Liberty, Mo. – The SBU Football team opened their 2019 season on the road against William Jewell in a non-conference matchup. The Cardinals struck first and never looked back, taking game one of the eleven game season, 29-9.
SBU's kickoff beginning the game went out of bounds at the 1-yard line, giving the Cardinals starting field position at their own 35. The very next play was a pass interference call on the Bearcats, moving the ball to the 50-yard line. An offsides call on SBU moved the ball to their 45, giving WJC a 1
st & 5 from SBU's 45 to run their first play. The Cardinals marched down to SBU's 22-yard line, but
De'shawn Tone swallowed the receiver in the backfield on 3
rd & 8, forcing WJC to kick a field goal. A 44-yard field goal was made, giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter.
The Bearcats began their first drive on their own 26 after a nice return by
Kentavon Hawkins.
Dylan Mountain connected three consecutive times to
Matt Lechuga (10 yards),
Jarrett Massie (9 yards), and
Jarrett Massie (5 yards). On a 3
rd & 12 from the SBU 48, Mountain found
Jarvis Funk for 14 yards to extend the drive. The Bearcats moved the ball to the Cardinal 22-yard line where they attempted a field goal, but it was blocked, giving WJC possession right there.
A three-and-out forced the Cardinals to punt to
Cory Hanger, who returned the ball 33 yards to the WJC 32-yard line. During the drive, the Bearcats had a 4
th & 3, but a 16-yard rush by
Cameron Singletary gave SBU a 1
st & goal opportunity from the 9. The Cardinals forced a fumble on 2
nd & goal, giving them possession on their own 2-yard line. The very next play, the Cardinals fumbled the ball, giving possession right back to the Bearcats on the Jewell 5-yard line. SBU attempted another field goal from the WJC 9, but again the kick was blocked.
The teams traded possessions early into the second quarter, then William Jewell drove 60 yards to score the game's first touchdown, failing the two-point conversion, to make the score 9-0. Southwest Baptist got the ball late in the first half, starting on their own 46-yard line.
Dylan Mountain hit
Jarrett Massie for 8 yards, then Mountain rushed for 28, but an unsuccessful 4
th & 5 attempt stalled the drive. The Cardinals took a knee to end the half, 9-0 Cardinals.
On WJC's first drive of the second half, they drove 61 yards for a touchdown, but the two-point conversion was intercepted by
Asa Carter and taken all the way home for two points, 15-2 in favor of the Cardinals. William Jewell scored once more before the end of the 3
rd, leading 22-2 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Bearcats got the ball early in the 4
th quarter, starting at their own 34. A 12-yard completion from Mountain to
Curtis Cuillard and a 13-yard completion to Massie had the Bearcats moving.
Eric Knight also had a 12-yard rush during the drive, but on 4
th & 14 from the WJC 19, the Cardinals intercepted the pass. A quick two play strike gave the Cardinals a 29-2 lead. SBU began their next drive at their own 35, getting all the way down to the Cardinal 6-yard line thanks to 45 rushing yards from
Eric Knight. On 4
th & 3, the Cardinals force another fumble, taking over on their own 6. After a punt, SBU drove 64 yards and scored their first touchdown,
Justin Wake finding
Curtis Cuillard, creating a 29-9 final score.
Dylan Mountain went 22-39 for 184 yards.
Eric Knight rushed for 108 yards on 23 carries.
Curtis Cuillard had a great first game as a Bearcat, catching 11 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Defensively,
Quincy Jones Jr. led SBU in total tackles, collecting 7 on the night.
Cory Hanger also had 5 solo tackles and broke up 2 passes.
The Bearcats host Central State on Saturday, September 14 for their home opener starting at 6 PM.
