St. Ambrose Football

SAU beats Loras... again!

For the third straight year the Fighting Bees have knocked off the Loras Duhawks in a rivalry that lay dormant for the previous 21 years. The win also marked the second time in three seasons that the Bees have traveled up to Dubuque to take the win. For the second year in a row, the game-winning score came off the foot of Evan Gutierrez, although this time his kick came with over eight and half minutes left in the contest.

SAU got out to a 14-0 lead thanks to three Jim DuPage completions followed by a 1-yard DuPage run. The second score came through the air, as DuPage tossed a 57-yard bomb to senior Tim Turkowski.

The SAU defense held Loras to just three points through the first three quarters before giving up two touchdown scores in the final frame. Both scores came on the ground to Brennan McCarron.

While Gutierrez' foot was winning the game for the Bees, what might have cost the game for Loras was a missed extra-point after the first touchdown, which would've made the score 14-10. When the Duhawks got on the board a second time they were forced to go for the two-point conversion to tie the game. Loras QB Matt McLaughlin's pass failed, and the Bees hung on for the victory.

On the final series, fifth-year senior Ben Sacco sacked McLaughlin for a loss of 11 before Justin Thompson's pass interference call gave Loras a first down. Thompson would soon get his revenge. Just three plays later, McLaughlin tossed the ball up, and Thompson came down with the interception to seal the victory for the Bees.

In DuPage's first start as a Bee he went 17-for-26 for 176 yards, tossing for one touchdown while also throwing one interception.

Jon James played a significant role as well, as the senior punter kicked seven times, averaging over 37 yards per punt.

The Bees will now hold on to the Victory Bell Trophy until further notice, as Loras has the next two seasons scheduled without St. Ambrose.

Box Score ( click here )