BELOIT, Wis. - This afternoon the Beloit College Football team returned to Strong Stadium for their MWC conference opener against Grinnell College. The Bucs (1-1) looked to move to 2-1 with a win over the Pioneers (0-2). 

1st Quarter
Beloit came out firing in the first half, coming up big on Grinnell's first drive to force a turnover on downs. After putting together a masterful first drive, Drake Marquez (Northbrook, IL) rushed up the middle for a 6 yard touchdown run. With 6:29 on the clock and the ball on their 13 yard line, the Pioneers answered, driving the length of the field and connecting on a 6 yard pass in the end zone to trail 6-7. On the extra point attempt, Gavin Thorpe (Homestead, FL) broke through and blocked the kick. 

2nd Quarter
The next two drives for both teams resulted in punts. BC got the ball with 12:08 left in the half, but once again could not convert it into points, and turned the ball over on downs at the Grinnell 33 with 8:23 remaining. The Pioneers next drive only lasted a little over three minutes, and resulted in a turn over on downs. The Bucs took over at their own 37 with 4:57 on the clock. Marquez broke free for a 29 yard touchdown run. A Rafael Cervantes Jr. (Dallas, TX) extra point put the Bucs up 8 with just over 2 minutes in the half. A quick fumble by GC gave the Bucs one final possession in the half. A 2 yard rush by Marquez and a 9 yard completion from Jacob Shafer (Dixon, IL) to AJ Fitzpatrick (Chicago, IL) put BC in field goal range. Cervantes Jr. nailed a 38 yarder as time expired to put the Bucs up 17-6 heading into the locker rooms. 

3rd Quarter
On the opening drive of the 2nd half, the Bucs went three and out and looked flat. Grinnell's opening drive resulted in yet another missed field goal. Beloit took over at their 20 yard line with 10:38 on the clock. Once again, they failed to get a 1st down, and gave GC the ball back on the Beloit 40 yard line. Grinnell wasted no time, and connected for a 22 yard completion and then a 31 yard touchdown completion. A failed two-point conversion attempt made the score 17-12, still in favor of the Bucs. The third Buccaneers' three and out of the quarter, gave GC the ball back with 5:19 on the clock. The scrappy GC quarterback escaped the Beloit defense numerous times, including this drive. His elusiveness allowed him to find receivers for back-to-back 14 yard and 40 yard gains. On 1st and goal from the 6th, GC found the end zone on a 6 yard rush. A successful 2-pt conversion gave the Pioneers their first lead of the game, 20-17. 

4th Quarter
Cervantes would account for the only scoring for the Bucs in the 4th quarter, hitting field goals from 33 and 37 yards. The lack of offense by Beloit and the surge in offense by Grinnell turned the tides on the game and the Pioneers rallied for a 33-23 victory. 

The Bucs have a by next weekend and return home on Saturday, September 30th for Homecoming agaisnt the University of Chicago. Kick off is set for 1pm.