MARION, Ind. – In a back-and-forth battle that featured two ties and five lead changes, the University of St. Francis football team came up just short, losing to Indiana Wesleyan University 35-34.
The offensive showcase featured nearly 1,000 yards and came down to the wire. Trailing 35-34 in the final minutes, the Saints' defense needed a stop. Jamal Stovall (Champaign, Ill./Champaign Central) gave USF (1-5) life when he pounced on a fumble at the IWU 49-yard line with 2:06 remaining.
On the ensuing drive, Aaron Ellis (Valparaiso, Ind./Boone Grove) connected with Jordon Smith (DeWitt, Mich./Lansing Catholic) on back-to-back passing plays of 16 and 13 yards to put the Saints at IWU's 20-yard line. However, the Wildcats (4-1) forced USF back five yards with a pair of sacks and strong winds pushed Josh Holberry's (Huddersfield, England) career-long 41-yard field goal attempt wide left at the buzzer.
The seesaw action started early as the teams traded blows in the opening quarter. On their first possession, the Saints converted a fourth down at the Wildcats' 39-yard line. Don Butkus (Dyer, Ind./Mount Carmel, Ill.) ran 33 yards for a touchdown on the next play, giving USF an early 7-0 edge.
Indiana Wesleyan knotted the score on a 40-yard pass play only to be outdone on the second play of USF's ensuing drive. Butkus aired the ball out to Brandon Ruffin (Peoria, Ill./Peoria) on a 68-yard scoring strike.
After a big return on the ensuing kickoff, IWU needed just one play, a 36-yard Zack Blair-Devodney Alford connection, to tie the game 14-14.
A pair of punts settled the game down briefly before Ruffin scored again, this time on a 17-yard pass from Ellis. The ensuing extra-point attempt was no good, but the Saints still pushed ahead 20-14.
Indiana Wesleyan took its first lead (21-20) on an Amaun Clark rushing touchdown and looked to add on late in the half, but Antonio Jameson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Plainfield East) intercepted Blair in the end zone to keep USF within one.
The early portions of the third quarter were dominated by offense. After receiving the kickoff, USF drove 77 yards on six plays, highlighted by Ellis finding Smith for 29 yards and Matt Brachmann on a 22-yard touchdown strike. IWU answered with a 76-yard Alford rushing touchdown, but the Saints retook the lead by charging 68 yards on its next drive. Dwayne Milton (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) had a 34-yard carry on the drive that finished when Ellis hit Mahlek Roberts (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) in the end zone to put USF ahead 34-28.
Alford's third score of the game put IWU up 35-34, setting up the game's dramatic ending.
The Saints did not turn the ball over in the contest and out gained the Wildcats 517-456. Ellis and Butkus combined for 279 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Ruffin added another 100-yard receiving game, hauling in five receptions for 102 yards and two scores. Michael Johnson (Plainfield, Ill./Joliet Catholic) paced USF with 92 rushing yards, while Milton added 83 and Smith had 20 to go along with 71 receiving yards.
On defense, Stovall had seven tackles and the key fourth-quarter fumble recovery, while Jameson matched Stovall's tackle total to go along with his interception. Mason DeLong (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) paced the squad with 10 stops, including two tackles for loss.
Alford led the charge for the Wildcats offensively with 202 total yards and three scores. Blair connected on 14 of his 24 throws for 243 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Brayden Smith was his top target with 121 yards and a score. Payton Marksbury paced IWU defensively, totaling a game-high 13 tackles and two sacks, one of which came on the Saints' final possession.
USF looks to snap its skid next Saturday, October 13 when it hosts Lindenwood University-Belleville at ATI Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
