The 2013 regular season of football ended for the Cougars with a 34-7 win over Olivet Nazarene University on a gray, gloomy day in Bourbonnais.
The Saint Xavier University football team, which ended the season two spots out of a playoff berth with a No. 18 ranking, sent their seniors off happy in the final game of their careers.
They did so at the expense of the Tigers, who were celebrating their Senior Day at Ward Field.
It was the first time that the team had played on natural grass all year, but head coach Mike Feminis was clear that it could not be a crutch for the team.
“You can’t make an excuse if you’re playing on [grass],” said Feminis. “Obviously, for a team like us—generally, we’re built on speed an athleticism—we’d certainly rather play on an artificial surface as opposed to grass.”
The turf was solid enough that players could generate traction and it was in great shape for the time of year, according to numerous players and Feminis. The severe winds and rain would hold off for another 24 hours, leaving the option of an offensive explosion open to the Cougars.
Running back Nick Pesek, who already holds numerous school rushing records and frequently contributed in the passing game this year, did his best to spark such an explosion.
He tied a record he already shared with five other players for most rushing touchdowns in a game with three, while picking up 146 yards on 25 carries. It was a fitting way to end his senior season.
Senior quarterback Joe Gill backed up a 329-yard, three-touchdown day against Trinity International on his own Senior Day with an even more spectacular 35-of-49, 359-yard and two-touchdown performance against Olivet.
Gill and the offense scored early and convincingly, a feat that had not always been easy for Gill during his career. He especially struggled with consistency this season.
“He’s played sparingly up until this year. I thought Joe has done some nice things this year, then other time’s he’s obviously struggled,” said Feminis. “But Joe’s been a consummate team player, he’s done everything we’ve asked of him and I was happy for him.”
Junior receiver Nick DeBenedetti was the recipient of much of Gill’s success against Olivet Nazarene. He caught 11 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown.
“Sometimes there were two or three guys open,” said Feminis about the coverage in the Trinity International game a week before. “And probably the case was for Nick [that] if everybody’s open, [the quarterback is] going to throw to the best guy, and Nick’s our best guy.”
The same translated over to the Olivet Nazarene game on Saturday. He was the most targeted receiver, but Gill had no problem spreading the ball around.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Carroll caught Gill’s other touchdown, a 26-yard score, and totaled five catches for 56 yards. Freshman Stephen Simms added seven catches for 59 yards.
On defense, the seniors again made a huge impact. Linebacker Dave Marciano led the way with nine tackles (eight solos) and two sacks. Zach Dolph accounted for another eight tackles.
The scoring began after Saint Xavier’s defense stopped the Tigers on their opening drive. Gill completed three straight passes to set up the touchdown, one of which was a 44-yard gain to redshirt freshman receiver Sean Jones.
Pesek scored from seven yards out to give his team the 7-0 lead (after the extra point).
The Cougars then took over from their own nine-yard line after forcing another punt. The drive started with a 28-yard Pesek run and ended on the 26-yard Gill-to-Carroll touchdown.
The only aspect of the game that the Cougars could have significantly improved upon was blocking on special teams plays. After the Carroll touchdown, junior Tyler Swindle blocked senior Spencer Nolen’s extra point attempt.
Sophomore Lucas Limberg blocked a Nolen field goal attempt late in the second quarter. Nolen also had a punt blocked by sophomore Grant Perkins early in the fourth quarter, which set up Olivet’s only points of the game.
The Cougars went up 20-0 before the end of the first quarter. The scoring drive was set up by a brilliant interception from sophomore defensive lineman Nick Cemeno, who read a screen pass perfectly, intercepted the ball facing downfield instead of looking at the quarterback and returned the ball 18 yards to the Tigers’ 30-yard line.
Once on offense, Gill completed two-straight passes to set up two consecutive runs for Pesek, the latter of which went for a two-yard score and the 20-0 lead.
The Cougar defense allowed the Tigers to pick up two first downs on the ensuing drive, but then they hunkered down to force another Olivet Nazarene punt.
Pesek ripped off two more long runs, one for 19 yards and one for 28 yards. He capped the drive with another two-yard touchdown, which handed his team a 27-0 lead.
Saint Xavier received the ball to start the second half.
The Cougars got into Tigers’ territory before senior defensive back Ben Backstrom picked off Gill, but the defense would not give in and preserved the shutout on the following Tigers’ possession.
When the Cougars got the ball back, things went extremely well until they got inside the red zone. Pesek lost a yard on the first attempt, then Gill was forced to recover his own fumble.
On the next play, Gill bobbled a low snap and it looked like things would only get worse. Instead, he kept composure and his offensive line gave him plenty of time to find DeBenedetti in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown and a 34-0 lead.
Olivet Nazarene’s only points would be scored in the fourth quarter after a blocked punt. The Tigers took over at Saint Xavier’s 25-yard line and used their backup quarterback, sophomore Zach Gross.
Gross broke off a 10-yard run before his running back, junior Michael Ho-Lewis, got back-to-back one-yard carries, the second of which ended the Cougars’ shutout of the Tigers.
A 7-4 season record is not what the Saint Xavier community has come to expect from the Cougar football team, but the 2013 campaign provides something for the players to improve upon.
“For our younger guys, I think they’re realizing that you can’t take anything for granted. Just because you wear a jersey that says ‘Saint Xavier’ doesn’t guarantee you anything,” said Feminis.
“I think they’ll use this as a motivating factor in the winter and spring to get themselves as big and strong and fast as they can and be ready to turn this thing around next year.”
Another encouraging point that should be considered is the talent that the Cougars have returning for the 2014 season, not to mention the new recruits and transfer students.
“There’s no doubt in my mind [that Saint Xavier can compete for an NAIA national championship next year],” said Feminis.
“We had so many young guys that had their baptism this year by fire, and ideally you’re hoping that a lot of those guys you wouldn’t have to count on until their second or third year.”
When the Cougars come back next season, they will know that the underwhelming 2013 season is behind them.
Their job will be to make it fade into distant memory with a return to the ranks of the NAIA football elite in 2014.
Tim Carroll
Senior Sports Editor