The Beloit College football team suffered a 44-6 loss to Concordia University Chicago in the team's season opener under the lights at Strong Stadium Saturday evening.
The Buccaneers drew a crowd for the home opener and despite falling down quickly in the contest, the Buc faithful continued to cheer the navy and gold on.
Beloit's best drive of the first half didn't result in points but did give the Bucs some momentum. Opening the drive on their own 32 after
Caleb Wachal's 19-yard kickoff return,
Nano Reyes was tapped for the handoff twice for four yards. On third and six,
Curtis Luther found
Tyler Korous for seven yards and a Buccaneer first down.
Luther was flushed out of the pocket of first down and scampered for six yards. Head coach and offensive coordinator
Ted Soenksen saw the opening and called a designed quarterback run that Luther took up the middle for 23 more and another first down.
A Buc penalty followed by a sack had Beloit backed up to the CUC 39 for a second and 21. Luther connected with
Tyler Assiff for a 13-yard completion. An incomplete pass on third down forced fourth and eight. The Bucs opted to go for it and Luther hit
Juan Reyes with a 20-yard strike but penalties on each team were offsetting and fourth down had to be replayed. The coaches kept the offense on the field and Luther went back to Reyes, this time for 11 yards to keep the drive alive.
Nano Reyes took the handoff for six-yards down to the Cougar nine were the drive stalled and a field goal attempt missed wide left.
Beloit's highlight of the game came in the fourth quarter. The Buc defense turned over the Cougars to bring the offense out with great field position. A fumbled snap for CUC was recovered by
James Miranda at the Cougar 19.
Alex Alvarez, who had taken over under center the drive prior, registered his first collegiate touchdown pass with a perfect lead pass to
Juan Reyes for the 19-yard touchdown strike.
Three Bucs registered time under center with Luther going 8-18 for 62 yards and two interceptions. Alvarez was 4-8 for 81 yards and the touchdown pass.
Diontia Charles took over for Beloit's final drive.
Nano Reyes posted 50 yards on 14 carries to lead the backs and
Juan Reyes was the quarterbacks' favorite target on the day with five catches for 85 yards and the TD.
Defensively,
Andrei Prikhodko notched a game-high 12 tackles including 10 solo and a tackle for a loss of a yard. Miranda added seven tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss and a fumble recovery in the game.
The Bucs will head to St. Bonifacius, Minnesota to take on Crown College Saturday, September 14. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
