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Saint Xavier University

Official Athletics Website of the Saint Xavier University Cougars

Football
31
Winner Saint Xavier (Ill.) SXU 1-0
7
Lawrence Tech LTU 0-1
Winner
Saint Xavier (Ill.) SXU
1-0
31
Final
7
Lawrence Tech LTU
0-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SXU Saint Xavier (Ill.) 14 0 3 14 31
LTU Lawrence Tech 0 7 0 0 7

Game Recap: Football |

No. 9 SXU Tops Lawrence Tech, 31-7, in Season Opener

Sterling Heights, Mich. – The No. 9 ranked Saint Xavier University football team (1-0, 0-0 MSFA Midwest) began the 2024 season with a 31-7 victory over Lawrence Tech University (Mich.) in a Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) crossover Saturday afternoon in Sterling Heights, Mich. Fifth-year senior quarterback Stuart Ross (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) threw for 276 yards and a touchdown on 22-for-32 passing (68.8 percent) and the Cougars ran for three more scores, including a pair of touchdowns from graduate student linebacker Ryan Fitzgerald (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew). The SXU defense held the LTU offense to just 230 total yards and limited the Blue Devils to 3.3 yards per play. Junior linebacker Terry Elias Jr. (Monee, Ill./Crete-Monee) led Saint Xavier with nine tackles (five solos).
  • Graduate student wide receiver Julian Smith (Glenwood, Ill./Jackson State/Calumet New Tech) made a splash for the Cougars, hauling in 12 receptions for 130 yards.
  • Fifth-year senior wide receiver/punter Joe Polselli (Evergreen Park, Ill./St. Rita) made seven catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.
  • Senior running back Jessi Plunkett (Evergreen Park, Ill./College of DuPage/Brother Rice) ran for 45 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown.
  • Fitzgerald had three carries for seven yards. He finished with four tackles (two solos) on the defensive side of the ball.
  • Fifth-year kicker Peyton Benes (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) was 4-for-4 on extra point attempts and he drilled a 25-yard field goal.
  • Defensively, senior defensive back Bruce Pendleton III (Chicago, Ill./McKendree/Plainfield Central) had eight tackles (four solos).
  • Junior linebacker Chris Swayne (LaSalle, Ill./LaSalle-Peru Township) also was credited with eight stops (three solos) and a tackle for loss for two yards.
  • Senior defensive back Nick Schultz (Shorewood, Ill./Minooka Community) registered seven tackles (two solos).
  • Junior defensive back Alex Art (Round Lake Beach, Ill./Grant Community) made seven tackles as well (six solos), along with a pass breakup.
  • SXU scored on its opening drive as Ross connected with Polselli from 32 yards out early in the opening frame at 12:42.
  • On the next drive, Fitzgerald rumbled into the end zone from four yards out to make it 14-0 with 8:40 left in the first quarter.
  • Lawrence Tech got on the board just before halftime, scoring on a five-yard touchdown run with 3:16 remaining in the half. LTU had a chance to cut the deficit right before the half ended, but they missed a 42-yard field goal attempt as the clock expired.
  • Saint Xavier forced a three and out to start the second half and they marched down the field, capping the drive with a 25-yard field goal by Benes after taking over five minutes off the clock at the 7:01 mark.
  • The Cougars started the fourth quarter after forcing a turnover on downs with 14:44 left in regulation and ended the drive with a two-yard touchdown run by Fitzgerald with 10:25 to go to put SXU up 24-7.
  • An extended drive on the next possession that took over six minutes off the clock was capped when Plunkett ran up the middle for a 15-yard touchdown with 2:38 left to make it 31-7.
No. 9 Saint Xavier (1-0, 0-0 MSFA Midwest) hosts No. 12 St. Thomas University (Fla.) in its home opener at Bruce R. Deaton Memorial Field on September 14. The contest is scheduled for a 12:00 pm kickoff from Chicago, Ill.
 
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