| Athletic News |
|
|
|
|
SAU Closes Year with 49-10 Rout of Iowa WesleyanNov. 13, 2010
Hayward finished his storied SAU career with 10 receptions for 102 yards that left him with 73 receptions for 1058 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Rohde was a big part of the game late when he caught one of Barney O’Donnell’s four touchdown passes to further add to the blow out. Defensively, Jackson intercepted a short screen pass to complete the scoring, running back his interception 32 yards. Joey Carioti added three sacks to finish his year with five as teammates Tyler Boyle had six tackles and one sack and Curtis Roeder also added a sack to aid the Bees’ defense. Anthony Satchel added an interception of his own and the Bees defense sacked Tigers’ quarterback Kevin McConnell eight times while only surrendering 203 yards to finish a season in which the Bees gave up 17.9 points per game. The Bees finished with 467 yards of offense playing in less than ideal conditions. Alex Waterkotte caught two touchdown passes and O’Donnell and Matt Ardiente each rushed for a score. Bees Drop Final Home Game 20-17Nov. 6, 2010 Grand View running back Dante Sims scored two touchdowns and totaled 165 yards as the rush-heavy Vikings offense capped a 78-yard drive for a touchdown with 1:43 to play to defeat St. Ambrose 20-17 on Saturday afternoon. The Bees are now 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League, but the loss spoiled Senior Day for 14 St. Ambrose football players, along with 10 dancers and one cheerleader.
Vikings’ linebacker Jon Higgins, who finished with four sacks on the day, sacked O’Donnell for a loss of 17 yards which forced a punt that left Grand View with favorable field position. The Bees contained the Vikings ground game to a point where they were able to stop kicker Blake Steil from converting a 35-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the first quarter. Higgins continued to create havoc as he forced O’Donnell to fumble and allowed the Vikings to regain possession at the St. Ambrose 21-yard line. Ford continued to harass the Bees by rushing 20 yards before Gregory Charles found tight end Nick Eaton for a six-yard score to draw first blood. A 10-play, 49-yard drive highlighted by a tandem of Matt Ardiente and O’Donnell rushes allowed Pat Schmadeke to kick a 32-yard field goal to make the score 7-3. The Bees went on top 10-3 as Michael Hayward hauled in a 61-yard reception to get close enough for O’Donnell to walk in on a key fourth-and-goal play.
Ford and Sims continued the rushing attack with 51 combined yards to take the 14-10 lead shortly after halftime. Jacob Rohde then joined the O’Donnell-Hayward performance with a 23-yard reception of his own before Hayward leaped in the right corner of the end zone to haul in a 40-yard touchdown pass over two Vikings defenders. It appeared that a momentum shift occurred when Joey Carioti used his strength to strip Sims, but it was reigning MSFA Defensive Football Player of the Week defensive back Travis Mohler who intercepted an O’Donnell pass in Vikings' territory to end the Bees' threat. Bryan Derence and Bryant Beal forced quarterback Gregory Charles to suffer a 14-yard loss on a sack to end the Vikings drive and the defensive battle continued with linebacker E.J. Peterson’s efforts in forcing O’Donnell to the ground on the following possession. Grand View was able to control the game clock and move the ball up field as Sims rushed a combined 74 yards to score the inevitable game winner. St. Ambrose travels to close out their season next weekend against an Iowa Wesleyan team with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. St. Ambrose Home Finale vs. Grand View to be Shown on MC22 Nov. 3, 2010
There will be two primetime network airings across the entire Mediacom footprint in the North Central Division, including communities in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio - nearly 1 million homes. There will also be three local airings, which includes the Quad Cities, Clinton and surrounding communities. Broadcast schedule O'Donnell Named MSFA Offensive Player of the WeekOct. 25, 2010
O'Donnell completed 13-of-20 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns while running the ball 13 times for 179 yards and another score. He accumulated 401 of the Bees' 591 yards of total offense. He threw 22- and 33-yard touchdown passes to Michael Hayward sandwiched around a 15-yard TD strike to Jordan Bell. O'Donnell later scored on a five-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter before sitting out the fourth. O'Donnell and the Bees are off this week before hosting Grand View on Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. at Brady Street Stadium. SAU will conclude the 2010 season at Iowa Wesleyan on Nov. 13 Bees Dominate Quincy 44-7Oct. 23, 2010 Barney O’Donnell finished with 401 yards and four touchdowns (one rushing, three passing) as St. Ambrose totaled 591 yards of offense to dominate Quincy 44-7 at Brady Street Stadium. The win allowed the Bees to get back to 4-4 overall and improve to 2-3 in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League. O’Donnell got the Bees started on the first possession by rushing for 27 yards into Quincy territory when Michael Hayward hauled in two consecutive passes for 33 yards, the last a 22-yard touchdown reception, to take the early 7-0 lead.
On the Bees' next drive, a combination of efforts by Matt Ardiente and Hayward would get to the Quincy 48, where O’Donnell found the open man in Jordan Bell (pictured, right) for a 28-yard reception to the Hawks’ 15-yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, Bell ran out into the flat, bobbled the pass and finally came down with the ball for the 15-yard reception to go up 14-7. O’Donnell continued his performance by finding Hayward for a 33-yard scoring reception. On the ensuing position, the St. Ambrose defense showed some resilience when Zarie Gordon heard footsteps from Mark O’Connor, who promptly delivered a clean blow to break up a pass on a third and long play. Similarly, it was Corey Reidl of the Hawks special teams unit who would ruin Patrick Schmadeke’s day by blocking his 33-yard field goal attempt after O’Donnell and Ardiente had marched the Bees down to the Quincy 16-yard line. There was a slight scare with 30 seconds left before halftime when Joey Carioti left with what appeared to be a possible injury, but he returned to play on the Bees' second defensive stand of the second half.
Reserve players flew in by the numbers and made an impact, as Earl Delany came in to fill in for Carioti to put pressure on Brenneisen. Bryan Derence, Bryant Beal and Jake Hemmen combined to match Pete Kalber’s (pictured, right) three-sack effort to tire out 6-foot-5, 395-pound Jordan Dillingham and continue the Bees' defensive domination against a winded Hawks offensive line. Reserve H-Back Nate Conklin capped off the mauling of the Hawks with a three-yard rush before Reidl blocked his second special teams kick of the day to complete the final scoring of 44-7. St. Ambrose has a bye next Saturday and will resume play when they host Grand View at 1 p.m. on Nov. 6. SAU Unable to Knock Off #12 William PennOct. 16, 2010
Pat Schmadeke (pictured, right) booted a picture perfect onside kick with 23 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Bees were unable to follow up with a touchdown of their own to potentially win the game. The Statesman, backed by quarterback Taylor Parson’s five touchdowns (two passing, three rushing) performance, were able to force St. Ambrose into playing catch up for most of the game. Barney O’Donnell continued to produce, highlighted by a two-yard touchdown rush to take the early first quarter lead before running back Dalton Phelps complemented Parsons as the Statesmen’s 330 yard rushing attack made the score 21-7. A seven-play, 60-yard drive highlighted by an 11-yard Jordan Bell touchdown pass pulled the Bees within one touchdown, and with 3:29 left in the second quarter, O’Donnell found Michael Hayward for a 33-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 21. Shortly before halftime, Parsons struck again by putting together a quick nine-play, 73-yard drive to take the lead at 28-21. The Bees had Parsons in check when they covered a play action rollout pass successfully before Parsons threw a deep ball to Jacob Ballenger for a 56-yard touchdown pass and a two score lead. O’Donnell, who finished 20-of-39 for 264 yards and scored five touchdowns of his own (three passing, two rushing), cut the deficit to 35-28 with a nine-yard TD run with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
The special teams unit then picked up the defense after giving up another Parsons run, blocking Cam Shearon’s extra point attempt, returning the ball to what appeared to be a St. Ambrose point before the ball was blown dead as Andrew Briones stepped out at the 50-yard line. St. Ambrose’s defense took a hit when it lost defensive end Curtis Roeder and defensive back John Michaletti to apparent injuries in the second and third quarters, but was able to force a turnover when Colin Suiter forced Bernard Luster to fumble. Tyler Boyle (pictured, right) also led all defensive players with 11 solo tackles. Quincy University will travel to Davenport, Iowa, next Saturday as the Bees will try to snap the one-game slide, with game time starting at 1 p.m. Bees Snap Three-Game Skid with Win at WaldorfOct. 9, 2010 Waldorf College scored after Deont Holloway intercepted a Barney O’Donnell pass to grab an early lead before the Bees scored 49 unanswered points as they spoiled the Warriors’ homecoming weekend 49-6. Despite O’Donnell’s four interceptions, St. Ambrose won their first conference game after two unsuccessful attempts, totaling 650 yards, rushing for 302 and passing for 348 yards respectively.
Waldorf was able to put together an impressive goal-line stand against O’Donnell and Ardiente, but the Bees continued their scoring spree as head coach Magistrelli continued to dial up deep passes to his receivers, as O’Donnell found Michael Hayward for a 53-yard touchdown to make it 14-6. On the ensuing Warriors’ possession, the defense made an appearance, as Colin Suiter intercepted a Roc Hobbs pass to set up Hayward’s 10-yard touchdown reception. It appeared that Magistrelli continued to use a deep passing attack to move the ball as opposed to short passes, allowing O’Donnell to find Beau Foiles for a 64-yard score, making it 28-6.
In the second half, the defense forced three turnovers, including two interceptions, one by Adam O’Neil (pictured, right) late in the fourth quarter and a fumble forced by Joe Carioti to stall a long drive in the third quarter. O’Donnell completed 21-of-34 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns, in addition to a late 30-yard touchdown run before being replaced by Eric Williamson who also joined the action and added a 2-yard touchdown run of his own to make the final 49-6. St. Ambrose improved to 3-3 overall (1-2 in MSFA Midwest League) and will look to win here on out to increase their chances at making the playoffs when they play at William Penn next Saturday at 1 p.m. Fighting Saints' Surge Spoils HomecomingOct. 2, 2010 Three late scores, highlighted by a Deonta Stevens 62-yard touchdown catch, led St. Francis (Ill.) over the Fighting Bees 27-24 to spoil Homecoming for SAU. St. Ambrose discovered that they could succeed by relying on rushing, not passing, having scored twice on rushes and totaling 186 yards rushing as opposed to 127 yards passing.
On SAU’s second possession, Matt Ardiente joined O’Donnell in the Bees’ rushing attack, rushing for 19 yards on the drive to set up a 10-yard touchdown reception by Michael Hayward with 2:11 remaining in the first quarter. USF started to drive in the second quarter and was forced to punt before a costly roughing the kicker penalty gave St. Francis a second attempt to continue their drive. After Connor Krisch rushed for five yards and a USF first down, Adrian Leal intercepted an E.J. White pass before O’Donnell threw an interception of his own to round out the second quarter action. Patrick Schmadeke quickly added a 22-yard field goal to make it 17-0 before USF unleashed their second half game plan in using the quarterback draws to open up the field. White, Garen Demery and Elliot Allen rushed seven times before getting a face mask call, which was capped off with White finding Sean Hughes for an 8-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-7. St. Ambrose began to turn to their traditional ways of doing things as O’Donnell found Hayward for a 53-yard catch and eventually ran in from eight yards out for a 24-7 SAU lead. USF continued its ground attack with a variety of rushes to make it 24-14 and later got closer with the long pass to Stevens to pull within three points.
White found Hughes, Allen and Stevens to get close to the end zone before it appeared that Colin Suiter (pictured, right) had intercepted a pass that was later ruled incomplete. Hannah-White returned the ensuing kickoff as time expired and St. Francis stormed the field. On a day with some wind and cooler temperatures, 67 percent of plays resulted in rushes, as opposed to the standard passing offense that is run. Penalties were a contributing factor in the Bees’ loss, as there were 12 penalties for 114 yards. SAU is now 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the MSFA Midwest League. The Bees will look to snap a three-game losing streak next Saturday at Waldorf at 1 p.m. Fourth-Quarter Surge Too Little, Too LateSept. 25, 2010 After failing to defeat St. Francis (Ind.) last week, St. Ambrose returned home to face 14th-ranked McKendree, and lost 21-14, managing only 222 yards of total offense and turning the ball over three times on interceptions.
McKendree thwarted Danny Tharp and Michael Hayward’s efforts on the following possession after a two-yard sack. Jimmy Berezik joined a Chenault onslaught to move the ball from the McKendree 15 to the to the SAU 35 before John Michaletti (pictured, right) forced Chenault to fumble and turn the ball over with 4:14 left in the first quarter. In the first half, SAU lost Tharp after he was hit as he threw in his own end zone and was sacked during the second quarter. Tharp helped lead the Bees down the field with 2:23 left in the second quarter, with a pair of catches to Beau Foiles for 27 and 19 yards, but did not return after being intercepted by McKendree’s Jamison Wilson at the McKendree three-yard line. Though the Bees stopped running back Jimmy Berezik before half time at the SAU 25 yard line, J.T. Smith intercepted an Eric Williamson pass and returned it for a score to take a 14-0 lead. After halftime, McKendree continued attacking SAU’s run defense deficiency before Jordan Fark missed wide right on a 21-yard field goal.
The Bearcats gave the Bees an opportunity when punter Bret Dougherty shanked a punt, giving SAU the ball at their 39-yard line. O’Donnell flashed some speed on a fourth-and-10, rushing for 22 yards to gain the first down. Hayward continued his 2010 season by hauling in four catches for 88 yards and his second touchdown with 2:55 left in the game to make it 21-14. This was SAU’s last legitimate scoring threat as O’Donnell, who finished 5-of-18 with 88 yards, two touchdowns and 54 rushing yards, ended the game with an incompletion to Brandon Heard. St. Ambrose will look to snap a two-game losing streak next Saturday during homecoming while hosting St. Francis (Ill.) at home at 1 p.m. Football Team Looking for September "White Out"Sept. 22, 2010 The St. Ambrose football team is calling for a “White Out” this Saturday when the Bees battle McKendree at 6 p.m. at Brady Street Stadium. All fans are encouraged to wear white at SAU’s first home game under the lights since the 2005 season. The first 200 students seated in the student section will receive one-of-a-kind “White Out” t-shirts. Limited edition white towels will also be given out at the gate until supplies run out. “This was the players’ idea,” said fourth-year head coach Mike Magistrelli. “We’ve seen Iowa and Penn State do it and it creates a great atmosphere. Playing at night is unusual for us and we’re hoping this even heightens the atmosphere more. We’re hoping for a great crowd and a lot of support in a big game for us.” The game features a battle of top-25 teams as #23 St. Ambrose (2-1) hosts #14 McKendree (3-1, 1-0) in a crucial early-season Mid-States Football Association Midwest League contest. It is the conference opener for the Bees who will look to take down the Bearcats for the first time in three years. Bees Give Up Lead in 31-20 Loss at Saint Francis, Ind.Sept. 18, 2010
In the loss, SAU senior wide receiver Michael Hayward (pictured, right) became the school's all-time leader in receiving yards. He hauled in 13 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 2,529 receiving yards in his career. Hayward overtakes Tom Furlan who totaled 2,448 receiving yards from 1995-98. Hayward did most of his work in the first half as the Bees raced to a 17-0 lead. He caught 38- and 44-yard touchdown passes from Danny Tharp and Patrick Schmadeke added a 39-yard field goal late in the half as St. Ambrose became the first team to hold Saint Francis scoreless in the first half since USF's first home game in program history in 1998 against Taylor. The Cougars chipped away with a safety and touchdown before Schmadeke booted a 21-yard field goal for a 20-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter. But Saint Francis rallied with three fourth-quarter touchdowns to escape with the 31-20 win. Tharp completed 30-of-47 passes for 346 yards and the two touchdowns to Hayward. Barney O'Donnell caught nine passes for 77 yards. Defensively, John Michaletti led the way with 14 tackles, including seven solo stops. Kyle Cummins was involved in 10 tackles and forced a fumble. Next Saturday, #17 St. Ambrose (2-1) returns home for a big MSFA Midwest League matchup against #14 McKendree. Kickoff at Brady Street Stadium is slated for 6 p.m. Bees Ranked 17th in First Regular Season Coaches' PollSept. 13, 2010 After opening the season with two wins, the St. Ambrose football team is ranked 17th in the first regular season NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll, announced by the NAIA today. The Bees were unranked but receiving votes in the preseason poll but after posting a 17-9 win at Trinity International on Sept. 4 and a 28-7 win over Malone Saturday, SAU is back inside the top 25. The top six teams in the poll remain unchanged from the preseason list. The University of Sioux Falls received 13 of the 18 first-place votes to sit atop the rankings. Lindenwood, Carroll, Saint Xavier, Morningside and MidAmerica Nazarene round out the top six. St. Ambrose will face a stiff test Saturday as the Bees visit #11 University of Saint Francis, Ind. The following week, SAU will host #14 McKendree in a crucial MSFA Midwest League contest at 6 p.m. at Brady Street Stadium. Later in the year, St. Ambrose will visit #20 William Penn. Turnovers Slow Drives Early, Bees Regain Composure to Post WinSept. 11, 2010 In a game that was plagued by a plethora of interceptions and fumbles by both competitors, the Fighting Bees were able to remain tied going into the second half before scoring three times in the third quarter to defeat the Malone University Pioneers (0-2) 28-7 at SAU’s home opener Saturday. St. Ambrose (2-0) was down 7-0 with 10:09 remaining in the first quarter after a Danny Tharp pass was intercepted by Malone’s Jordan Scott for a 65-yard touchdown on the Bees’ second possession of the game.
The second quarter became a defensive battle when Cody Carroll sacked Tharp on the Bees’ first drive and the SAU defense smothered Markus McFolling on a fake punt to force Malone to turn the ball over on downs. Malone also intercepted Tharp for the second time in the afternoon and added a late Frank McCormick sack before the teams remained tied going into halftime. On the Bees’ first drive of the third quarter, Tharp was able to find O’Donnell and Michael Hayward before a combination of running plays allowed Heard to run in from two yards out to make the score 14-7.
SAU’s defense made a final stand when it stopped Logan Francis and Matt Kiel from scoring, with Pete Kalber and Joey Carioti stuffing the run up front. The teams both changed possessions off of turnovers before a Mike Mungro sack helped preserve the Bees’ win. The St. Ambrose defense surrendered only 227 yards of offense while the Bees rolled up 471 yards. Tharp completed 27-of-37 passes for 283 yards while Heard led the ground attack with 97 yards on 16 carries. Hayward hauled in nine passes for 107 yards as Tharp completed passes to seven different SAU receivers. The Bees are back on the road next Saturday when they travel to take on nationally-ranked Saint Francis (Ind.), starting at 11 a.m. Parking Guidelines for Home Football GamesSept. 9, 2010 Brady Street Stadium parking is very limited. Thanks to the owner, additional parking is available south of the stadium in the Klemme lot. The following guidelines must be followed by anyone using the Klemme lot for parking at home football games: 1) There is no parking north of the stadium in the grassy field. 2) There is no tailgating prior to or after St. Ambrose University football games. 3) There is no alcohol allowed in the parking lot. 4) Cars may be parked in designated parking lanes only. 5) Buses and other large recreational vehicles are not allowed in the Klemme car dealership parking lot south of the stadium. Thank you for your cooperation. Bees Open 2010 Season with WinSept. 4, 2010 DEERFIELD, Illinois - After entering the 2010 campaign as an unranked team in the NAIA preseason coaches’ poll, the Fighting Bees attempted to prove themselves against a much improved Trinity International University team, beating them 19-9. The Bees were called for a false start penalty to begin the game before Danny Tharp stung the Trojans by completing a 55-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Rohde for the early lead.
TIU forced wide receiver Barney O’Donnell to run for a 16-yard loss to the far side line away from his blockers before the teams traded possessions and Beals marched the Trojans down the field. With 8:03 left in the second, the Trojans drove to the SAU 30-yard line before a 15-yard roughing the passer call negated a Tony Gripp interception. The Trojans attempted to muscle their way into the end zone in a Lewis thundercat formation that went for no gain when Beals hit Pinson on a fade route for a 7-yard touchdown.
The teams traded interceptions (defensive back James Hannah-White and TIU’s defensive back Shawn Sweet) and had several three and outs before a late field goal by kicker Patrick Schmadeke capped off the SAU’s scoring. The Bees regained possession before a bad snap by the punt team contributed to a safety after the ball was kicked into the end zone. TIU put up one last drive after Sweet intercepted his second pass of the day before Ricky Jackson sacked Beals and the Trojans turned the ball over on downs. Penalties contributed heavily to the end result, as the Bees (10 penalties for 102 yards) and Trojans (12 penalties for 125 yards) fell victim to a closely called game. The Fighting Bees must improve on their deficiencies this week before they return home to take on Malone University at 1 p.m. at Brady Street Stadium next Saturday. Bees Picked Second in MSFA Midwest League PollAug. 9, 2010 St. Ambrose, which finished 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the conference last season, was picked to finish second in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League in a vote by the league's eight coaches the conference announced today. The Bees received one first-place vote and 50 points to tie Grand View (8-3, 6-1) for the second spot in the poll. McKendree (9-2, 7-0), which went unbeaten in league play last season, has been selected as the preseason favorite by garnering five first-place votes and 55 points. Finishing fourth in the balloting was William Penn (7-5, 5-2) with 41 points, followed by Quincy (4-7, 3-4) with 38 points, St. Francis (3-8, 2-5) with 30 points, Iowa Wesleyan (2-9, 1-6) with 13 points and Waldorf (1-9, 0-7) with 11 points. St. Ambrose will kick-off the 2010 season at Trinity International on Sept. 4 before hosting Malone at Brady Street Stadium at 1 p.m. on Sept. 11. In the MSFA Mideast League, Saint Xavier was tabbed as the league favorite after finishing 13-1 overall and 7-0 in the conference a year ago. MSFA Midwest League School (1st-place votes) - Points MSFA Mideast League School (1st-place votes) - Points
| |
A
return to wide receiver and a return to all-American. Senior wide receiver
Michael Hayward closed his record-setting career with the Bees by being named a
Victory Sports Network NAIA Second Team All-American.
Hannah-White
(pictured, right) also stood out as a defensive back, leading the team with five
pass break-ups and sharing team-high honors with two interceptions.
Seniors
Ricky Jackson (pictured, right), Michael Hayward and Jacob Rohde led the way as St. Ambrose
closed the 2010 campaign with a 49-10 win at Iowa Wesleyan Saturday afternoon.
The win evens out the Bees’ record at 5-5 overall and allows them to finish
3-4 in the Mid-State Football Association Midwest League.
Two offside-on-the-kickoff penalties against the Bees allowed Grand View to
start in favorable field position and Sims continued the running attack with 44
yards on the drive. Andrew Briones (pictured, right) showed some resiliency when he intercepted a
pass in the end zone to end the Vikings drive before halftime.
Quincy showed some life when O’Donnell took off on a 34-yard rush to the
Hawks’ seven-yard line and linebacker Tim Reardon forced a fumble to force the
nimble quarterback to turn the ball over with 8:06 left in the first quarter.
Two drives later, the Hawks’ Bobby Brenneisen found Justin Dickens beating an
SAU defender in the left corner of the end zone to tie the game at 7-7.
O’Connor’s standout defensive performance continued in the second half when
he intercepted a Brenneisen pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown on a third-and-short play for a 28-7 Bees' lead. The lead grew to 31-7 after a Schmadeke 31-yard
field goal before a 23-yard Ardiente rush and some impressive blocking by the
offensive line sprung O’Donnell free for a five-yard touchdown to make the lead
38-7 going into the fourth quarter.
Down 6-0 with 8:09 left in the first, O’Donnell made one of several key plays
on the afternoon, completing a pass to Jacob Rohde (pictured, right) for 15 yards which went for a
net gain of 30 after a personal foul was called against the Warriors. After an
incompletion, O’Donnell was able to find Matt Ardiente for a 25-yard
score.
The rushing attack
came to life in the second half when Brandon Heard totaled 32 rushing yards
before scoring on a three-yard touchdown rush to put the game out of reach. 
Barney O’Donnell,
starting at quarterback for the first time this season, rushed for 35 yards on
the opening possession to free up Zach McCalester (pictured, right) to rush in from one yard out
to take the early 7-0 lead.
The teams traded punts before St. Ambrose found itself pinned at its own
one-yard line. The Bees managed to push the ball out to the 18-yard line before
being forced to punt, resulting in favorable field
position for USF.
Danny
Tharp (pictured, right), who finished 12-of-34 for 197 yards and one TD, came out firing after halftime, leading
the Bees to a seven play, 70-yard scoring drive that consisted of short passes
to O’Donnell and a 45-yard deep ball to running back Brandon Heard. Heard
completed the drive after rushing in three yards for the Bees’ second
touchdown of the game.