Mid States

[Football] SAU defeats Missouri Baptist 36-14

St. Ambrose got contributions from multiple sources in defeating Missouri Baptist 36-14 Saturday afternoon at Brady Street Stadium.Five different Bees scored touchdowns in helping the team move to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the MSFA Midwest League.John Benckendorf, one of four SAU quarterbacks to appear in the game, completed 11-of-16 passes for 152 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Six different running backs each had at least four carries, helping the Bees total 158 yards on the ground.And the defense chipped in, forcing four turnovers, including an 81-yard interception return for a score from Vince Shaw, the fifth-longest interception return in program history.Videos below all courtesy SAUtv | Radio call from Logen Howell of KALA RadioSt. Ambrose took control early. On the Bees' first offensive possession, after the defense got a stop, Benckendorf led a 14-play, 83-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Blake Wittman.SAU forced a three-and-out and on fourth down, D.J. Mumaw blocked a punt that Trent Nunn recovered deep in Spartan territory. Six plays later, Benckendorf kept it himself on a bootleg on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to extend the lead to 14-0.The game remained 14-0 until the opening drive of the second half. The Bees needed just six plays to march 81 yards, thanks in large part to a 44-yard Benckendorf to Wittman completion on the first play of the drive. It ended with Benckendorf finding Sam Kerr with a 13-yard touchdown pass for a 21-0 lead.Missouri Baptist (1-4, 1-3 MSFA) answered with a touchdown of its own and appeared poised to climb even closer after driving to the SAU 30-yard line on its next possession. But on a fourth down play, Shaw stepped in front of a pass and returned it for a score and a 27-7 lead.Tom Gillen added a 36-yard field goal late in the third quarter, and following an MBU touchdown midway through the fourth, Nunn scored on a two-yard run to end the scoring.Nunn was one of the six backs to help the Bee rushing attack. Ray Bouye led the way with 47 yards on seven carries. Garret Tiarks rushed for 33 yards, Brandon Baalman had 30, T'Nahleg Hall finished with 27 and Nunn and Cade Gorzny each ran for 11 yards.Wittman (76 yards) and Kerr (45 yards) each caught four passes. Yemi Ward had two receptions totaling 24 yards and J.D. Villafuerte had a 7-yard catch.Aaron Kussmann, Declan McDonald and Tom Casey all saw time under center in relief of Benckendorf.Jaxson Nelson led the defense with 10 total tackles and added an interception. Bernard Buhake had six tackles, including three for losses. Griffin Zajac and Jett Haas were each in on five tackles. Zak Alberts had a big interception in the end zone late in the first half. Anthony Brown had the team's only sack and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Ethan Miebach early in the fourth quarter.St. Ambrose will hit the road to battle No. 14 Saint Xavier in an MSFA Midwest League matchup next Saturday.