The Xavierite
It took a half of football for the Saint Xavier University Cougars to really click, but once they started they did not stop.
After 30 minutes of play Saturday at Deaton Memorial Field, the Saint Xavier Cougars and the Cougars from the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) were tied 20-20.
One set of Cougars was better in the second half and that made all the difference. The SXU Cougars pulled away for a 53-26 victory.
Saint Xavier had been good but not great in the first half. The SXU Cougars were able to score consistently, but not able to consistently make that score a touchdown.
By the end of the game, just about every part of Saint Xavier’s game was on track. Sophomore quarterback John Rhode finished with 433 yards and a touchdown through the air and another on the ground.
Rhode’s receiving corps got plenty of work, especially in the second half. Junior Randall Wells caught six passes for 122 yards, senior Nick DeBenedetti had five receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown and sophomore Ryan Carroll made five catches for 115 yards.
The offense was not limited to the passing attack, however. Saint Xavier totaled 160 yards on the ground.
Wells led all runners with 42 yards and a touchdown on three carries. Junior running back Joshua Hunter went for 31 yards on seven carries while shiftier backs Khary Ferguson and Mike Ivlow each went in for a touchdown.
Offensively, it was all about the big play for Saint Xavier. The SXU Cougars were consistently able to break off the top of the Saint Francis defense.
The potential for the big plays was evident in the first half: Rhode fired a 52-yard pass, Wells had a 33-yard run in the first quarter and DeBenedetti caught a 29-yard pass in the second quarter.
But Saint Xavier did not convert those big plays into touchdowns until the second half.
Carroll caught a 42-yarder early in the third quarter to set up a touchdown; Wells had a 74-yard catch-and-run on the next offensive drive to set up another touchdown; Rhode fired a 39-yard pass to Carroll on the next drive; DeBenedetti caught a 64-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter; Wells was on the receiving end of a 35-yard fourth-quarter completion.
At halftime, it did not look like Rhode’s or the receivers’ outstanding individual numbers would be possible. Rhode was 9-of-19 for 119 with an interception.
And while the defense was getting pressure on Saint Francis quarterback Wesley Hunsucker in the first half, they were still giving up points—not on the type of big plays Saint Xavier enjoyed in the second half, but on consistent intermediate gains.
That also changed in the second half. The Saint Francis Cougars would not score in the final 23 minutes of play.
Senior lineman Greg Hayward led the defensive effort with three sacks, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
“I came off [the ball] well,” said Hayward of how he got into the backfield. “Just going hard, basically, moving quick.”
The defensive front overall had one of its best games to date. Junior defensive lineman Nick Cemeno had 1.5 sacks, senior linebacker Alex Walters added a sack of his own and junior linebacker Michael Mettille assisted on another.
“We did a lot of stunts, too. That really assisted us,” said Hayward.
One essential piece in Saint Xavier’s ability to stay in the game prior to the big offensive second half was freshman placekicker Abdul Mahdi.
When drives stalled in the first half, Mahdi came on and ensured that Saint Xavier got three points.
He was true from 25 yards in the first quarter, 26 yards in the second and 35 yards and 44 yards in the third quarter.
“Prior to the season, I really never kicked field goals,” said Mahdi. “After the first few games, I just got a feel of how it is to kick in the game.”
With Mahdi’s confidence soaring and the team’s morale on the rebound, the SXU Cougars hope to climb back into the top tier of NAIA football teams.
Saint Xavier had fallen to No. 16 after the loss to Grand View. Now the Cougars look to finish the season strong, as they reached No. 13 in Monday’s poll.
The Cougars have an opportunity to rest this week before traveling to Iowa for an Oct. 25 game against the No. 6-ranked William Penn University Statesmen.
“We’ve just got to keep rolling and heal up on this bye week,” said Hayward. “I think we can definitely handle William Penn. We just have to stay focused.”
If that focus means a carryover from Saturday’s second half to the game against the Statesmen…look out, William Penn.
Tim Carroll
Senior Sports Editor
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