Red-Zone Woes Spoil Bees Upset Bid

The Fighting Bees had all the makings for an upset of the #2 St. Francis (IN) Cougars. They were able to out-gain the high-powered offense 375-369. They were able to convert three different times on crucial 4th down plays. Chance Jenkins intercepted a critical fourth quarter pass. They blocked an extra point attempt.They even had a sophomore receiver, Michael Hayward, torch the Cougars for 190 yards on 13 catches. However, in the end, the Bees only managed to convert one of their four trips inside the red-zone and fell 20-7.

While the Bees made a lot of strong plays on offense and defense, SAU suffered in the special teams. With just 3:12 remaining in the third quarter the Bees found themselves driving the ball deep out of their own end trailing 12-7. On 3rd and 6 from their own 31, quarterback Jim DuPage fired a strike to receiver Nick Smither, but the pass was dropped and the Bees were forced to punt. On the ensuing punt, Mickey Cassidy blocked Michale Hayward's punt and the Cougars recovered at the Bees 8 yard-line.  Just two short play later and Jay Patterson ran in a touchdown. The Cougars went for two, and were successful as Jeff Wedding hit Taylor Vieck in the end zone. The Cougars extended their lead to 20-7 and the Bees never recovered.

In the 4th quarter, St. Ambrose had multiple scoring attempts that fell short. On the ensuing drive, St. Ambrose put together a 13-play, 56 yard drive that got them as close as the Cougars' 11 yard-line. However, the Bees came up empty as Gavin Tigges field went wide left.

St. Francis took over at their own 20 yard-line and the Bees defense stepped up once again. Forcing a three and out by stuffing the Cougars backfield, SAU once again took over inside their own 20 yard line.

Quarterback Jim DuPage marched the Bees on a drive where it appeared St. Francis could do nothing to stop the Bees. DuPage hit Matt Mulvania for 12 yards and then Michael Hayward for another 13 yards. Following a few incompletions, the Bees got a break as St. Francis was tagged with a pass interference play on third and 10 from the SAU 40. After two consecutive no-gainers, DuPage hooked up with Hayward for a 43-yard bomb to the sideline that took the Bees all the way to the Cougars seven yard line. However, SAU could not connect on four straight passing attempts and turned the ball over on downs.

The Bees managed two more possessions in the second half, but could not get closer than the Cougars 20-yard line as they turned the ball over on downs again.

Despite missing some opportunities in the red-zone, the Fighting Bees put up a performance that proved that they are able to hang with one of the nation's best teams. SAU only gave up 109 yards through the air and the defense forced the Cougars to completely revamp their offense midway through the second quarter. St. Francis began the game in a shotgun, spread offense but could not find passing lanes at all. Instead, they switched to a three-back set that gave the Cougars a strong running attack.

Jesse Weygand led the Bees with 12 total tackles. Kevin Linn and Zack Hughes added 11 tackles apiece and Linn also had one tackle for loss. Chance Jenkins recorded his second interception in as many games and 5 tackles and 1 pass break-up.

Jim DuPage finished with 342 yards, connecting on 29 of 62 passes with 1 touchdown. Michael Hayward had a career performance with 13 catches for 190 yards and Tyler Driscoll had another solid eight catch, 86 yard game for the senior tight end.

With the loss, the Bees drop to 1-2 on the season. They will start up conference play when they head to St. Francis (IL) for a 1:00 kickoff in Joliet, Illinois on September 29th.