Bulldogs struggle in season opener, suffer 45-0 loss at Benedictine College
Quarterback Bill Noonan passed for 142 yards and three touchdowns to lead Benedictine College to an easy 45-0 football win over Concordia University on Saturday in Kansas. Benedictine College, ranked No. 22 in the NAIA, racked up 442 yards of total offense on the day. The Concordia offense managed just four first downs in the contest.
The Ravens grabbed a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter when Noonan tossed his first touchdown pass of the day to Cameron Fore. Fore scored again early in the second quarter, this time on the ground on a 23-yard touchdown run. Less than three minutes later, a Zach Keenan 21-yard field goal put the Ravens on top by the score of 17-0. The Ravens added another score late in the first half on a 7-yard touchdown reception by Fore, and Benedictine College took a comfortable 24-0 lead into the halftime break.
Benedictine used two big plays in the third quarter to increase the lead to 38-0. Jordan Jackson hauled in a 38-yard touchdown reception, and Kevon McGrew broke free for an 89-yard rushing touchdown later in the quarter. Brad Lorang scored the final touchdown of the day for Benedictine in the fourth quarter. Lorang scored from one yard out for the final score of 45-0.
The Ravens finished with 288 rushing yards on the day to go along with 154 passing yards. Noonan was 13-of-22 in the air for the 142 yards and three scores. McGrew finished with 132 rushing yards on just six carries, while Jackson finished with five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Concordia finished with just 123 yards of total offense in the game (70 rushing, 53 passing). Quarterback Cohl Tufford (Richardson, Texas) was 9-of-13 through the air for 53 yards and an interception. Tufford also rushed eight times for 22 yards. Jamarcus Walker (Houston, Texas) finished with 38 yards of total offense on the day for the Bulldogs. Jerrod Fleming (Houston, Texas) finished with a game-high eight tackles to lead the way for Concordia defensively. Langston Jones (Loveland, Colo.) added six stops on the day for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs travel to Dakota Wesleyan on September 10.