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Saint Xavier University

Official Athletics Website of the Saint Xavier University Cougars

Juabarey Anderson, Football
31
Winner Saint Xavier SXU 8-3
21
Marian MARIAN 9-2
Winner
Saint Xavier SXU
8-3
31
Final
21
Marian MARIAN
9-2
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SXU Saint Xavier 7 10 7 7 31
MARIAN Marian 7 0 0 14 21

Game Recap: Football |

No. 12 SXU Takes Down No. 5 Marian, 31-21 in NAIA FCS Second Round

INDIANAPOLIS – Behind 15.0 tackles for loss (TFL), 10.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery, the No. 12 seeded Saint Xavier University football team (8-3, 5-0 MSFA Midwest) defeated No. 5 Marian University (Ind.) 31-21 Saturday afternoon at St. Vincent Field in Indianapolis, Ind. Saturday afternoon in the NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) Second Round. The Cougar defense was tough all afternoon, limiting the Knights to just three yards rushing on the day. After the game, senior defensive lineman Juabarey Anderson (Country Club Hills, Ill./Hillcrest) was named the Defensive Player of the game as he totaled seven tackles (one solo), 5.0 TFL for 29 yards, 3.0 sacks for 20 yards and a forced fumble. Senior quarterback Stuart Ross (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) was named the Offensive Player of Game, totaling 208 passing yards on 19-for-25 passing with three touchdowns and an interception.

The win gained a measure of revenge as Marian defeated Saint Xavier during the regular season, 28-21, on September 9 in Indianapolis. SXU also avenges its loss last season to MU in the NAIA FCS First Round. The Cougars are now 3-1 all-time against the Knights in the postseason, earning wins in the 2011 NAIA FCS Semifinal and the 2018 NAIA FCS First Round. It was the second time this season that they recorded 10.0 sacks, having done so at St. Ambrose University (Iowa) on October 28, tying the single-game record originally set vs. Lambuth University (Tenn.) in the NAIA FCS Quarterfinals at Deaton Field, a 52-10 triumph, on November 28, 2009.
  • Senior running back Amari Venerable (University Park, Ill./Crete-Monee) ran for 74 yards on 14 carries and he scored a touchdown. Venerable also caught four passes for 41 yards.
  • Graduate student wide receiver Justin Pringle (Romeoville, Ill./Plainfield East) made seven receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. In the first quarter, he became just the fifth player in program history to record 3,000 or more career receiving yards and now has 3,042 in his time with Saint Xavier.
  • Senior wide receiver Brant Hixson (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) hauled in four passes for 48 yards and he added a pair of scores.
  • Senior wide receiver Kyle Quinn (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) has a team-high 62 receiving yards on three catches,
  • Sophomore linebacker Terry Elias Jr. (Monee, Ill./Crete-Monee) recorded a team-best 10 tackles (four solos) with 2.0 TFL for 12 yards, 1.5 sacks for 12 yards, a forced fumble and an interception return of 27 yards.
  • Senior linebacker Finn Brandon (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) collected eight tackles (two solos) with 0.5 TFL for a yard.
  • Senior linebacker Ryan Fitzgerald (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) posted six tackles (four solos) with a sack and TFL for 10 yards.
  • Senior defensive back Kevin Countryman (Morris, Ill./Providence Catholic) had five stops (four solos) 0.5 sacks & TFL for four yards and an interception return of 10 yards.
  • SXU took advantage of a shanked punt and went eight plays and 32 yards that resulted in a four-yard touchdown pass from Ross to Hixson at the 4:12 mark of the opening quarter.
  • Marian responded on its next drive, going 61 yards on six plays to tie the game, 7-7, on a two-yard rushing touchdown with 1:40 to go in the frame.
  • The Saint Xavier offense marched 70 yards on seven plays and found the end zone when Ross hit Pringle over the middle to go back ahead 14-7 with 11:53 left in the second period.
  • After a missed field goal by MU with 3:00 minutes left before halftime, the Cougars worked their way down the field and senior kicker Peyton Benes (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) drilled a 34-yard field as the clock expired to head to the locker room up 17-7.
  • The Knights went three-and-out to start the second half thanks to a sack by Countryman and Elias Jr. on third down. On the ensuing drive, Ross found Hixson in the corner of the end zone and he tight-roped the sideline for his second touchdown of the afternoon at the 10:44 mark of the third quarter.
  • A missed field goal gave Marian the ball at their own 20-yard line, however Fitzgerald registered a strip sack that junior defensive lineman Marcus Griffin (Chicago, Ill/Grand Valley State/Nazareth Academy) pounced on at the 10. Venerable scored two plays later from four yards out, the 20th rushing touchdown of his career, to make it 31-7 with 10:14 left in regulation.
  • MU made things interesting, scoring twice in the final minute. They went 81 yards on eight plays that ended in a 12-yard touchdown pass with :48 remaining. The Knights than recovered the onside kick, scoring four plays later on a five-yard strike with :03 left. Marian attempted and recovered another onside kick as time expired to give SXU their 19th postseason victory in team history.
No. 12 Saint Xavier (8-3/5-0 MSFA Midwest) advances to the NAIA FCS Quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 and will play on Saturday, December 2. Opponent and time are TBA.
 
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