The Cougar football team was not able to duplicate their thrilling overtime defeat of Marian University this Saturday. Instead, the University of Indiana Greyhounds put a beating on Saint Xavier University, winning 51-20 and dropping the Cougar squad to 1-1 on the season.
The Cougars were able to hang around with the NCAA Division II Greyhounds through the first half of play. It was the opposite of what the football team ran into last weekend against the Marian Knights, who seemed to dominate play through the first 30 minutes but floundered during the second half and overtime, when the Cougars shone.
The score at the end of the first half this weekend was a manageable 20-14 deficit for SXU, but even at that time it appeared that the Greyhounds were outplaying the Cougars.
By halftime, the Cougars had gone through two quarterbacks. Senior Joe Gill started the game and faltered out of the gate. He had seven completions out of 12 attempts for 32 yards, but he also threw two interceptions before being taken out of the game during the first quarter.
The Cougars received the opening kickoff of the game and all looked well. Senior running back Nick Pesek carried the ball on the first play of the game for an eight-yard gain.
But things would go downhill from there. Pesek took the handoff on the next play but only managed to get back to the line of scrimmage. And on their first third-down play of the game, Gill could not find an open receiver.
It looked as though head coach Mike Feminis had decided to go for it on fourth down, but instead Gill took the snap and punted the ball down the field.
On the next offensive series, the Cougars found themselves in a fourth-and-five situation at their own 28-yard line. Although SXU was in punt formation, redshirt freshman quarterback John Rhode took the direct snap and found freshman receiver Aaron Dye (lined up in the gunner position) down the sideline for a 35-yard gain and a huge first down.
This was the second straight week that Feminis decided some trickery in the punt formation on fourth down would be effective, and it was the second time in as many games that his decision proved intelligent.
Gill looked good on the drive, getting the Cougars’ offense all the way down to the Indianapolis eight-yard line. That is when things took a turn for the worse.
Gill dropped back to pass on second-and-five and, rather than attempt to pick up the first down, took a shot toward the end zone. The throw did not find its intended receiver, instead ending up in the awaiting hands of Indy’s strong safety, John Strickland, who was tackled in the end zone for a touchback.
Indy took the opportunity to drive down the field with its outstanding junior running back Klay Fiechter. Once Indianapolis got to the goal line, they brought in bruising sophomore running back Matt Ripp to punch it in for the touchdown. The ensuing extra point attempt would be blocked by junior Greg Hayward, keeping the Greyhounds to just six points.
The ensuing offensive drive for the Cougars would start solidly. Gill completed three straight passes for a Saint Xavier first down. His next pass, however, would be his last of the night.
Gill was rushed on the play, could not find anyone open and threw the ball right to Indianapolis’s middle linebacker, Todd Hacker.
The Cougar offense would not score until three minutes had passed in the second quarter. By that time, Rhode, a more mobile option than Gill, had taken over at quarterback.
Following an interception by junior cornerback Danny Lombardo, the Cougars drove all the way down to Indy’s 12-yard line.
Rhode found redshirt freshman receiver Sean Jones in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown pass, and senior placekicker Spencer Nolen booted the point after touchdown attempt through the uprights to put the Cougars up 7-6.
Indy quickly answered on offense with a five-yard plunge by short-yardage back Ripp. This time, Indianapolis tacked on the extra point for the 13-7 lead.
The Cougars continued their offensive success with a touchdown of their own, set up in large part by a 48-yard pass from Rhode to junior receiver Nick DeBenedetti that got the Cougars all the way down to the Indianapolis seven-yard line. Three plays later, Rhode found DeBenedetti again for the four-yard score and the one-point, 14-13 Cougar lead.
Indianapolis answered the Cougars yet again, this time with a 49-yard touchdown from Fiechter that would close out the first-half scoring.
The next 30 minutes would be forgettable from the Cougars’ perspective.
On the first play of the second half, Indianapolis quarterback Chris Mills found a wide-open receiver, Greg Johnson, who scampered 75 yards for the quick score. This put the Greyhounds up 27-14.
The next Cougar offensive drive looked momentarily promising. Rhode found freshman receiver Stephen Simms for a 14-yard gain on a critical third-and-13. The ensuing first-down pass from Rhode, however, was promptly picked off by Indianapolis linebacker Rob Drury.
Indianapolis took over and quickly marched down to the Cougar four-yard line before the drive stalled. Placekicker Scott Miller kicked the 20-yard field goal to put the Greyhounds up 30-14.
Saint Xavier got the ball back and drove down the field to the edge of the red zone. Once there, Rhode hooked up with redshirt freshman receiver Ryan Carroll for the 20-yard score.
Coach Feminis decided to attempt the two-point conversion in order to make it a one-score game, but a false start backed the Cougars up from the three- to the eight-yard line. This did not make Feminis change his mind, so Rhode dropped back to pass, could not find anyone open and tried to scramble in for the points himself. He was stopped, keeping the score at 30-20. Little did the Cougars know that they would be held scoreless the rest of the way.
Indianapolis’s stable of running backs would put the game away for the Greyhounds, running down the clock and running up the score. Fiechter would finish the game with 198 rushing yards (7.6 yards per carry) and a touchdown. Ripp ended the game with just 34 yards, but he also accounted for three of the Greyhounds’ touchdowns.
On the other side of the page, Rhode led the Cougar offense. He completed 17 of his 26 passing attempts for 280 yards and three touchdowns, but that success was offset by three interceptions.
Rhode had moments of brilliance, but at times he looked like the redshirt freshman that he is. He held onto the ball too long sometimes and was too quick to leave the pocket at other times, but he adds the ability to run to the quarterback position for the Cougars. Expect to see him get ample time in upcoming games, and it would not be too crazy to look for ample improvement as well.
The Cougars’ next game is a home contest, coming up this Saturday, September 21. Their opponent will be the Robert Morris University Eagles (3-0), who most recently defeated Olivet Nazarene 14-7 this past Saturday.
Kickoff is at 6 p.m., and the Cougars expect a packed Bruce R. Deaton Memorial Field as they try to regain their winning ways in this Mid-States Football Association matchup.
Tim Carroll
Senior Sports Editor