DAVENPORT, Iowa --- In a defensive battle that featured 25 tackles for loss, St. Ambrose University took advantage of two short fields late in the first half before adding one more score early in the fourth quarter to defeat University of St. Francis 17-7 in a Mid-States Football Association Midwest League contest Saturday (Nov. 9) afternoon at Brady Street Stadium.
 

The loss overshadowed Dwayne Milton (SR/Machesney Park, Ill.)'s sixth triple-digit rushing performance of the season as the senior running back finished with a game-high 133 yards on 33 carries.
 

The contest opened in strange fashion with both defenses bending, but not breaking. St. Ambrose (4-4, 4-1 MSFA) began the game with a 16-play, 58-yard drive that took up nearly six minutes of the clock only to be denied when Rio Strama (JR/Shorewood, Ill.) blocked a 24-yard field goal attempt.
 

The Saints (3-7, 2-3) then marched 74 yards on 12 plays, getting as close as the St. Ambrose 19-yard line before a fumble stopped the drive. St. Ambrose returned to the red zone on its second possession with another methodical march (13 carries, 66 yards) that would end on downs at the St. Francis 19-yard line early in the second quarter.
 

Following its opening drive – its only offensive series in the first quarter – USF was stymied by St. Ambrose's defense in the second quarter, being limited to just 14 offensive plays that resulted in a net total of minus-one yard. Seven of the Saints' 14 plays in the quarter went for negative yardage.
 

That enabled St. Ambrose's defense to put the Fighting Bees' offense in excellent field position twice in the second quarter. The first time came at the St. Francis 41-yard line, which eventually resulted in a Tom Gillen 20-yard field goal to cap an 11-play, 38-yard drive with 4:13 remaining in the half. 
 

The second time took only two plays and 27 yards following an 11-yard punt return by Vince Vignali. Declan McDonald (12-of-21, 110 yards, 2 TDs) found Matthew Coovert on back-to-back pass plays of 13 and 14 yards resulting in St. Ambrose's first touchdown in four first-half red-zone chances with 74 seconds to play before the break.
 

St. Ambrose then had the opportunity to break the game open in the third quarter when Jaxson Nelson intercepted a pass and returned it 24 yards to the St. Francis 13-yard line. Yet again, USF's defense kept the Saints in the game by denying St. Ambrose for the third time in the red zone when the Fighting Bees turned the ball over on downs.
 

Two series later, the St. Francis offense came alive keyed by a pair of clutch third-down catches of 19 and 30 yards by Mahlek Roberts (JR/Naperville, Ill.) (6 receptions, 68 yards). Major Dedmond (FR/Freeport, Ill.) (15-of-23 passing, 99 yards) completed the 10-play, 84-yard drive when he found the end zone from 11 yards out with 5:17 to play in the third quarter.
 

St. Ambrose's decisive drive came two series later. Faced with a third-and-one situation at midfield, the Bees went to their main runningback, Brandon Baalman (19 carries, 101 yards), who was stopped twice behind the line of scrimmage only to break free for a 43-yard gain. That eventually set up Vignali's four-yard touchdown reception to make it a 17-7 game with 14:05 remaining in the contest.
 

St. Francis would have four possessions to rally in the fourth quarter, including once starting at the St. Ambrose 38-yard line with 6:44 to play, but would never threaten the end zone the rest of the way.
 

St. Ambrose would finish with 15 tackles for loss on the day, including a pair of sacks, while St. Francis totaled 10 tackles for loss and two sacks, as well. 
 

Leading the Saints defensively was Kody Randa (SR/Sandwich, Ill.) with 16 stops, of which two went for loss. Mike Gruben (SR/Joliet, Ill.) produced a game-high 4.5 tackles for loss (one sack) as part of a 12-tackle day for him, while Jonathan Pullen (FR/Joliet, Ill.) also collected double-digit tackle totals, finishing with 11 stops.
 

Both teams finished with nearly identical numbers across the board, including in total yardage with St. Ambrose edging out the Saints, 302-270.
 

USF closes out its season next Saturday (Nov. 16) when it faces its fifth ranked competitor of the campaign in No.11 ranked Saint Xavier. The MSFA Midwest League contest kicks off at 1 pm at ATI Field at Joliet Memorial Stadium.