The Cardinals returned to Greene Stadium this past weekend to take on Saint Joseph’s College Pumas in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) play. The Pumas jumped out to an early lead and kept the points rolling, beating the Cardinals 49-7. This loss puts the team’s record at 4-6 (4-3).
The Pumas came out of the gate ready to play. On their first drive, they drove 78 yards in seven plays, capped off by a 41 yard run by Quarterback Wade Burtron.
After a three-and-out by the Cards, the Pumas threatened to score again. But on a third down play, Nick Messer, junior, intercepted a pass thrown by Burtron. The Cards could not capitalize on this turnover, however, with their drive ending after a missed field goal by junior Brandon Womack.
Over their next three possessions, the Pumas scored three touchdowns, all unanswered by the Cards. The first one came via a 10 yard run from Mike Anderson, running back. The next one came from an 8 yard run by Braxto Shelton, and the third came from a pass from Burtron to Addi Dellinger. These three drives put the Puma’s up 28-0 on the Cardinals.
The Cards then put some points on the board with a 45 yard pass from Nick West, junior, to Anthony Mullins, sophomore, with 7:49 remaining in the second quarter. This was West’s 16th touchdown pass of the year and Mullins’ seventh receiving touchdown.
At the end of the first half, the Pumas put up seven more points when Burtron threw a 5 yard pass to Dellinger for a touchdown. In the second half, the Pumas scored two more touchdowns. The first came from a 15 yard pass to Alphonso Hines from Burtron with 7:26 remaining in the third quarter. The next touchdown came from an interception return by Colon Wright, who intercepted senior D.J. Balazs pass with 5:01 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Jewell ended up with 252 offensive yards, 165 passing and 87 rushing. West went seven for 19 in passing with 91 yards, a touchdown and an interception. West also rushed for fifty-nine yards, and led the team. Balazs went six for 17 with 74 yards and an interception. Trejuan Mask, first-year, put up 53 rushing yards. Mullins led the team in receiving yards with 45 yards, which resulted in a touchdown.
Defensively, Jimmy DeStafano, senior, led the team in tackles with 10. Mark Baumgartner, senior, Austin Doss, junior, and Eric Jackson, senior, each recorded a sack.
The Cardinals will wrap up their season this weekend in Indianapolis against the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds, who boast a record of 9-1 (7-0). The Greyhounds are the 2014-2015 GLVC Champions, making this their third championships in a row. Kickoff will be at 4:00 p.m. Nov. 15.