OZARK, Mo. – A big second half was too much for the Evangel University football team to overcome Saturday night as the Crusaders dropped their home opener, 35-3, to Benedictine in front of 3,384 fans.
A defensive battle saw the Ravens take an early 7-0 lead into halftime as a 76-yard pass and catch pushed the visitors ahead.
The second half proved to be all Benedictine as miscues were too much for Evangel to overcome. A 40-yard pick-six opened the scoring for the Ravens who built a 28 point lead before the Crusaders were able to get on the board.
Evangel used a meticulous drive with 17 plays to go 69 yards, setting up a 15-yard field goal from Derek Roberts. It was the only points of the night for Evangel as the Crusaders got a solid start at quarterback from Blake Woodard who finished 22-of-48 for 200 yards.
Brady Collier caught nine passes for 88 yards while Brock West led Evangel in rushing with 24 yards on 11 attempts.
Benedictine managed 428 yards of total offense behind Jacob Koester who was 15-of-26 for 293 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively Dalton Taylor led the Crusaders with nine tackles, while Malachi Cobb and Dameon Phillips finished with seven tackles each. Cobb also recorded two tackles for a loss and had a fumble recovery.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The three points were the fewest points scored by the Crusaders since last season in a 6-3 loss to Graceland on Oct. 3.
– Evangel was 1-of-2 in the redzone with a field goal while Benedictine was 2-for-2 with two touchdowns.
– The Crusaders were 3-of-7 on fourth down, however they finished just 7-of-22 on third down.
– Evangel started seven of its 16 drives on Benedictine’s side of the field.
– Benedictine now leads the all-time series against Evangel 20-14 and have won five in a row.
UP NEXT
Evangel heads to Peru State to continue its North Division slate next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Peru, Nebraska.
