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Saint Xavier University

Official Athletics Website of the Saint Xavier University Cougars

Football
14
Defiance College (OH DC 2-4
45
Winner Saint Xavier (IL) SXU 4-2
Defiance College (OH DC
2-4
14
Final
45
Saint Xavier (IL) SXU
4-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
DC Defiance College (OH 7 7 0 0 14
SXU Saint Xavier (IL) 10 14 14 7 45

Game Recap: Football |

Defense Leads No. 20 SXU Football in 45-14 Victory over Defiance

CHICAGO – Junior linebacker Chris Swayne (LaSalle, Ill./LaSalle-Peru Township) came away with a pair of interceptions, one returned 44 yards for a touchdown, and the No. 20 ranked Saint Xavier University football team (4-2, 0-0 MSFA Midwest) finished with a season-high four takeaways on the afternoon as the Cougars defeated Defiance College (Ohio) in a Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) crossover contest Saturday afternoon at Bruce R. Deaton Memorial Field in Chicago, Ill. The SXU defense limited the Yellow Jackets to 99 yards rushing and to just 248 yards of total offense. Fifth-year senior quarterback Stuart Ross (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) was efficient on the day as he completed 90.0 percent (18-for-20) of his passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Ross also had four carries for 24 yards and his first rushing score of the season. As a team, Saint Xavier racked up 231 rushing yards on 48 attempts for their second 200 or more rushing yard game of the year (207 at Madonna University (Mich.) on September 7).
  • Junior quarterback Dominic D'Ambrosio (Oak Forest, Ill./Andrew) was 4-for-9 for 43 yards with a pair of interceptions. He tallied a team-high 62 rushing yards on eight attempts with a long of 19 yards.
  • Junior wide receiver Ronnie Foster (Peoria Heights, Ill./Peoria Heights) caught four passes for 95 yards, including a 66-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown.
  • Redshirt sophomore running back Mario Price (Chicago Heights, Ill./Calumet New Tech) accumulated 147 all-purpose yards thanks to 129 kick-return yards and 18 yards on three carries.
  • Graduate student Peyton Benes (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) was 6-for-6 on extra-point attempts and he hit a 30-yard field goal.
  • Junior linebacker Terry Elias Jr. (Monee, Ill./Crete-Monee) finished with seven tackles (three solos), 0.5 tackles for loss and he had an interception.
  • Senior defensive back Nick Shultz (Shorewood, Ill./Minooka Community) also made seven stops (five solos) on the afternoon, while freshman defensive back Zach Norred (Manteno, Ill./St. Rita) had a tackle and an interception returned 23 yards.
  • Graduate student linebacker Ryan Fitzgerald (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) had a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. He also had four carries for 12 yards and a touchdown.
  • Price gave the Cougars momentum on the opening kickoff, returning the ball 77 yards to the DC 16-yard line. Three plays later, Ross found Fifth-year senior wide receiver Kyle Quinn (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) for a five-yard touchdown pass to put SXU up 7-0 just over a minute into the contest.
  • The Saint Xavier defense got a turnover on downs to set up a 10-play, 43-yard drive that culminated in a 30-yard field goal by Benes at the 6:43 mark of the opening period.
  • Defiance responded two plays later with a 62-yard option touchdown pass from wide receiver Tawann Rome to wide receiver Deveon Williams to get on the board and cut the deficit to 10-7 with 5:37 to go.
  • Early in the second quarter, Swayne intercepted a pass over the middle and returned it all the way to the endzone to give the Cougars a 17-7 advantage with 13:03 to play in the half.
  • The Yellow Jackets made it a three-point game after a ball was deflected and landed in the arms of Coty Johnson II, who brought the ball back 15 yards for a score and make the score 17-14 with 6:22 remaining.
  • SXU took the next possession and march 68 yards on 14 plays with Fitzgerald scoring on a two-yard rush, with 1:16 left before halftime.
  • Swayne's second interception of the game on DC's opening drive of the second half put Saint Xavier at the opposing 22-yard line. Four plays later, Ross ran the ball in on a quarterback keeper from a yard out to push the lead to 31-14 with 12:48 to go in the third period.
  • Later in the frame, Ross connected with Foster on a pass to the near sideline and Foster broke free from the defender to score on a 66-yard touchdown pass at the 9:12 mark.
  • Junior running back Tyreese Lee (Chicago, Ill./Moraine Valley/Eisenhower) capped the scoring, rushing in from 12-yards out for his first collegiate touchdown to end an 11-play, 90-yard drive with 6:31 remaining in regulation. 
No. 20 Saint Xavier (4-2, 0-0 MSFA Midwest) hosts University of St. Francis (Ill.) on Saturday, October 19 for Homecoming at Bruce R. Deaton Memorial Field. The game is scheduled for a 12:00 pm kickoff.
 
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