BELOIT, Wis. - The Beloit College football team took the field at Strong Stadium this afternoon for the first game of the 2024 season. The Buccaneers hosted Rockford University in the second annual Battle of the Rock River. After defeating the Regents a season ago, the Buccaneers looked to maintain possession of the sword. Unfortunately, the Regents came ready to claim it and defeated the Bucs 43-17.
Rockford jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the first quarter. Following their first touchdown, the Regents pulled off a fake extra-point attempt with the holder rolling out to the right and in to the end zone. Their second touchdown came following a 28-yard completion.
Rafael Cervantes Jr. (Dallas, TX) put the Bucs on the board in the first following a made 29-yard field goal. The following series for the Regents ended when
Amani Floyd (Miami, FL) intercepted Jaelen Ray's pass. Floyd made the catch at the Rockford 45 and was tackled at the RU 27 for an 18-yard return. The Bucs' would come up empty following a missed field goal. The first quarter ended with the Regents driving. They went 79-yards over fourteen plays to make it a 22-3 game.
The first two offensive possessions for Beloit in the 2nd quarter ended in punts. The Buccaneers got the ball back with 5:55 left in the first half, trailing 29-3. On a 1st and 10 from the RU 41,
Jacob Shafer (Dixon, IL) found Tight End
Cooper Larrabee (Bow, NH) for a 19-yard catch and run to the RU 22. Two plays later, Shafer launched one towards the end zone for
Charlie Carey (Sahuarita, AZ), a defensive pass interference call put the Bucs in the red zone. Shafer found
AJ Fitzpatrick (Chicago, IL) in the end zone for the first Beloit touchdown of the season.
Beloit trailed 29-10 heading into the locker room.
Hoping to make a statement out of the half, the Buccaneers started the third quarter with a couple of big plays including a 23-yard reception from
Tommy Dixson (Glenn Heights, TX) and a 17-yard reception and lateral from Dixson to
Bryan Casado (Hallandale Beach, FL), Casado then took the ball another five yards to the RU 25. The Rockford defense stepped up, sacking Shafer and ending the Beloit drive with an interception.
Rockford constructed a fourteen play drive that lasted nearly seven minutes and brought them all the way to the BC 14. The Buccaneer defense forced a fourth down and 31-yard field goal attempt.
Gavin Thorpe (Homestead, FL), reinstated after a second quarter targeting call was overturned, came up huge for Beloit, blocking the Regents attempt. The third quarter ended with the score 29-10.
With RU driving to start the fourth, they found the end zone and extended their lead 36-10. After three and outs from both teams, Beloit started to click on offense. Shafer and the Buccaneers manufactured an eleven play, sixty yard drive. Shafer found Dixson for 19 yards in the end zone to make it a 36-17 game.
RU scored the final points of the game the following possession while trying to bleed time off the clock.
The Buccaneers return to Strong Stadium a week from today, September 14th when they host Knox College for the first Midwest Conference game of the year. Kick off for the Homecoming game will be at 6 pm.
