Fighting Bees Stung 

By: Ryan Holtmann           
Football Sports Information Director

Nov. 24,2002

       vs.

The game was about as pretty as the field for the No. 14 St. Ambrose Fighting Bees (8-3) as they fell hard to the No. 3 Georgetown, Ky., Tigers (10-1) by the final score of 35-14, putting an end to the Fighting Bees season. 

It didn’t take long for the Tigers to get going.  St. Ambrose won the toss and deferred to the second half.  Matt Webster’s kickoff sailed to the Georgetown five-yard line, Cody Brown returned the kick all the way to the 48-yard line of the Tigers.  It took only five plays and 52 yards when Neil Warren hooked up with Kyle Ruscher for a 16-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Tigers lead.

Warren finished with 313 of the teams 448 yards of total offense and was also a unanimous pick for offensive players of the game.  He was 18 of 36 passing, throwing four touchdowns and only one interception and rushed nine times for 44 yards. 

After a quick three and out for the Fighting Bees offense, Josh Embretson came on to punt for the Fighting Bees.  After a 35-yard punt, Mark Walker returned the punt 75 yards for the touchdown, putting the Fighting Bees in a quick 14-0 hole with 10:46 remaining in the first quarter.

“There were a couple of big plays that got them ahead,” Sturdy said, “by then we were playing catch up all day.  I said (on Wednesday) that we couldn’t allow the special teams mistakes.  Their first two special teams plays were big plays, next thing you know they’re up 14-0.  The rest is history.”

The Fighting Bees would answer though.  After the Tigers forced the Fighting Bees to punt again, head coach Todd Sturdy sent in Lutteneger to punt.  Lutteneger’s 41-yard punt, which was directed towards the sideline, stayed inbounds and took a St. Ambrose bounce to the Tiger 20-yard line.  After Nate Green picked it up, and was met by a host of Fighting Bees defenders who forced a fumble.  Coming away with the ball was St. Ambrose defensive back, Adam Panther. 

The Fighting Bees started the drive deep in Tiger territory.  It would take three plays and 21 yards when a little dejavous occurred.   After being sacked for a loss of seven yards by Nate Green, John McDowell hooked up with Joe DuPage for a 28-yard touchdown score, this time it was only third and 17 and plenty of time left of the clock. 

That was the same yardage and connection that won last week’s regular season finale against McKendree.

McDowell finished the day completing 13 of 36 passes for 126 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions.  DuPage grabbed three of McDowell’s passes for 56 yards.

“Their defensive linemen did a good job, they brought their linebackers, that’s why they have won the national championship the past two years in a row,” McDowell said.

McDowell took a licking on the day, he was sacked twice and hurried, if not hit as his was throwing, seven times.

Brandon Adolphs rushed 21 times for 78 yards and caught two passes for four yards.  Adolphs had some trouble on the day, as the field was not in the best of conditions.  The Tigers had played a few games in the rain at Rawlings Stadium and it showed.  The majority of the field was a moist mud.  And walking on it before the game many knew it would play a factor in the game. 

“Obviously the field conditions weren’t that good, and were not used to that playing (at home) on the astro turf and having a quick field,” McDowell said.  “If the game was there (Brady St. Stadium) it might have been a closer game, but we were still only a couple of inches away from making a few big plays and being right back in it.  I don’t think that the score indicates how the teams were. 

That would be all the Fighting Bees could muster until the fourth quarter.  The Tigers capitalized on great field position all day.  Their average starting field position was their own 41 compared to St. Ambrose who started at their own 27-yard line. 

“We just had a long field to work with all day, we’d drive it down there, I mean, we did some good things in the first half, Sturdy said.  “I thought we were moving the ball all over the field, then we’d get down there an d sputter, didn’t execute, threw an interception, penalties, we just didn’t get it done.”

The Tigers would strike yet once again, this time Warren hooked up with Jeff Clard to put the Tigers up 21-7.  They would then score again on a 44-yard hook up between Warren and Cody Brown.  The Tigers would take a 28-7 lead into halftime.

Things would not get any better for the Fighting Bees in the second half.  After the Fighting Bees and Tigers traded possessions for the majority of the third quarter, Warren struck again with 00:57 to go, this time connecting with Tucker McEwen for the 25-yard score. 

The Fighting Bees would muster one more scoring drive.  After replacing McDowell late in the fourth quarter, second string quarterback Jeff Kietzman came into the game.  After taking two sacks, Kietzman stepped up on fourth and eight, firing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Joe Schimmel, cutting the Tiger lead to 35-14.

This would be the last of the scoring for both teams, despite Georgetown’s efforts to score again. 

The Fighting Bees defensive core did all it could on Saturday, but there was just too much Tigers offense for them to stop.  Leading the way on defense with seven tackles (two assisted), one going for a loss was Ricky Shepard. 

Officially T.J. Sheedy came away with four tackles, one going for a loss, while some unofficial stats had him for as many as 11 tackles and a pass break up. 

De’Mon Baker came away with an interception that was credited to McDowell.  Baker also had three solo tackles on the day.

The Tigers defense was led by John Sullivan, who had eight tackles (four assisted), a pass deflection and a tackle for a loss.  Receiving the honor for defensive player of the game was Shan Housekeeper.  Housekeeper had seven tackles (two assisted), a sack and hurried the quarterback three times.

With the loss, the Fighting Bees season has come to an end, but by no means is the team disappointed with their run this season and for the seniors they are happy with winning the three MSFA titles three years in a row.

“Not a lot of programs can say that,” McDowell said.  “We have won the conference championship three years in a row, as well as made the playoffs three years in a row, but we told the guys (the returning players) that next year that can’t be satisfied with just making it here and try to make it further than we did.”

The Tiger, with the win, will move onto the NAIA quarterfinals that will be held Saturday, November 30.  Their opponent and site will be determined today. 

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