By Evan Skilliter, sports information assistant
Stats http://www.bluffton.edu/athletics/football/2013/09-28-13.htm
The Beavers traveled to Cincinnati on Saturday, Sept. 28, for a Heartland Conference matchup with the Mount St. Joseph Lions. Bluffton fell 52-28, despite an excellent passing performance from quarterback Nick Sheehan (Monroe Ind./Heritage) as the junior threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns on 23 completions.
The Lions jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter after quarterback Caleb Watkins found the end zone on the ground from 23 yards out, then connected with Charles McCall through the air for a 15-yard touchdown pass later in the quarter.
The Beavers got on the board early in the second quarter when Eric Fox (Brunswick) crossed the goal line from three yards out, narrowing the gap to seven. The Lions would put up 17 more points through the next two quarters before the visitors were able to stop the bleeding with a 64-yard touchdown pass from Sheehan to Calib Alexander (Ocala Fl./St. John Lutheran), the longest touchdown by the Beavers this season.
Two more third quarter touchdowns put the Lions up 45-14 before Sheehan found Donovan Brown (Cincinnati/Purcell Martin) through the air from 38 yards out for Brown's sixth touchdown of the season. The Beavers scored their final points when Fox caught a Sheehan pass for a 14-yard touchdown with only a minute left, ending the game with the Lions on top, 52-28.
Fox led the Bluffton ground attack with 33 yards on nine carries. On the receiving end, Drake Harrington (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield) finished with a very impressive 113 yards on four receptions. Alexander tallied 67 yards on two catches while Shawn Frost (Edison/Mt. Gilead) chipped in with 67 yards on seven catches. Brown finished the game with 66 yards receiving on five receptions.
Senior standout Josh Runda (Lima/Bath) led the Beaver defense with 12 tackles, including two-for-a-loss. Freshman Tyrone White (Orrville) and sophomore Matt Holden (Convoy/Crestview) each finished with seven tackles. Junior Ben Schamp (St. Marys/Memorial) and sophomore Ryan Aelker (New Bavaria/Holgate) added five tackles apiece.
The Beavers will travel to North Manchester, Ind., next Saturday, Oct. 5, for a conference matchup with Manchester University before returning home October 12 for the homecoming game against Rose-Hulman.
