Bourbonnais, Ill. – The Saint Xavier University football team (4-4, 0-2 MSFA Midwest) fell to Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) in Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Midwest League action Saturday afternoon at Ward Field in Bourbonnais, Ill. Fifth-year senior wide receiver/punter
Joe Polselli (Evergreen Park, Ill./St. Rita) hauled in three receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown, along with one carry for 11 yards. He also punted seven times for 220 yards with a long of 54 yards, one touchback and one punt inside the 20-yard line. Junior linebacker
Terry Elias Jr. (Monee, Ill./Crete-Monee) led the defense with a season-high tying 14 tackles (seven solos), along with 3.5 tackles for loss for 16 yards, two pass breakups and a sack for four yards. Turnovers proved costly as SXU threw a pair of interceptions and lost two fumbles.
- Fifth-year senior quarterback Stuart Ross (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) was 17-for-42 for 150 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown.
- Redshirt sophomore running back Mario Price (Chicago Heights, Ill./Calumet New Tech) ran 11 times for 34 yards and senior running back Jessi Plunkett (Evergreen Park, Ill./College of DuPage/Brother Rice) had eight carries for 29 yards.
- Junior wide receiver Ronnie Foster (Peoria Heights, Ill./Peoria Heights) had six catches for 49 yards.
- Fifth-year senior defensive back Kevin Countryman (Morris, Ill./Providence Catholic) set a new career-high with 12 tackles (five solos) while adding a sack for 14 yards and a fumble recovery returned four yards.
- Junior linebacker Chris Swayne (LaSalle, Ill./LaSalle-Peru Township) also finished in double-digits in tackles with 11 (seven solos). He intercepted a pair of passes for 32 yards and a pass breakup.
- Graduate student defensive lineman Dalen Brown (Richton Park, Ill./Indianapolis/Crete-Monee) posted two tackles (one solo), 0.5 tackles for loss for a yard and a fumble recovery.
- The Tigers took the lead at the 6:09 of the first quarter after a seven-play, 61-yard drive on a two-yard rushing touchdown.
- Ross found Polselli for a 37-yard touchdown passes early in the second period, however the extra-point attempt was blocked, cutting the deficit to 7-6 with 13:22 remaining in the first half.
- ONU made it 14-6 two plays after SXU failed to convert a fourth-and-long deep in their own territory that put Olivet Nazarene at the Saint Xavier 16-yard line, when they scored on nine-yard rushing touchdown with 5:22 left on the clock.
- A one-yard quarterback keeper pushed the lead to 21-6 for the Tigers midway through the fourth quarter.
Saint Xavier (4-4, 0-2 MSFA Midwest) takes on No. 18 Marian University (Ind.) in a MSFA Midwest League contest at Bruce R. Deaton Memorial Field on Saturday, November 2. The game is scheduled for a 12:00 pm kickoff in Chicago, Ill.