St. Ambrose University | Football News

With 16 starters returning, including Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Player of the Year quarterback Eric Williamson and All-American linebacker Jeremy Wallace, St. Ambrose has been voted 10th in the 2013 NAIA Football Coaches' Spring Top 25 Poll released today.

The Bees won a share of the Midwest League championship and hosted Southern Oregon in an NAIA Football Championship Series First Round playoff game last season. SAU finished the year ranked No. 10 in the country with a 9-2 mark.

Defending-National Champion Marian (Ind.) has the top spot in the spring poll, followed by Morningside (Iowa), Missouri Valley, Saint Xavier (Ill.) and Southern Oregon.

Along with No. 4 Saint Xavier, the Bees will face three other teams ranked in the spring poll - No. 6 Saint Francis (Ind.), No. 15 William Penn and No. 17 Grand View. St. Ambrose kicks off the 2013 campaign by hosting Taylor (Ind.) on Sept. 14.

A conference title and a spot in the NAIA Football Championship Series playoffs gave St. Ambrose a No. 10 ranking in the NAIA Football Coaches' Postseason Top 25 Poll.

The Bees finished 9-2 overall and won a share of the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League championship. SAU's season ended with a 45-28 playoff loss to Southern Oregon, who earned a No. 5 ranking in the final poll.

National Champion Marian (Ind.) and runner-up Morningside (Iowa) finished one-two in the poll, respectively.

St. Ambrose offensive lineman Alex Berg (right) was recently selected to play in the 2012 D2 vs. NAIA Senior Bowl in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The game, featuring some of the top senior players from the NCAA Division II and NAIA ranks, will kickoff at 1 p.m. Saturday at Doug Shaw Stadium.

Players selected will practice, be honored at an awards banquet and play in the second-annual showcase game with pro scouts in attendance.

Last year, offensive lineman Joe Bailey and defensive back James Hannah-White represented St. Ambrose in the game played in Middleton, N.Y.

The 6-2, 285-pound lineman started all 11 games for the Bees while splitting time between both guard positions. He helped SAU average more than 440 yards of offense per game.

Off the field, Berg was selected as a Capital One Academic All-America First Teamer and recently won the Bob Jurevitz Award, presented to the St. Ambrose football player who best exemplifies the characteristics Jurevitz displayed both on and off the playing field.

The Bees finished the 2012 season 9-2 overall, won a share of the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League championship and qualified for the NAIA Football Championship Series playoffs.

St. Ambrose University junior linebacker Jeremy Wallace was named to the 2012 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NAIA Coaches' All-America Team today.

The 6-1, 215-pounder from New Lenox, Ill. (Lincoln-Way Central High School), set a St. Ambrose single-season school record by recording 141 total tackles this year. His 12.8 tackles per game is the third-best mark in the country.

Wallace was credited with eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including five sacks. He also had two interceptions, and forced and recovered a fumble.

Wallace, an integral part of a 9-2 Bee team that won the MSFA Midwest League title and qualified for the NAIA Football Championship Series playoffs, was earlier named to the all-Mid-States Football Association Midwest League first team.

The Bees have now had a player earn AFCA NAIA All-America recognition in back-to-back years as offensive lineman Carl Meister was named to the team last year.

The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects 25-player teams in all five of its divisions - FBS, FCS, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. The AFCA’s NAIA All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA’s nine districts.

Senior offensive lineman Alex Berg (right) was named the recipient of the Bob Jurevitz Award at the St. Ambrose University Fall Sports Banquet Sunday afternoon.

The annual award, established in the summer of 2011, is named after Bob Jurevitz, a former St. Ambrose football great who passed away in November 2011 after a battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease. It is presented to a St. Ambrose football player who best exemplifies the characteristics Jurevitz displayed both on and off the playing field.

Berg, from Batavia, Ill. (Batavia HS), was selected by the SAU football coaching staff and the Jurevitz family. Current SAU assistant coach John Michaletti won the award last year.

"Alex has been an outstanding, player, teammate and leader in our program over the last four years," SAU head coach Mike Magistrelli said. "He has excelled both on and off the field as evident by him earning Capital One Academic All-American honors this past year. He embodies many of the same great qualities that made Bob such a great player and teammate."

Berg, a physical education major, started all 11 games for the Bees in 2012, splitting time between both guard positions. He helped St. Ambrose average more than 440 yards of offense per game. Off the field, he was selected as a Capital One Academic All-America First Teamer for his work in the classroom.

Berg's name now joins Michaletti's on a plaque inside the Lee Lohman Arena lobby, which will continue to be updated every year to list the all-time recipients of the award.

Jurevitz was one of the most-prolific and hardest-working running backs in SAU history. He remains the second-leading rusher in school history, accumulating 5,126 yards on the ground during his career from 1982-85. He was the state of Iowa's all-time leading collegiate rusher at the time of his graduation in 1986.

The four-year team captain and team MVP scored a Bee-best 64 touchdowns in his career. During his senior season in 1985, he rushed for 1,424 yards and a still-school-record 27 touchdowns. He was inducted into the SAU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.

A plaque honoring Jurevitz and a framed #44 jersey are permanently displayed in the SAU football locker room visible to every player entering and leaving the room.

Along with the Bob Jurevitz Award, the Champions of Character for each fall sport were announced based on five core values - integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.

More than 500 SAU student-athletes and their parents attended the banquet in the Rogalski Center Ballroom to wrap up the fall sports seasons.

St. Ambrose Champions of Character (left to right):
Men's Soccer - Rob Prior (So., Bloomington, Ill.)
Football - Steve Thomas (So., Rockford, Ill.)
Men's Cross Country - Ryan Buchanan (Sr., Charles City, Iowa)
Women's Volleyball - Meagan Hruska (So., Quincy, Ill.)
Women's Soccer - Sydney Worsham (So., Osprey, Fla.)
Women's Cross Country - Chelsee Lisk (Sr., Rushville, Ill.)

Alex Berg (left) and Andrew Friederich (right) were named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America College Division Football First Team today. The pair advanced to the national ballot after earning all-district honors last month.

The team is comprised of student-athletes from NAIA, Canadian and two-year institutions and are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) based on the students' work on the field and in the classroom.

Berg, a senior offensive lineman from Batavia, Ill., is majoring in Physical Education at St. Ambrose. He started all 11 games for the Bees, splitting time between both guard positions, and helped SAU average more than 440 yards of offense per game.

Friederich, a junior tight end from Davenport, Iowa, is majoring in Chemistry Pre-Med at SAU. He was second on the team with 24 receptions for 468 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The Bees finished 9-2 overall and qualified for the NAIA Football Championship Series after winning the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League.

St. Ambrose has had four student-athletes earn Capital One Academic All-America honors this fall - Berg, Friederich, Matt Kraciun (men's soccer first team) and Morgan Lynn (women's soccer third team).

In St. Ambrose's return to the NAIA Football Championship Series in 2012, several individual record-breaking accomplishments were set.

Junior quarterback Eric Williamson, freshman wide receiver Zach Grant and junior linebacker Jeremy Wallace each put their name in the SAU single-season record book.

Williamson (left), the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Player of the Year, set a Bee record by tossing 35 touchdown passes this season, breaking the old mark of 30 set by Jim DuPage in 2007.

Williamson threw at least one touchdown pass in every game this season and had seven games of at least three TD tosses. He threw seven touchdowns in a 63-10 win over Olivet Nazarene on Oct. 20.

Grant (above right), a first team all-conference selection, set St. Ambrose single-season records with 91 receptions and 16 touchdown catches. He broke Michael Hayward's previous records of 88 receptions (set in 2008) and 13 touchdowns (set in 2010).

Grant had at least four catches in all 11 games this year and caught at least six passes nine times, including three games of double-digit receptions. He also hauled in at least one touchdown pass in nine games. In the win over Olivet Nazarene, Grant finished with 17 catches, five going for scores.

Wallace (right) broke Aaron Mormann's record of 139 tackles set in 2000 by coming up with 141 total stops as part of a first team all-conference season in 2012.

Wallace recorded double-figure tackles in nine contests this year with a season-best 19 coming in a 20-17 win at William Penn on Nov. 3. He added 18 tackles in the season-ending 45-28 loss to Southern Oregon in the first round of the NAIA FCS.

The Bees ended the year with a 9-2 record and won the MSFA Midwest League regular season championship.

No. 8 St. Ambrose was able to bottle up the high-powered No. 10 Southern Oregon offense for two quarters Saturday afternoon in an NAIA Football Championship Series first round game at Brady Street Stadium.

But the Raiders did more than enough damage in the other two in posting a 45-28 win. SOU scored 28 fourth-quarter points, after scoring 17 in the first, to overcome a 28-17 deficit and will now advance to a quarterfinal game next Saturday.

Top of the top offensive teams in the country seemed destined for a shootout, especially after a fast start. Southern Oregon (9-2) scored touchdowns on its first two possessions, sandwiched around a St. Ambrose touchdown, for a 14-6 lead just eight minutes into the game.

With the lead at 17-6 late in the first, the Raider offense, which averaged 54 points and 657 yards of offense entering the game, was slowed for perhaps the first time all season.

Held scoreless in both the second and third quarters, Southern Oregon watched St. Ambrose take the lead behind Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Player of the Year Eric Williamson.

The junior Bee quarterback rushed for a score and threw for another to put the Bees in front 18-17. Later in the quarter, Anton Wilkins spun free for a 17-yard touchdown run and on the last play of the half, Quinn Treiber converted a 21-yard field goal. SAU put up 22 points in the second quarter to grab momentum and a 28-17 lead at halftime and took that lead into the fourth quarter.

But the Raiders started clicking again in the fourth. On the first play of the quarter, Austin Dodge threw a 32-yard touchdown to Patrick Donahue to cut the deficit to 28-24.

After a short SAU punt, Dodge capped a quick drive with a five-yard scoring strike to Cole McKenzie to put the Raiders up for good.

Manny Barragan added a nine-yard touchdown run and Josh Leff returned an interception 39 yards later in the frame to end the scoring.

Dodge threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns and Barragan rushed for 192 yards and a score in the win. SOU rolled up 547 yards of offense. Dustin Fretwell led the Raider defense with 11 tackles while Daniel Breaux finished with seven stops, including four behind the line of scrimmage and three sacks, and forced a fumble.

Williamson was 26-of-42 for 309 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice. Sam O'Donnell (left) hauled in nine of those passes for 157 yards. Cole Kelly piled up 143 yards on the ground in defeat. Linebacker Jeremy Wallace (right) concluded his fabulous season with 18 total tackles.

With their first playoff game on the horizon, several St. Ambrose football were recognized for their outstanding season by the Mid-States Football Association. Eric Williamson was named the Midwest League Player of the Year, Mike Magistrelli was selected as the Coach of the Year, and a total of 14 players were named to the all-conference team.

Midwest League Player of the Year - Eric Williamson
Midwest League Coach of the Year - Mike Magistrelli

First Team All-MSFA
Zach Grant - WR	Cole Kelly - RB	Carl Meister - OL
Sean Santiago - DL	Jeremy Wallace - LB	Eric Williamson - QB

Second Team All-MSFA
Jordan Bell - DB	Andrew Friederich - TE	Steve Laski - DL
Dan Mahoney - OL	Mike Tetlow - DL	Steve Thomas - DB

Honorable Mention All-MSFA
Ryne Diehl - DL	Cory Price - DL

Williamson (right) was recognized for his record-breaking junior campaign. The two-year starter from Springfield, Ill., has already set a school record with his 34 touchdown passes this season. He has completed 198-of-314 passes for 2,676 yards and has thrown just eight interceptions. Williamson is currently eighth in the country in passing yards, by averaging 267.6 per game.

"Eric has had an outstanding year," Magistrelli said. "He has consistently played at a high level all season and is very deserving of this award."

It is the seventh time a Bee has been named the league's player of the year. Josh Schmidt (quarterback, 2000), Nathan Norman (running back, 2001), Joe Schimmel (running back, 2003), Jim DuPage (quarterback, 2007), Michael Hayward (wide receiver, 2008 and 2010) also won the award for St. Ambrose.

After leading the nation in receiving as a high school senior last year, Zach Grant has teamed with Williamson to form one of the top pass-catch combinations at the collegiate level this year.

The freshman from Rochester, Ill., has had one of the best seasons for a Bee receiver in school history. Grant (left) has caught 87 passes for 1,132 yards and 16 touchdowns, and ranks in the top-10 nationally for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.

Adding to the offensive fireworks has been Cole Kelly (middle), a junior running back from West Branch, Iowa. Despite missing three games due to injury, repeated as a first team all-conference running back. He has carried the ball 137 times for 671 yards, averaging 95.9 yards per game, and has scored six touchdowns.

Carl Meister (above right) joins Kelly as a repeat first team all-conference pick. The senior left tackle from Downers Grove, Ill., has paved the way for an offense that is averaging more than 437 yards of offense, the 13th-best mark in the country.

Defensively, Jeremy Wallace (left) has been a tackling machine at linebacker for the Bees. The junior from New Lenox, Ill., is fourth in the country by averaging 12.3 tackles per contest. Wallace has recorded eight tackles-for-loss, including five sacks, and has picked off two passes.

Sean Santiago (right) and the defensive line have been a disruptive force up front all season. Santiago, a second team all-MSFA pick last year, has 30 total tackles, with 6.5 of those coming behind the line of scrimmage. The senior from Mundelein, Ill., has registered four sacks.

Three of the Bees' second teamers also came along the defensive line. Steve Laski (below), a sophomore from Mokena, Ill., and Mike Tetlow (below), a senior from Lockport, Ill., have helped supply pressure up front. Laski has 47 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss and nine sacks. Tetlow has been in on 18 tackles, including 3.5 TFL and a sack.

Jordan Bell and Steve Thomas (both below) have been the starting cornerbacks for SAU. Bell, a junior from Pasadena, Calif., and Thomas, a sophomore from Rockford, Ill., each have 51 tackles on the year. Bell is tied for the team lead with two interceptions and leads the way with seven pass break-ups while Thomas has one interception and three fumble recoveries.

The last two second team Bees came on the offensive side. Dan Mahoney (below), a sophomore from Des Moines, Iowa, has started all 10 games at center for the high-powered St. Ambrose offense. Andrew Friederich (below), a junior from Davenport, Iowa, earned his second-straight second-team award by catching 23 passes for 461 yards and seven touchdowns so far this year.

Ryne Diehl (below, 47 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss, four sacks), a junior from Frankfort, Ill., and Cory Price (42 tackles, six sacks), a junior from Princeville, Ill., earned honorable mention, to give the Bees five defensive linemen on the all-conference team.

With his second Coach of the Year award, Magistrelli (also honored in 2007) matches former SAU head coach Toddy Sturdy, who was recognized in 1996 and 2006.

No. 8 St. Ambrose, which won a share of its eighth conference title this year, will host No. 10 Southern Oregon in an NAIA Football Championship Series First Round playoff game Saturday. Kickoff at Brady Street Stadium is slated for 1 p.m.

St. Ambrose will host Southern Oregon in an NAIA Football Championship Series First Round playoff game Saturday at Brady Street Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

SAU (9-1) jumped to No. 8 in the final NAIA Coaches Poll while Southern Oregon (8-2) is No. 10. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

SAU finished in a three-way tie in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League with William Penn and Grand View, but the Bees received the league's automatic bid by getting the highest ranking in the final NAIA poll. WPU, which will open the playoffs at Saint Xavier, is No. 13 and Grand View, who missed the playoffs, finished at No. 16.

St. Ambrose will be making its 12th appearance in the NAIA playoffs but its first since losing in the first round at the University of Sioux Falls in 2008. The Bees will host their first playoff game since dropping a 38-31 double-overtime game to Morningside in 2006.

Tickets, which are only available at the gate, are $8 for adults and $5 for students. No passes will be recognized for the playoff game.

2012 Football Championship Series Pairings (All times local)
Game 1: Bethel (Tenn.) (8-3) at Georgetown (Ky.) (10-0), 3:30 p.m.
Game 2: Ottawa (Kan.) (8-2) at Missouri Valley (10-0), TBD
Game 3: Montana Tech (8-2) at Morningside (Iowa) (10-0), 1 p.m.
Game 4: William Penn (Iowa) (9-2) at Saint Xavier (Ill.) (9-1), 1 p.m.
Game 5: Northwestern (Iowa) (9-2) at Marian (Ind.) (8-1), 1 p.m.
Game 6: Baker (Kan.) (8-2) at Saint Francis (Ind.) (8-2), 12 p.m.
Game 7: MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) (8-2) at Cumberlands (Ky.) (9-1), 12 p.m.
Game 8: Southern Oregon (8-2) at Saint Ambrose (Iowa) (9-1), 1 p.m.

With a 35-20 win over St. Francis (Ill.), and a little help from William Penn, St. Ambrose grabbed a share of the MSFA Midwest League championship.

With their destiny out of their own hands, the Bees got everything they needed Saturday afternoon. No. 10 St. Ambrose picked up the victory over No. 24 St. Francis (Ill.) and when No. 15 William Penn knocked off No. 9 Grand View 17-12, it gave the Bees a share of the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League championship with WPU and GVU.

And when the final NAIA national rankings come out tomorrow afternoon, SAU is expected to get the league's automatic bid into the NAIA Football Championship Series by virtue of having the highest ranking among the three teams. Even without the automatic berth, Saturday's win all but guaranteed the Bees a spot in the National Playoffs, which begin next week.

But SAU's championship push was almost derailed on the first series against St. Francis.

On the game's third play from scrimmage, Bee quarterback Eric Williamson (right) was sacked and forced to the sidelines with an apparent injury. He missed the team's next two possessions as SAU sputtered and went 3-and-out both times. St. Francis (6-5, 3-3 MSFA) took advantage and punched in a touchdown for an early 7-0 lead.

Williamson returned to the lineup late in the first quarter and made an immediate impact, leading three second-quarter touchdown drives to put St. Ambrose in front 21-14 at the half.

He engineered two more scoring drives in the second half, and finished 17-of-26 for 314 yards and four touchdowns. He tossed TDs to Sam O'Donnell (55 yards), Zach Grant (14) and Andrew Friederich (32, 49).

Williamson now stands alone in the St. Ambrose record book with 34 scoring passes this season.

Grant continued his outstanding freshman campaign, hauling in nine catches for 128 yards and the one touchdown. Friederich (left) gave the Bees two receivers with more than 100 yards, finishing with 102 yards on just three catches, two of which went for scores.

The defense limited the Saints to 287 yards, recorded five sacks and forced three fumbles. Jeremy Wallace (right) again led the Bees with 15 tackles, giving him 123 stops on the season.

St. Ambrose will learn its playoff positioning when the NAIA releases the field Sunday at 3 p.m.

Alex Berg, Andrew Friederich, Mike Munro and Steve Thomas were named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-District 5 Football team today.

The honor, as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performance on the playing field and in the classroom. Nominees must be starters or important reserves, sophomores or older, with at least 3.30 cumulative grade point averages.

The four represent the District 5 College Division, which includes NAIA and two-year colleges from Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and Wisconsin. They will now move on to the Academic All-America ballot.

Berg (above left), now a two-time academic all-district selection, is a senior offensive lineman from Batavia, Ill., majoring in Physical Education. He has started all nine games for the Bees, splitting time between both guard positions.

Friederich (above right) is a junior tight end from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Chemistry/Pre-Med. He has caught 20 passes for 359 yards and five touchdowns.

Munro (below left) is a junior wide receiver from Johnston, Iowa, majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience. He has hauled in 14 catches for 275 yards and three scores.

Thomas (below right) is a sophomore cornerback from Rockford, Ill., majoring in Psychology. He is third on the team with 49 total tackles and has intercepted one pass.

St. Ambrose, currently 8-1 overall and ranked No. 10 in the nation, closes the regular season at home Saturday against No. 24 St. Francis (Ill.) with a potential spot in the NAIA Football Championship Series on the line. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Brady Street Stadium.

After watching the St. Ambrose offense grab all the headlines the last two weeks, the SAU defense stole the spotlight in a 20-17 win at No. 10 William Penn Saturday afternoon.

The Bees stuffed the Statesmen at the one-yard line as the clock expired to preserve the victory.

The win keeps No. 11 St. Ambrose alive in the chase for the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League title and a spot in the NAIA National Tournament.

The Bees, 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the conference, remain a game behind No. 9 Grand View (7-2, 5-0 MSFA) heading into the regular-season finales for both teams next week. SAU will host St. Francis (Ill.), a team receiving votes in the national poll, while Grand View visits William Penn (8-2, 4-1 MSFA). With wins, SAU and WPU would force a three-way tie atop the league standings.

Next week matters to the Bees thanks to the last-second defensive stand at William Penn.

Clinging to the 20-17 lead, SAU watched the Statesmen chew up more than six minutes and march 68 yards to the Bee two-yard line. After a WPU timeout with one second remaining, the Statesmen decided to forego the game-tying field goal attempt and go for the win. But after rushing for 123 yards on his previous 24 carries, William Penn quarterback Taylor Parsons managed only a yard on his 25th carry as he was stood up at the one-yard line by the Bee defense.

It was a fitting ending to a back-and-forth game between two of the nation's top teams. William Penn held leads of 7-0, 14-7 and 17-14, but the Bees always had answers.

Cole Kelly (above left) scored SAU's first touchdown on a one-yard run in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Eric Williamson (above right) found Sam O'Donnell on a six-yard touchdown pass in the final minute of the half to knot the game at 14-14 at the break.

The Bees took the lead for good late in the third when Williamson hit Mitch Overstreet with a one-yard strike in the end zone for a 20-17 lead.

SAU twice had potential scoring drives thwarted in Statesmen territory in the fourth. The first drive ended on a fumble at the WPU two-yard line, SAU's third turnover of the contest. The next drive stalled at the Statesmen 31-yard line when a 4th-and-15 pass fell incomplete, giving the ball to William Penn for the final drive with 6:36 to play.

Williamson finished 19-of-28 for 179 yards. His two touchdown passes give him 30 this season, tying the SAU single-season school record. Williamson also rushed for a team-best 99 yards on 15 carries. Zach Grant hauled in seven catches for 77 yards.

Jeremy Wallace (above right) led all players with 19 total tackles, giving him 108 stops this season. He is just the ninth Bee to record at least 100 tackles in a season.

St. Ambrose defeated Waldorf 48-21 Saturday afternoon in Forest City, Iowa. The Bees are now 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the MSFA Midwest League.

Both Eric Williamson (left) and Zach Grant (right) continued their climb in the SAU record books.

Williamson tossed five touchdown passes, giving him 12 in the last two weeks and 28 this season. He is just two touchdowns away from matching Jim DuPage's single-season school-record 30 TD passes set in 2007.

Grant hauled in three of those scores giving him the St. Ambrose record for touchdown receptions in a season. He has caught eight TD passes over the last two weeks.

Cole Kelly complemented the air assault by rushing 23 times for 198 yards and a touchdown. Anton Wilkins added a 42-yard touchdown run, to go along with a 34-yard TD reception, in the win.

The Bees were down 8-0 before Williamson went to work, throwing scoring strikes to Wilkins, Grant and Sam O'Donnell to put SAU in front 21-8 at the half.

Waldorf (4-5, 1-4 MSFA) battled back with a touchdown to get within 21-15 and had a chance to take the lead in the third quarter, but a touchdown pass was called back on a holding penalty and the Bees took advantage.

Williamson threw two more scores to Grant to give St. Ambrose a 35-15 lead entering the fourth quarter. Wilkins and Kelly added touchdown runs in the fourth before the Warriors tacked on a late score.

Once again, Jeremy Wallace (left) led the defense with 13 total tackles, including 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage and two sacks. Mark O'Connor (right) came up with a pair of SAU's four interceptions in the win.

The Bees will next face their first of two showdowns with nationally-ranked opponents by visiting No. 11 William Penn next Saturday. SAU will close the regular season at home against No. 17 St. Francis (Ill.) on Nov. 10.

After throwing for 434 yards and seven touchdowns, St. Ambrose quarterback Eric Williamson (right) was named the NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week today.

Earlier in the day, he won the weekly award from the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League.

The junior quarterback, from Springfield, Ill., set school and conference records for touchdown passes and finished four yards shy of the SAU single-game passing mark. He completed 29-of-39 passes for the 434 yards and seven scores before being removed after tossing his seventh touchdowns pass with 4:38 to play in the third quarter.

In the first half, Williamson went 19-of-27 for 273 yards and four touchdowns. He started the second half by completing nine straight passes on his way to finishing the third quarter 10-of-12 for 161 yards and three scores in just three series.

Seventeen of William's completions went to freshman Zach Grant, who finished with 240 yards receiving and five TD catches.

Williamson is currently seventh in the country by throwing for 283.0 yards per game. He has completed nearly 64 percent of his passes and has thrown 23 touchdowns against just four interceptions to help SAU to a 6-1 record.

Eric Williamson (left) set a St. Ambrose school record by throwing seven touchdown passes in a 63-10 win over Olivet Nazarene Saturday afternoon. Five of his scoring tosses went to Zach Grant (right), setting another school mark for TD receptions in a game.

Williamson finished 29-of-39 for 434 yards while Grant hauled in 17 catches for 240 yards as the Bees improved to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the MSFA Midwest League.

The 63 points marked the most the Bees had scored in a game since beating Waldorf 66-0 in the 2009 season.

Williamson and Grant connected on touchdowns of 2, 8, 5, 34 and 16 yards. Williamson also threw touchdowns to Andrew Friederich (42 yards) and Mike Munro (15 yards) in the blowout.

The Bees scored touchdowns on seven straight possessions from late in the first quarter through the third.

Trailing 28-0 in the second quarter, Olivet Nazarene (1-7, 0-5 MSFA) threatened to make a game of it. The Tigers scored a touchdown, recovered an onside kick, and followed with a field goal to pull within 28-10 with just 1:34 left in the half.

But SAU needed just 1:27 to regain control. Williamson completed four passes for 49 yards and scrambled for an 18-yard gain. Anton Wilkins finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 35-10 at the half.

Any thoughts of a competitive game in the second half were quickly put to rest. Sean Kelly (left) forced a fumble on ONU's first possession. Two plays later, Williamson hit Grant for 34 yards to up the advantage to 42-10.

After the 16-yard scoring strike to Grant late in the third, the starters were able to sit out the fourth. Backup quarterback Jabari Taylor tacked on a final touchdown in the opening minutes of the third quarter on a 1-yard keeper.

St. Ambrose rolled up 605 yards of total offense while limiting Olivet Nazarene to 293 yards.

Jeremy Wallace and Ryan Chambers (right) led the defense with nine total tackles each. The Bees forced four turnovers.

Eric Williamson threw two of his three touchdown passes to Andrew Friederich (right) as St. Ambrose held off Iowa Wesleyan 23-14 Saturday afternoon at Pleasant Valley High School. SAU improved to 5-1 following the win.

Moved off their normal home field, Brady Street Stadium, due to a high school band competition, the Bees never seemed comfortable in their new digs. It was a one-score game until Quinn Treiber booted a 30-yard field goal with 2:44 to play to account for the final score.

SAU finished with 360 yards of total offense, with 156 of those yards coming in the first quarter.

Williamson's first scoring toss was a 17-yarder to Zach Grant late in the first quarter to put the Bees in front 7-0. The touchdown pass capped a 12-play, 96-yard drive.

Iowa Wesleyan (1-6) answered early in the second quarter with a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 heading into the second half.

The Tigers appeared to take the lead but an 11-yard touchdown pass was nullified by a holding penalty. Jake Hemmen (right) preserved the tie by blocking a 38-yard field goal attempt to end the drive.

Then the Bees finally got something going offensively. Williamson found Friederich on touchdown passes of 32 and 34 yards to give St. Ambrose a 20-7 lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

IWC immediately responded with a TD drive to get within 20-14 with 11:20 remaining.

But the Bee defense made sure the Tigers didn't get any closer. Over their final four possessions, the Tigers managed only 13 yards on 11 plays and never crossed midfield. Treiber's late field goal sealed the win.

Williamson finished 16-of-29 for 195 yards and the three scores. Grant caught nine passes for 93 yards while Friederich had five grabs for 91 yards. Anton Wilkins rushed for 120 of SAU's 165 yards on the ground.

Jeremy Wallace recorded 11 total tackles. Steve Laski finished with nine stops, including 3.5 tackles-for-loss and a pair of sacks. As a team, the Bees registered 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and six sacks.

St. Ambrose will return to Brady Street Stadium next Saturday to host Olivet Nazarene for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

In the first half, they went through the air. In the second half, they kept it on the ground. But no matter what the Bees did, they weren't wasting any time.

Playing under the lights for the only time this season, St. Ambrose used a quick-strike attack, and survived some shaky moments late, to pick up a 34-18 non-conference victory at NCAA Division II Quincy University Saturday.

SAU's five touchdown drives combined to consume just four minutes and 36 seconds. None of the drives ate up more than 1:33.

In the first half, Eric Williamson completed 21-of-29 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns as the Bees built a 21-6 halftime lead. St. Ambrose needed just a combined two and a half minutes for its three first-half scoring drives.

Trailing 6-0 late in the first quarter, Williamson threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Friederich (left) to cap a three-play, 72-yard drive that used just 1:01.

Taking advantage of a Quincy penalty on a punt, it took the Bees two plays and 16 seconds to cover 36 yards. Williamson completed a 30-yard pass to Zach Grant before finding Austin Cappaert (above right) in the end zone from six yards out to put SAU in front 14-6.

The defense, despite allowing 128 rushing yards in the first half, made just enough plays and forced the Hawks into an 0-of-6 mark on third-down conversions to keep St. Ambrose in front. No play was bigger than a forced fumble to stop a Hawk drive inside the SAU 10-yard line with less than two minutes to play in the half. The offense took advantage of Mark O'Connor's recovery at the 4-yard line and marched 96 yards in 1:13. Williamson threw his third touchdown pass of the half, this one a 10-yarder to Sam O'Donnell with 7.8 seconds left, to put the Bees in front 21-6.

But the Bees turned to the running attack to start the second half. Raimon Clay (left) burst down the sideline for a 38-yard touchdown run on SAU's first possession of the third quarter to complete a five-play, 72-yard drive that ate up just 1:33.

Midway through the third, Williamson wrapped up the SAU scoring by hitting Grant with a 35-yard touchdown toss to extend the lead to 34-6.

The Bees, led by Clay, totaled 136 of their 158 rushing yards in the second half. Clay finished with 91 yards on just seven carries to lead the way. Grant led the receiving corps with 11 catches for 115 yards. Jeremy Wallace (above right) led the defense with 14 total tackles.

Quincy (0-6) took advantage of a couple Bee mistakes to add a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to trim the final score to 34-18.

SAU will next host Iowa Wesleyan Saturday at 1 p.m. at Pleasant Valley High School.

Grand View kicked a 34-yard field goal in the second overtime to lift Grand View to a 29-26 win to spoil St. Ambrose's Homecoming. The Bees fall to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the MSFA Midwest League.

SAU was able to force overtime when Quinn Treiber (right) booted a 48-yard field goal that barely got over the crossbar as time expired in regulation. The Bees appeared to get the break they needed when the Vikings fumbled on the first possession of overtime. On its first drive of OT, SAU got to the GVU 9-yard line before coughing the ball up on third down.

In the second overtime, a penalty and a sack thwarted any Bee hopes and a desperation fourth-down pass was batted down. Grand View (4-2, 3-0 MSFA) got down to the 17-yard line before kicking the game-winning field goal.

The game was as competitive as could be expected between the No. 18 Vikings and No. 9 Bees. Grand View barely edged St. Ambrose in rushing yards (112-110), passing yards (326-323), total offense (438-433) and first downs (25-24).

The Bees built a 15-3 first-half lead as Eric Williamson threw a pair of 13-yard touchdown passes to Zach Grant. Grand View got within 15-10 with a touchdown in the final two minutes of the half.

The Vikings took their first lead of the game at 16-15 on a long touchdown pass in the opening minutes of the third quarter. After GVU picked off a Williamson pass on the Viking 1-yard line, the Bees regained a 17-16 lead a play later when Steve Laski (left) and Cory Price stuffed a Viking running back in the end zone for a safety.

The back-and-forth continued as Grand View kicked a 42-yard field before Williamson found Anton Wilkins (right) down the sideline on a 46-yard scoring play late in the third quarter to put the Bees in front 23-19.

With just 1:12 remaining in regulation, the Vikings went back in front 26-23. But that left just enough time for SAU. Williamson completed 5-of-6 passes and rushed twice for nine yards to get the Bees down to the Viking 31-yard line. Facing a 4th-and-1 with five seconds left, Treiber came out and kicked the 48-yarder to force overtime.

Williamson finished 28-of-46 for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Grant hauled in 11 passes for 127 yards and the two scores. Wilkins ended with 65 yards on 12 carries.

Defensively, Jeremy Wallace led St. Ambrose with 13 tackles. Ryan Chambers had 12, Laski added 11 and Steve Thomas finished with 10.

The Bees will step out of conference play and travel to Quincy for their only night game of 2012. Saturday's game is slated to kickoff at 7 p.m.

Eric Williamson (right) threw two long touchdown passes and the the Bee defense was dominant again as No. 9 St. Ambrose won its home opener 24-14 over No. 23 Taylor.

The Bees have held all three opponents this year, including two ranked inside the top 25, to 14 points or less in moving to 3-0 to start a season for the first time since 2006.

Leading just 10-7 at the half, SAU used the two long passes from Williamson for a little breathing room. First, on the Bees' first possession of the second half, the junior quarterback hit freshman Zach Grant down the sideline on a 65-yard scoring toss. Then just 80 seconds into the quarter, Williamson found Mike Munro streaking down the middle of the field for a 68-yard TD pass.

That cushion was all the Bee defense needed. In a dominating third quarter, St. Ambrose surrendered just 41 yards on 19 plays over five Taylor possessions.

After the Trojans scored to trim the score to 24-14 early in the fourth, the defense came up big again. Taylor (2-1) marched to the SAU 16-yard line threatening to get within one score, but Ryne Diehl (right) broke free and forced and recovered a fumble behind the line of scrimmage to give the ball back to the Bees. The Trojans had one final threat but a 30-yard field goal was wide right inside the final minute.

The Bees had built the halftime lead thanks to 39-yard Quinn Treiber field goal on the game's opening possession. And after Taylor had grabbed a 7-3 lead, Zach Rockford scored on a 4th-and-goal run from the 5-yard line in the early stages of the second quarter.

Then the two long scores let the SAU defense take over. Taylor finished with just 306 yards of offense. The Bees had three sacks and forced a pair of turnovers. Jeremy Wallace led the defense with 13 total tackles and Ryan Chambers had 12 stops.

Facing a team that had allowed -8 yards rushing through two games, St. Ambrose ran for 131 yards, including 109 in the first half. Cole Kelly picked up all 75 of his yards in the first half. Anton Wilkins rushed for 36 yards.

Williamson completed 15-of-26 passes for 248 yards. Zach Grant led all receivers with seven catches for 116 yards.

On Military Appreciation Day, SAU President Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, gave a pre-game proclamation in appreciation of the military's service among the day's festivities.

After a week off, the Bees will face their third straight nationally-ranked opponent by hosting No. 15 Grand View on Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.

As if a battle of top-25 teams isn't enough, St. Ambrose has announced Saturday's home game against No. 23 Taylor is Military Appreciation Day.

All active and past military get free admission to No. 9 SAU's 1 p.m. home opener with valid DOD or Veterans Affairs ID card.

Prior to the game, SAU President Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, will give a proclamation in appreciation of the military's service.

The family of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nathan Cox will conduct the pre-game coin toss in recognition of Quad Cities area Gold Star families. Sgt. Cox was a St. Ambrose student prior to being killed in action in 2008.

Two former leaders of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command at the Rock Island Arsenal, Maj. Gen. Yves Fontaine (ret.) and Command Sgt. Maj. Stephen Blake (ret.), will receiving Fighting Bees Awards at halftime. During intermission, the SAU dance team will also have a special performance.

Throughout the game, Quad-Cities Stand Down will accept donations of socks, gloves and coats for distribution to area homeless veterans.

After picking up an impressive 15-14 win at then-No. 6 Saint Francis (Ind.) Saturday, St. Ambrose got the attention of the voters in the national poll. The Bees jumped 11 spots to No. 9 in the first regular-season NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll, released today. SAU had the biggest improvement of any team from the preseason poll.

This is the first time St. Ambrose has cracked the top 10 since coming in at No. 9 in the initial regular-season poll of the 2009 season, which was released on Sept. 14, 2009.

The schedule doesn't get any easier as SAU will play its home opener Saturday against No. 23 Taylor (Ind.). Kickoff at Brady Street Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Jeremy Wallace (right) was named the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Defensive Player of the Week today.

Wallace, a junior linebacker from New Lenox, Ill., helped St. Ambrose pull off the come-from-behind 15-14 victory Saturday over No. 6 St. Francis (Ind.).

Wallace, a junior linebacker from New Lenox, Ill., came up with 11 tackles, one of which was for a loss, recorded a sack, and intercepted a pass to help lead the Bees on defense.

Through two games this season, Wallace shares the team lead with 15 total tackles.

The Fighting Bees will look to remain undefeated as they play host to Taylor for their season opener on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Brady Street Stadium. The home opener will also serve as Military Appreciation Day.

Eric Williamson threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Zach Grant (left) with 1:45 to play and followed with a completion to Mitch Overstreet for the two-point conversion to lift No. 20 St. Ambrose to a 15-14 win at No. 6 Saint Francis (Ind.).

Adonis Brown (right) sealed the win by intercepting a Cougar pass with 1:27 left and the Bees were able to run out the clock to move to 2-0 on the season.

The victory was SAU's first over USF in eight tries and the Bees' first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 25 Malone 34-14 on Sept. 12, 2009.

After surrendering a 70-yard Saint Francis touchdown pass to put the Cougars in front 14-7 midway through the fourth quarter, the St. Ambrose defense allowed only 27 yards and one first down over USF's final three possessions. Sean Santiago blocked a 33-yard field goal to stop one late possession and Jordan Bell came up with a crucial tackle on fourth down to stop another drive to give the Bees the ball back with 2:52 to go.

On the go-ahead drive, Williamson completed 4-of-5 passes for 77 yards, with the big strike a 50-yard completion to Mike Munro (right) to get SAU down to the Saint Francis 15-yard line. On the next play, Williamson hit Grant to pull the Bees to within a point. Rather than settling for the tie, SAU went for two and Williamson found Overstreet for a 15-14 lead.

Saint Francis completed a pass to get to their own 38-yard line before Brown ended any comeback hopes by picking off a pass at the SAU 42.

After a quick start from both teams, the game turned into a defensive struggle. The Cougars took the opening kickoff and marched 85 yards on 15 plays and grabbed a 6-0 lead after the extra point sailed wide right.

The Bees answered with a long drive of their own, going 61 yards on 14 plays and taking a 7-6 lead on a Cole Kelly two-yard run. The touchdown drive was aided by a roughing the kicker penalty on Quinn Treiber's 27-yard field goal. The Bees took the penalty and the points off the board but capitalized two plays later on Kelly's run.

St. Ambrose had other chances but three fumbles hurt the Bees. The first came on the USF one-yard line late in the half and the other two came in the fourth quarter.

SAU finished with 306 yards, and 157 on the ground. The Cougars were limited to 383 yards.

Ryan Chambers (right) led the defense with 12 total tackles. Jeremy Wallace (11) and Cory Price (10) also finished with double-digit stops. The Bees finished with three interceptions and three sacks in the victory.

St. Ambrose will play its home opener next Saturday against Taylor. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Brady Street Stadium. The game will also be SAU's Military Appreciation Day (read more).

Another season opener against Trinity International. Another dominating performance from the defense. Another balanced attack from the offense. Another win.

It was a familiar script as No. 20 St. Ambrose opened the 2012 season with a 43-6 MSFA Midwest League win at Trinity International Saturday afternoon in the rain in Deerfield, Ill. It was the Bees fourth straight season-opening win over the Trojans and SAU's ninth straight win the series.

Eric Williamson (left) completed 22-of-31 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Nine different receivers caught at least one pass. Cole Kelly (right) rushed for 136 yards and two scores on 23 carries as part of a rushing attack that finished with 245 yards. In all, the Bees totaled 565 yards of offense.

While St. Ambrose had no problems moving the ball, Trinity International had just 256 yards against the SAU defense, and 100 of those yards came in the fourth quarter with the Bees already comfortably in front. St. Ambrose forced a pair of turnovers and allowed only 15 first downs.

After SAU's first two drives stalled deep in Trojan territory as part of a scoreless first quarter, the Bees scored touchdowns on three of their next four possessions to build a 21-0 halftime lead.

The rout was on in the third quarter. The Bees scored three touchdowns and a safety to extend the lead to 43-0 late in the quarter. Trinity International got on the board early in the fourth quarter to end the scoring.

SAU will be put to the test next week with a game at No. 6 Saint Francis (Ind.) Saturday. The Bees lost a heartbreaker 34-33 last year to the Cougars and have never defeated USF in seven chances.

St. Ambrose will begin another season ranked in the 2012 NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 poll. The Bees grabbed the No. 20 spot in the preseason poll released today by the national office.

SAU is one of four Mid-States Football Association Midwest League teams in the top 25, joining No. 7 St. Francis (Ill.), No. 14 William Penn and No. 15 Grand View. The Bees were picked behind those three teams in the MSFA preseason vote. Along with the three conference foes, SAU will visit No. 6 Saint Francis (Ind.) during the year.

Football News - 2012-13