Benedictine Dropped in Conference Opener
LISLE, Ill. - The Benedictine University football team opened the conference portion of its schedule by falling to Concordia Wisconsin 6-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Benedictine moved the ball on offense but struggled with turnovers. The Eagles turned the ball over six times in the defeat. Four of the turnovers came deep in Concordia territory. The first turnover came on the second possession of the contest following a 32-yard pass play from Cyle Schultz to Artie Monaco which placed Benedictine inside the redzone.
The second turnover came on fumbled snap on first and goal from the five yardline. Despite the problems, the defense held strong. Concordia Wisconsin mustered only one first down in the first half and just 51 total yards compared to 265 for Benedictine. Benedictine missed a 35-yard field goal early in the second.
To begin the second half, Concordia Wisconsin turned the ball over at the Benedictine six yardline when Ben Lockton recovered a fumble. The Eagles were unable to capitalize and after a punt, the visitors marched 83 yards to score the lone touchdown of the afternoon. A screen pass enabled a big gainer for 44 yards to setup a four yard touchdown pass. Ben Lockton was able to block the point after.
Benedictine had plenty of attempts to tie or take the lead. The turnover problems continued with a fumble on the Concordia side as well as an interception. Benedictine had two chances inside the final four minutes but could not score against the feisty defense.
Benedictine racked up nearly 400 yards of offense in the defeat. Schultz finished 21-of-42 for 253 yards. John Borsellino was limited to just 37 yards rushing but did haul in seven passes. Monaco finished with 115 yards receiving on five catches. John Alessi gained 51 yards on the ground to lead the team. Lockton amassed 12 tackles to lead the defense with a pair of sacks, three tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, and a block. Mike Theriault, Joe Dickert, and Stefan Herron all boasted double digit tackles.
Benedictine (2-2, 0-1), who has dropped back-to-back conference games dating to last season, travels to Aurora on October 6 for a 1:00 p.m. affair.
