Football

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University offense had trouble getting going on Saturday against Grinnell College, and the Pioneers went on to a 29-7 nonconference victory at the Banta Bowl.

Grinnell (1-3) limited Lawrence (1-3) to 181 yards of total offense, including 45 in the first half.

Sam Poulos tossed a pair of touchdown passes for the Pioneers, and Jacob Bernholtz ran 22 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. Lawrence quarterback Chance Byrd, who was forced into action after starter Tanner Schuh was hurt on the game’s first drive, was 9-for-27 for 142 yards and a touchdown, but he threw four interceptions.

Grinnell got on the board late in the first quarter when the Pioneers moved 59 yards in 10 plays for the game’s first touchdown. Jacob Meixler caught a 16-yard scoring pass from Poulos for a 7-0 lead. Meixler finished with six catches for 78 yards and two scores.

Linebacker David Ternes made 9-0 Grinnell when he tackled Bryd in the end zone with just 45 seconds left in the first quarter.

Graham Fisher then booted a 36-yard field goal for the Pioneers, and Bernholtz’s one-yard touchdown plunge capped an 87-yard drive late in the first half to put the Pioneers up 19-0. Grinnell added a 27-yard Fisher field goal, and Meixler caught a 20-yard scoring pass in the third quarter for a 29-0 edge.

Lawrence finally got on the board with the help of a turnover. Grinnell’s other quarterback, Harrison Hoegh was intercepted by Brandon Taylor at the Grinnell 31-yard line late in the third quarter. Byrd hit Cole Erickson, who made a beautiful catch on the play, on the next play from scrimmage for the touchdown.

Erickson finished with two catches for 45 yards.

Lawrence returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Beloit College in the Hall of Fame Game in the Banta Bowl.

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APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University football game takes on Grinnell College in their final nonconference game of the season on Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon in the Banta Bowl. The Vikings are 1-2 and coming off a 45-14 loss at Knox College last Saturday. Grinnell is 0-3 and dropped a tight 21-16 decision to Macalester College.

Preview

GALESBURG, Ill. — The Knox College football team pulled out to a 35-0 lead at the half and went on to a 45-14 nonconference win over Lawrence University on Saturday at the Knosher Bowl.

Knox (2-1) got two first-half touchdowns from Terry White and two more first-half scores from Matt McCaffrey to pull away. The Prairie Fire posted 502 yards of offense, including 345 on the ground.

Quarterback Chance Byrd ran for one touchdown and threw for another to pace Lawrence (1-2), which was limited to 226 yards of offense. Byrd had 11 carries for 50 yards and completed 8-of-16 passes for 127 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Trevor Spina had the biggest receiving day of his career with six catches for 109 yards and a touchdown for Lawrence.

The Vikings, who committed four turnovers, got on the board when Byrd connected with Spina on an 80-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter. Lawrence got its other score when Bryd ran 15 yards for a touchdown to complete a seven-play, 72-yard drive early in the fourth quarter.

Dan Taylor made 14 tackles and Zach Eichhorst had 11 to lead the Lawrence defense. Freshman Alic Riedel picked off his second pass of the season for Lawrence.

Lawrence returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Grinnell College in a nonconference game.

Box score

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University football hits the road on Saturday when it travels to Galesburg, Ill., for a nonconference game with Knox College. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Knosher Bowl. Both teams enter the contest with a 1-1 record.

Preview

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University’s Patrick O’Mahoney has been named the Midwest Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.

O’Mahoney (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township), a sophomore kicker, earned the honor after tying a Lawrence record in the Vikings 59-0 victory over Maranatha Baptist University this past Saturday.

O’Mahoney went 8-for-8 on extra points to tie the school record for PATs in a game. Kraig Krueger set the record of eight PATs back in 1981 and it was tied by Cody Robel in 2011. O’Mahoney also tied the record of eight PAT attempts held by four others.

This is the first Player of the Week honor for O’Mahoney, who also connected on a 21-yard field goal.

The Vikings have a bye this week and then return to action on Sept. 27 when they travel to Knox College.

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University football team routed Maranatha Baptist University 59-0 on Saturday night in a nonconference game at the Banta Bowl.

Lawrence quarterback Tanner Schuh played only the first half but ran for 99 yards and a touchdown and threw for 244 and two touchdowns as the Vikings (1-1) bolted a 28-0 lead at the half. Backup quarterback Chance Byrd completed 11 of 15 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns and ran 11 times for 46 yards and a score.

Taylor Mandich grabbed seven passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns, including a 70-yard scoring pass in the first half. Dalton Sendelbach added 14 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings. Lawrence kicker Patrick O’Mahoney also tied the school record of Cody Robel and Kraig Krueger with eight extra points.

The Lawrence defense, which held Maranatha to just 76 yards, recorded its first shutout since beating Ripon College 26-0 in 1991. It was a team effort on defense with Tony Harth leading the way with six tackles, including a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. Lawrence limited Maranatha (0-2) to 20 carries for a minus-32 yards on the ground.

The Vikings also intercepted five passes, one each by Alic Riedel, Dan Taylor, Nick Ulloa, Jake Walker and defensive end Gabor Bukszar.

Lawrence scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and four of its first five. Trevor Spina had a four-yard run for the first touchdown, and Schuh scored from three yards out on the next drive for a 14-0 lead.

After Mandich had his 55-yard touchdown catch called back due to a penalty, he hooked up with Schuh on a 70-yard scoring pass on the next play for a 21-0 lead. Mandich then caught a 23-yard scoring pass with 4:51 left in the second quarter to put the Vikings up 28-0.

Lawrence got a 21-yard field goal from O’Mahoney to make it 31-0 midway through the third quarter. The Vikings then picked up touchdowns on four of their next five possessions to complete the scoring. Byrd connected with Cole Erickson on an 11-yard touchdown pass and then hit Mandich from 21 yards out to push the lead to 45-0 after three quarters. Byrd had a 19-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter, and Sendelbach finished the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown scamper.

The big bright spot for the Sabercats was linebacker Ethan Kennon, who recorded 21 tackles, including 15 solo.

Box score

APPLETON, Wis. — Mike Kudick has been elevated to the role of full-time assistant coach in the Lawrence University football program, Director of Athletics Mike Szkodzinski announced today.

Kudick joined the Lawrence staff in 2013 and is coaching the linebackers.

“We are thankful for the support of our the administration to elevate Mike to full-time status,” Szkodzinski said. “This is another signal that we are serious about returning our football program to an elite level.”

A native of Denmark, Wis., Kudick came to Lawrence after serving as the defensive coordinator at Green Bay West High School for two seasons. Kudick also served as the defensive coordinator for Montgomery-Lonsdale High School in Montgomery, Minn., in 2009 and 2010.

“I am excited about the opportunity presented to me at Lawrence,” Kudick said. “I am ready to embrace this new challenge and help lead our team forward.”

Lawrence interim head coach Chris Harris said the addition of Kudick to the full-time staff will be a great asset to the football program.

“Having Mike join us as a full-time staff member will be huge plus as we move ahead with this season,” Harris said. “He’s a great fit within our coaching staff, and we all respect his coaching abilities.”

Kudick earned a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University St. Paul in 2009 and played football for the Golden Bears. Kudick earned All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference honors while playing linebacker for the NCAA Division II school.

Kudick was a three-sport standout prep athlete at Denmark High School. A 2005 graduate of Denmark, Kudick earned All-Packerland Conference, all-area and all-metro honors as a linebacker for the Vikings. Kudick, who also wrestled and played baseball, finished second at the WIAA State Wrestling Championships at 215 pounds.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Maranatha Baptist University in a nonconference game at the Banta Bowl. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University football team opens the home portion of its 2014 schedule on Saturday when the Vikings host Maranatha Baptist University. The nonconference game kicks off at 7 p.m. in the Banta Bowl.

Preview (pdf)

APPLETON, Wis. — Chris Harris, the Vikings’ co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, has been named the Lawrence University interim head football coach, Director of Athletics Mike Szkodzinski announced today.

The decision came following the unexpected resignation of head coach Mike Barthelmess. Harris will lead the Vikings into their home opener on Saturday when Lawrence hosts Maranatha Baptist University in a 7 p.m. nonconference game in the Banta Bowl.

“I was very sorry to learn of coach Barthelmess’ decision to resign as coach. The most important issue is to ensure that we maintain an excellent experience for our football players, who have dedicated so much to the team and to Lawrence,” said Lawrence President Mark Burstein. “As an educational institution that values athletics as an integral part of our student’s education, it is extremely important that Lawrence have a successful football program. Accordingly, we will begin a national search for the next head coach immediately.”

Harris came to Lawrence from Manchester University where he had coached from 2010 through 2012. He served as the offensive line coach and director of football operations, helping to turn around the football program during his three seasons with the Spartans. A 2000 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Harris previously served as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Beloit College in 2008 and 2009.

“I’m confident in Chris’ leadership as this team strives for success during the remainder of the season,” Szkodzinski said. “He has my full support as well as the support of the entire university. I know that our student-athletes and coaching staff will remain united in their dedication to the program and the season ahead.”

ROCKFORD, Ill. — The Lawrence University football team dug itself a big hole early on Saturday, and Rockford University pulled away late for a 34-6 nonconference victory at Sam Greeley Field.

The Regents (1-0) surged to a 19-0 lead just 11 minutes into the game, and Rockford then put up a pair of touchdowns in a 16-second span in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

Quarterback Andrew Stochl and receiver Milton Phillips did most of the damage for the Regents. Stochl completed 17-of-27 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns. Phillips caught five passes for 127 yards and a score.

Lawrence (0-1) struggled on offense and had just 234 total yards. Rockford rolled up 448 yards of offense.

After two touchdown passes from Stochl and a scoring run from Pete Berry put the Regents up early, Lawrence cut the deficit to 19-6. Freshman Alic Riedel blocked Cody Casazza’s punt to give Lawrence the ball at the Rockford 21-yard line. Lawrence scored eight plays later on Tanner Schuh’s two-yard run.

Lawrence was driving again in the final minutes of the first half, but Schuh was intercepted in the Rockford end zone to end the threat.

The score remained the same until Rockford drove 73 yards in eight plays midway through the fourth quarter. Stochl hit Dane Kirk with a 22-yard scoring pass for a 27-6 lead with 8:59 left.

On the next play from scrimmage, Pascal Sylla intercepted Lawrence backup quarterback Chance Byrd and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown and a 34-6 lead.

Schuh finished 10-of-29 passing for 103 yards. Byrd was 6-for-16 passing for 68 yards and two interceptions. Byrd led the team with seven carries for 34 yards, and Dan Rothbauer, Taylor Mandich and Tyler Lueck all had four catches apiece for the Vikings.

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