Junior linebacker Chris Swayne Attempting to Make a Play SXU Athletics
After winning two games in a row, the Cougars found themselves in defeat after fourth ranked Indiana Wesleyan University claimed the win in this matchup. The final score in this game was 39-7.
The Cougars truly struggled in this game as they were only able to score one touchdown throughout the entire game. Their only touchdown score came in the first quarter, meanwhile Indiana wasted no time and quickly built a lead for themselves to secure the win over the Cougars.
Fifth-year senior quarterback Stuart Ross had a rough time out on the field as he threw one interception and was sacked a total of seven times in this game. Despite that he was still able to throw for 71 yards and complete 13 out of his total 18 passes thrown, finishing the game with a 72.2% completion rate.
Fifth-year senior wide receiver Kyle Quinn recorded the most receptions for the team, catching a total of five passes for 21 yards. Quinn also had two carries on five rushing yards, he also showed off his defensive abilities by making one solo tackle.
Redshirt sophomore running back Mario Price played well in this game, he ran for 31 yards on 10 carries. Price also had the second most receptions for the team, recording four receptions on nine receiving yards.
Graduate student wide receiver Julian Smith was only able to haul in one reception, but Smith was able to amass 110 kick return yards on four attempts.
Fifth-year senior wide receiver/punter Joe Polselli played well as he had seven punts for 302 yards with four of them landing inside the 20 yard line. Polselli also recorded two receptions for 10 receiving yards.
Junior linebacker Chris Swayne was this game’s defensive star as he led SXU’s defense in total tackles. Swayne recorded a career high 15 tackles with five of those tackles being solo. He also had two pass break ups.
Graduate student linebacker Ryan Fitzgerald recorded the second most tackles for the team as he claimed a career best 14 tackles. Out of his 14 tackles, Fitzgerald had seven solo tackles with the other seven being assisted. Fitzgerald was the only player in this game to record a sack and a forced fumble.
Senior defensive back Nick Shultz was able to match his career high in tackles, getting a total of 11 tackles with one of them being solo. Shultz also had 0.5 tackles for loss (TFL) on four yards.
Freshman defensive back Zach Norred also recorded a career high as he was able to collect 11 tackles with seven of them being solo.
Junior linebacker Terry Elias Jr. had a good defensive game as he recorded a total of nine tackles with three of them being solo and six of them being assisted. Elias also recorded 0.5 tackles for loss on four yards.
Fifth-year senior defensive back Kevin Countryman got himself a total of seven tackles with four of them being solo. Countryman also recorded two pass breakups and a fumble recovery which returned one yard for a touchdown.
Although there was effort from the Cougars and we saw good defensive games from the defense, it’s no secret that SXU struggled in this loss.
Only scoring one touchdown, the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats came out aggressive as they held a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. The Wildcats also went into halftime with a 20-7 lead, from there the Wildcats never looked back and made sure to run up the score.
The Cougars now have a record of 3-2 and their two game winning streak came to an end. The Cougars haven’t lost back to back games, so the level of concern shouldn’t be too high. The real focus should be on consistently winning games and not getting blown out in losses.
The Cougars will make their way back home as they prepare to face off against Defiance College. The game will begin at 12:00 p.m, and will be played at Bruce R. Deaton Field.