 9-7 lead and had a first down on the Central 15-yard line with less than five minutes remaining.  But Central held on fourth down and took over on its 18 with 2:59 left.  Five plays later Koerselman tossed the game-winner, his second TD pass of the day.

The Peacocks' last chance was stopped when Myqual Spann fumbled at the Upper Iowa 35-yard line with 42 seconds left.

Upper Iowa had scored on its opening drive, moving 73 yards in nine plays. Ron Thompson caught a 24-yard Ben Jass pass for the TD but the point after
sailed wide. But on Central's first play from scrimmage, Koerselman found old Pleasantville High School teammate junior Chris McCullough wide open for a 72-yard score.

A Jeff Moody 25-yard field goal with 10:52 left in the first half gave Upper Iowa a 9-7 lead and that's the way it stayed until Central's closing rally. 

Central had a 16-15 edge in first downs but Upper Iowa outgained the Dutch, 328 yards to 270.  Central was limited to 57 yards rushing on 34 carries. Junior Aaron Aeschliman had 29 yards on eight attempts. 

The Dutch had 213 yards passing -- 130 of which came on the two touchdowns. Koerselman completed 11 of 20 passes for 212 yards while Jeff Borgman was 1-for-3 with one interception.  Kain had five catches for 96 yards.

Upper Iowa tailback Mike Hatten gained 132 yards on 24 carries while Jass completed 16 of 30 passes for 169 yards. John Augustus caught five balls for 44 yards.  Defensively, Scott Burke led Upper Iowa with nine tackles.

Senior linebacker Jeff Sanger had nine tackles for Central while senior free safety Nick Turner and junior strong safety Bric Nelson each had eight stops.  Linebacker Austin Bonnema had seven tackles while cornerback Chad Klein, defensive end Justin Snyder and defensive end Jon Van Heukelom each had five stops.  Tackle Ryan Anderson had two quarterback sacks.

Albion 41, MacMurray 0
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. -- Bill Poirier ran for 137 yards and two scores and caught two passes for 18 yards and a score to lead Albion to a 41-0 victory against MacMurray at MacMurray Field.

Albion jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter by converting two MacMurray turnovers into points. Poirier caught a 15-yard pass from Travis Rundle with 7:28 left in the opening stanza after a Highlander fumble on a punt gave the Britons possession on the 15.

Keith Debbaudt nailed a 21-yard field goal as time expired in the first quarter after John Cowley intercepted a Tim Peterson pass at the Britons' 23.

The Britons ran the score to 24-0 at the half on a 22-yard scoring strike from Rundle to John Bennink and a three-yard scoring run by Poirier. Poirier scored his third touchdown on the game with 5:29 left in the third quarter to give Albion a 31-0 lead.

Debbaudt added a 24-yard field goal early in the final stanza, and Chad Brent caught a 19 yard pass from Kevin Doyle with under five minutes remaining to cap the scoring.

The Britons outgained the Highlanders 390-150, including 261-95 on the ground. Steve Ballinger led the Highlanders with 99 yards rushing on 25 carries.

Muhlenberg 34, Kings Point 10
Junior Joshua Carter set one school record and tied another in the Mules' season-opening win. Carter amassed 297 all-purpose yards, including 157 on the receiving end, eclipsing the old mark of 3,292 set by John Sartori (1976-79). 

Carter, who now has 3,305 all-purpose yards, also tied a school record by catching three touchdowns. He single-handedly turned the game around after Muhlenberg fell behind 10-7 late in the first quarter, returning a kickoff 56 yards and then catching a 35-yard touchdown pass from senior Michael McCabe on the next play. 

After short touchdown runs by sophomore Anthony Wolfsohn and freshman Matt Bernardo, the Carter-to-McCabe connection clicked again for a 73-yard pass play. Wolfsohn finished the game with 82 yards on 17 carries, and McCabe threw for 288 yards. 

Junior linebacker Doug Folger led the Mule defense, which held the Mariners scoreless for the final three quarters, with 14 tackles.

Muskingum 42, Mt. St. Joseph 14
NEW CONCORD, Ohio -- Junior tailback Matt Colvin rushed for a career-high 189 yards and four first half touchdowns to lead Muskingum to a 42-14 win against Mount Saint Joseph in the season opener for both teams in McConagha Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Colvin scored on runs of 1 and 66 yards in the first quarter. He added TD runs of 2 yards and 1 yard in the second as the Fighting Muskies took a 35-0 halftime lead.

Senior quarterback Jeff Morris completed 11 of 15 passes for 225 yards and one touchdown.

The Fighting Muskie defense limited Mount Saint Joseph to 263 total yards and forced two turnovers. First-year defensive back Ryan Spicer set up Colvin's 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter when he intercepted a Joe Sparhawk pass and returned it 23 yards to the Mount Saint Joseph 2-yard line. Junior defensive back Dirk Gadd recovered a fumble.

Randolph-Macon 24, Gettysburg 21
ASHLAND, Va. -- Randolph-Macon (1-0) scored 18 unanswered fourth-quarter points and survived a missed 28-yard field goal in the final 10 seconds to defeat Gettysburg 24-21 in the season opener for both teams on Saturday.

Yellow Jacket sophomore quarterback Hunter Price carried 16 times for 96 yards in his first collegiate start and scampered 16 yards on a draw play for the game-winning score with 1:47 remaining.

The outcome, however, remained in doubt until the game's final five seconds thanks to one final Gettysburg rally.

Starting at their own 31 with 1:40 remaining, the Bullets (0-1) drove 68 yards on seven plays to the Randolph-Macon 11 with 10 seconds left. With Gettysburg facing third-and-1 with no timeouts remaining, Dan Evanko's 28-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right to preserve the win, the Yellow Jackets' fifth consecutive victory against the Bullets.

Gettysburg fullback Zack Smith carried 19 times for 107 yards in his first collegiate start while Bryan Pojanowski caught five passes for 61 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns on the afternoon.

Quarterback Dennis Flaherty completed 20 of 32 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown, surpassing Jim Ward as the program's all-time leader for career passing yards (3,236).

Defensively, junior linebacker Ryan Moore led the Bullets with 13 tackles while adding an interception and a fumble recovery.

Randolph-Macon star wideout Michael Becker caught 14 passes for 185 yards and one touchdown while becoming the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's all-time leading receiver.  He finished the day with 207 career receptions.

Trailing 21-6 heading into the fourth quarter, Randolph-Macon climbed back into the game with a 34-yard field goal from Kevin Cherwa and an 11-play, 67-yard drive capped by a Becker touchdown reception that made it 21-16 Bullets with 6:15 to play.

Gettysburg went three-and-out on its next possession and the Yellow Jackets
took over at their own 43 with 4:37 left in the game. With third-and-11 at the Bullet 40, Price found Becker on a 12-yard gain to the 28.  A Bullet personal foul after the play moved the ball to the 14, setting up Price's go-ahead touchdown two plays later.

Randolph-Macon took a 24-21 lead when Price hit junior wide receiver Derrick Jackson for the crucial two-point conversion.   

Despite the loss, the game was a quite a turnaround from the Bullets' 54-20 loss to the Yellow Jackets in last season's opener. After Randolph-Macon took a 6-0 lead in the game's first eight minutes, Gettysburg dominated the action for the next two-and-a-half quarters to build a 15-point lead.

The Bullets drove 80 yards on 11 plays to take a 7-6 lead with 2:13 left in the first quarter.  Flaherty went 7-for-9 for 78 yards on the drive, capped by a 27-yard scoring toss to Pojanowski.

Gettysburg made it 14-6 with a 6-play, 50-yard march late in the second quarter that Pojanowski finished with a one-yard touchdown run. Flaherty hit Alex Nicholas on a 27-yard pass and Smith ripped off a 20-yard run to key the drive.

Following a sloppy start to the second half that featured back-to-back interceptions and a Yellow Jacket fumble, Gettysburg to a 21-6 lead on a 15-yard end around by Jeff Boyd with 4:50 left in the third quarter.  Nicholas helped set up the Bullet scored with a career-best 38-yard run to the Randolph-Macon 17.

Nicholas carried three times for 41 yards and also caught four passes for 49 yards on the afternoon. Clint Sullivan carried 18 times for 89 yards for Randolph-Macon.

After Becker, only two Randolph-Macon players had multiple receptions on the day:  Jackson had two for 20 yards, while Sullivan also caught two passes for 16 yards.

Defensively, the Yellow Jackets were led by sophomore linebacker Justin
Coffey, who finished with 12 tackles and one interception. Sophomore defensive back Bobby Akers notched seven tackles. Also, junior defensive lineman Justin Toombs had five tackles, including three for a loss of 10 yards.

The Bullet defense was led by junior linebacker Ryan Moore, who totaled 13 tackles, one for a loss of two yards, plus one interception, one fumble recovery, and three broken up passes.  Junior defensive end Chris Hofman had seven tackles, one for a loss of seven yards, two broken up passes, and a sack for a loss of seven yards.

Capital 42, Thiel 18
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Quarterback Danny Edghill threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns to lead Capital to a 42-18 win against Thiel in the opening game of the 2000 season.

Edghill, a sophomore, marched the Crusaders (1-0) down the field on the game's very first possession and capped off the drive with a 1-yard run to give Capital an early 7-0 lead.  Later in the first quarter Eric Glass would be the first Crusader in eight years to block a punt for a touchdown as the hosts would post a 14-0 score after the first quarter. Two more scores in the second, a Rayshun Gailes 26-yard run and a 15-yard pass from Edghill to Dan Petersen gave Capital a 28-0 lead at the break.

Edghill would pick up right where he left off in the second half as he engineered a 11-play 75-yard drive with a 6-yard pass to Matt Hawk to make it 35-0.  Thiel (0-1) failed to give in though as the Tomcats would score three-straight times taking advantage of two Crusader turnovers, before Capital would close the game out with a 1-yard Dan Bartholmew run.

Wisconsin Lutheran 14, Rockford 0
MACHESNEY PARK, Ill. - Rockford and Wisconsin Lutheran both started new traditions here at Clyde Peterson Stadium on Saturday afternoon, but after all the firsts that were established it was Lutheran which came away with the victory 14-0.

It was a typical first game for both teams, as offenses were sporadic and defenses rose to the occasion. But the Warriors held the Regents to only 155 yards of total offense, while managing 228 of their own.

A crowd estimated at 1,700 turned out despite a 93-degree day. Rockford College announced a $500,000 gift by former trustee Sam S. Greeley to build a new stadium on the Rockford College campus within the next two years.

There were bright spots for both teams. Wisconsin Lutheran kicker Andy Rennicke provided all the scoring in the first 30 minutes, booting field goals of 35 and 48 yards.

Shai-Mone Scruggs tried to put Rockford on top just before intermission when he stepped in front of a Jeff Lemke pass at his own 16 and found nothing but open field before him. But Scruggs ran out of gas and was then run down from behind by Lemke at the Lutheran 27-yard line.

Rockford's Andy Wind, who also played in the Regent's season-opening soccer game later Saturday afternoon, just missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

The Warriors built their lead to 14-0 with 10:15 remaining in the contest when Dustin Reynolds, who split time at quarterback, tried to hit tight end Nate Hahm. Hahm was hit by a Regent defender as the ball arrived and the ball bounced high in the air. Halfback Brian Yerges snagged the ball and sprinted 16 yards for the score. Reynolds found Paul Nelson for the two-point conversion.

Rockford College quarterback Bob Peterson, who hit seven consecutive passes at one point in the second half, tried to bring the Regents back late in the game. The junior quarterback drove Rockford from its own 14 to the Lutheran 23 before time expired. Peterson finished the game completing 15 of 23 passes for 140 yards.

Lemke was 8-for-16 passing for 103 yards, while Reynolds hit 6 of 8 for 66 yards and a score for Lutheran.

Nate Hahm was the leading receiver for the Warriors, grabbing six passes for
77 yards. Mike Naymola was the leading receiver for the Regents with five
grabs for 57 yards.

The Regents will be at home again next Saturday when they host Crown College. Wisconsin Lutheran hosts Trinity International.

Rockford College and Wisconsin Lutheran will meet again this season, in Milwaukee in Week 9.

Susquehanna 26, FDU-Madison 16
MADISON, N.J. -- Susquehanna took the lead with just a minute to go in the first half and never relinquished the advantage, beating FDU-Madison 26-16 in what was the season opener for each team on a sweltering day in northern New Jersey.

"Obviously this is a great win," said 11th-year head coach Steve Briggs. "It's nice to come into this environment and come away with a win."

Sophomore quarterback Mike Bowman led the way for Susquehanna, going 16-for-36 with 238 yards and three touchdowns. Bowman's favorite target was his former high school teammate, freshman split end Mark Bartosic, who racked up 118 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions.

Bowman felt that the line deserved a lot of credit for his performance in the opener. "We knew we would face a heavy blitz and the coaches gave me the freedom to check off. Our offense line did a great job in protection."

Susquehanna took an early lead over the Devils, converting an FDU fumble into three points. Devils running back David B. Goode fumbled and Crusader sophomore cornerback Antonio Nash recovered the ball on the Susquehanna 47.

The ensuing Crusader drive was halted at the 25-yard line and sophomore Andy Nadler was called upon for the field goal try. He converted a personal best 42-yard attempt to put Susquehanna in front 3-0.

FDU bounced back on the next drive, scoring on a 72-yard scamper by running back Ed Cracchiolo up the middle. FDU converted the two-point try on a fake kick, giving the Devils an 8-3 advantage with 8:43 remaining in the first quarter.

The Crusaders began to chip away at the lead, converting another Devils miscue into three points. FDU-Madison quarterback Brad Bishop had his pass intercepted by sophomore free safety Dennis Kodack at the Crusader 48. After a 17-yard return, Susquehanna had prime field position at the Devils 35 yard-line.

Five rushes and two incomplete passes later, Susquehanna had a fourth and five from the five, as Nadler drilled his second field goal of the game, a 23-yarder, to close the gap to 8-6.

After a FDU punt, Susquehanna took a permanent hold on the lead. The Crusaders cruised from their own 28 all the way to paydirt, as Bowman found Bartosic in the left corner of the end zone for a ten-yard score. Susquehanna used 10 plays and 2:47 to eat up 72 yards en route to the score, making it 13-8 Susquehanna, which would be the score at the half. Bowman used three different receivers on the drive.

Susquehanna stepped up big early in the third to add to the lead. Bowman had a pass intercepted deep in FDU territory, but the Devils failed to move the ball. FDU's Shawn Eickhorst punted to the FDU 26, where Nash received the punt and ran it back to the Devils' 9-yard line.

After a holding penalty, Bowman found senior split end Matt Fenstermacher for the 19-yard score. Bowman threw incomplete on a two-point conversion try, and Susquehanna maintained a 19-8 lead.

The Devils shot themselves in the foot on their next drive, they were flagged for offensive pass interference on what would have been a first down completion. Instead, they punted and Susquehanna wasted little time in converting the opportunity into a quick six.

After an incompletion, Bowman found Bartosic on the right sideline and he outran coverage for a 76-yard score, his second of the day. Nadler's PAT gave Susquehanna a 26-8 advantage, and concluded a stretch of 23 consecutive Crusader points.

"I was just running a narrow (pattern)," Bartosic said of the long score. "I was backpedaling and the defensive back started backpedaling, then he tripped over his own feet and I caught it and went into the end zone."

With a little over 11:00 remaining, the Devils did again crack the scoreboard, as backup quarterback Mark Pollifrone hit Ed Cracchiolo for a 28-yard score on a fourth-and-17 play. Cracchiolo had to tight rope the right side of the end zone for the score. For the second time in two TD drives, the Devils converted a two-point try and closed the gap to 26-16.

FDU would enter Crusader territory once more, but came up empty. On a fourth-and-six play from Susquehanna's 46, Bishop, who had returned, threw incomplete, killing what had been an eight-play drive, and ending any hope for a comeback.

Though the defense struggled at times, Briggs was pleased with the outcome. "We're not doing a good job on third-and-long and fourth-and-long situations, (but) our defense came up big when they had to."