Football

Category: Football

Yocum leads Monmouth past Vikings

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Trey Yocum ran for 277 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead the Monmouth College football team to a 31-7 Midwest Conference win over Lawrence University on Saturday at Zorn Stadium.

Yocum carried the ball 31 times for the Scots (3-4, 3-3 MWC) and averaged 8.9 yards per carry.

Monmouth built a 21-0 lead at the half, and held Lawrence (0-7, 0-7) to a season-low 227 offensive yards.

Lawrence quarterback Luke Barthelmess completed 14 of 23 passes for 106 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Barthelmess also ran 15 times for 92 yards.

Safety Sam Wagner had another big day for the Lawrence defense. He matched his career high with 14 tackles, including 10 solo, and grabbed his first interception of the season. Linebacker Andy Paider also had an interception for the Vikings.

Monmouth took the opening kickoff and drove 62 yards in four plays for a touchdown. Yocum ran it in from 23 yards out for a 7-0 lead. The Scots then put together a pair of scoring drives in the second quarter with Yocum scoring from two and five yards to build a 21-0 lead at the half.

The Scots got another Yocum touchdown, this one on a 20-yard run, to lead 31-0 after three quarters.

Lawrence got its lone touchdown of the day, and it was set up by Wagner’s interception, which he returned 20 yards to the Monmouth 43-yard line. Barthelmess connected with Dan Dubnicka on a 23-yard touchdown pass four plays later to cut the lead to 31-7. Dubnicka finished with seven catches for 58 yards.

Lawrence returns home next Saturday to face Grinnell College.

Box score

St. Norbert hangs on to down Lawrence 17-6

APPLETON, Wis. — The St. Norbert College football team used a solid defensive effort in the second half to hang on for a 17-6 victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at the Banta Bowl.

In a scheduling quirk, the game counted as a Midwest Conference game for the Green Knights (6-1, 6-0 MWC), but it was a nonconference game for Lawrence (0-6).

St. Norbert limited Lawrence to only 88 yards of offense in the second half, and the Green Knights got a late field goal to seal the victory.

Zach Broberg ran 19 times for 86 yards to pace the Green Knights. Quarterback James Tringali was 13 of 27 passing for 177 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Brian Fliess caught six passes for 103 yards and a touchdown for St. Norbert.

Lawrence quarterback Luke Barthelmess completed 16 of 26 passes for 190 yards for the Vikings. Dan Dubnicka had game highs with seven catches for 110 yards for Lawrence.

Sam Wagner was impressive on defense for the Vikings, who limited St. Norbert to 319 yards. Wagner had a game-high 14 tackles, including one sack and 4.0 tackles for loss. Dan Taylor picked up 10 tackles for Lawrence, and Trevor Spina recorded his first career interception.

Lawrence got on the board in the second quarter by taking advantage of a short punt. The 23-yard punt gave Lawrence the ball at the St. Norbert 41-yard line, and the Vikings got a key pass completion to Dubnicka at the St. Norbert 18. Sam Wagner then hauled in a pass at the St. Norbert one-yard line, and Dalton Sendelbach punched it in the end zone on the next play for a 6-0 lead.

St. Norbert answered two possessions later when Tringali hit Fliess with a 41-yard scoring pass, and the Green Knights led 7-6 at the half.

The Green Knights took the opening possession of the second half and moved 57 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. Broberg ran it in from three yards out, and St. Norbert led 14-6.

Lawrence only managed to get into St. Norbert territory twice in the second half, and the Green Knights added a 30-yard field goal from Randy Hill with 2:22 left to seal the victory.

Lawrence returns to action next Saturday when it travels to Monmouth College.

Box score

Pioneers race away from Lawrence

WAUKESHA, Wis. — The Carroll University football team pulled out to a big early lead and went on to a 48-14 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at Schneider Stadium.

Carroll (3-3, 2-3 MWC) led 13-0 after the first quarter and scored four second-quarter touchdowns to race to a 41-0 lead at the half.

Running back Lamont Williams powered the Carroll offense by running 19 times for 216 yards and four touchdowns. Williams, who had touchdown runs of 10, one, 83 and 12 yards, averaged 11.4 yards per carry.

The Pioneers threw only nine passes in the game as they ran for 314 yards as a team.

Lawrence (0-5, 0-5) was limited to only 235 yards against a stout Carroll defense. Quarterback Luke Barthelmess was 8 of 16 passing for 81 yards and a touchdown. Halfback Dalton Sendelbach ran 24 times for 94 yards to lead Lawrence’s ground game.

After Williams put the Pioneers up 27-0 with his 83-yard touchdown run in the late in the second quarter, Ty Zimmerman blocked a punt and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. Williams then added another touchdown run to put the Pioneers in command at the break.

Lawrence got on the board with cornerback Zach Eichhorst’s first career touchdown. The sophomore picked off Tyler Schovanec’s pass and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 48-7.

Lawrence added its final touchdown midway through the fourth quarter when Barthelmess capped a 14-play, 68-yard drive with a 13-yard scoring pass to Dan Dubnicka. Dubnicka finished with three catches for 35 yards.

Lawrence returns to action next Saturday when it hosts St. Norbert College.

Box score

Inside LU Athletics: Barthelmess, Vikings running down football opponents

Lawrence University quarterback Luke Barthelmess is a pure passer. Right? Of course he is because the guy holds virtually every Lawrence passing record. Right?

While Barthelmess has put up prolific passing numbers in his first three seasons, he has shown during this campaign that passing isn’t his only talent. The senior signal-caller is one of the top runners in the Midwest Conference as well as being one of its best passers.

“Luke is an athlete who can throw,” said Lawrence coach Mike Barthelmess, who is Luke’s father. “Being a passer is not his greatest talent. He’s going to move the football, but I think he’s more comfortable moving the football with his legs.”

Coach Barthelmess knew entering this season that his team would have to run the football more effectively. Coach Barthelmess had lost record-setting receiver Tyler Mazur to graduation, and the Vikings have struggled defensively for the past few seasons.

“We knew we were going to have to run the football, No. 1 to keep the defense off the field and No. 2 because we don’t have a lot of speed at the receiver position,” coach Barthlemess said. “We’ve tailored our game plan, our play-calling to that.”

Using a variety of plays that call for Luke to read the defense, Lawrence ranks seventh in the conference at 166.0 rushing yards per game. With its top two running backs gone from last season, the Vikings are averaging 17.2 more rushing yards this year.

“Honestly, I think with my mentality as a football player, I’m probably more suited to play running back,” Luke said. “If I had a different body shape, I’d probably be playing running back. If I ran for a good amount of yards in the past it’s because I was scrambling off the pass.”

Luke is the top rushing quarterback in the league and ranks sixth in the conference at 108.5 yards per game. Luke has more rushing yards through four weeks of this season (434) than he had all of last season (423). He also is averaging a hefty 4.8 yards per carry.

Barthelmess also has completed 97 of 147 passes for 822 yards and ranks third in the league at 205.5 passing yards per game.

The offensive line of tackles Spencer Swick and Luke Zablocki, center Nic Bouressa and guards Nick Schubert and Patrick Pierson deserve a lot of the credit, Luke said.

“When we run the ball in games, we do a lot of read stuff so it requires our guys to be smart,” Luke said. “In general, there’s just more space to run. I don’t know how to explain it, but the offensive line is either thinking as one or selling out for each other. I don’t know, there’s something there.”

Luke also notes that he has become more comfortable over the years running the ball. He recalled a game back in high school where he took what the defense gave him and that was large chunks of yardage with him running the ball. From that point, Luke has just taken the ball and run with it, so to speak.

“From there it’s been a slow progression of running and getting better at it,” Luke said. “I’m just more comfortable having the ball in my hands and running. This summer, I did put in some work knowing I was going to have to run the ball. … I’m channeling my inner Eddie Lacy.”

While the Vikings have moved the ball effectively all season, they have had trouble finishing drives. Lawrence ranks second in the nation in time of possession at 38:22, but the Vikings are averaging only 13.5 points.

Coach Barthelmess said he needs to continue to take advantage of running the ball in the red zone to cash in on some more scoring chances. He admits he lapses into a pass-first mentality at times.

“Our strength right now is running the ball,” he said. “It’s been very much of a growing experience for me to realize as a good play caller you have be willing to take what the defense gives you and what your people are capable of.”

Paider honored

Lawrence football standout Andy Paider picked up a pair of honors this week in the wake of his performance last Saturday against Illinois College.

A senior linebacker from Denmark, Wis., Paider was named the Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week and was given honorable mention on the NCAA Division III team of the week selected by USA College Football.

Paider had a career-high 7.0 tackles for loss and had a season-best 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops. The 7.0 TFLs, which included 2.0 sacks, was a season high in the conference this season.

Paider now has 12.0 TFLs on the season and 30.0 for his career, and that ranks fifth on Lawrence’s career list.

More hardware

The Lawrence cross country teams picked up the huge traveling trophy for the combined team title at the Wisconsin Lutheran Invitational this past Saturday.

Both teams finished second and Lawrence posted a combined score of 185. NAIA school Trinity Christian from the Chicago suburbs was second at 207.

Lawrence is putting together a good season with three top-four finishes for both the men and women in four meets this season. The Vikings also won the team titles at the Concordia (Wis.) Invitational earlier this season.

Soccer MASH unit

Injuries continue to pile up for the men’s soccer team as the Vikings are now without three senior starters.

Defenders Dan O’Mahoney and Kelson Warner join forward Cam Pieper and midfielder Joe Cullen on the injury report. While Warner, Pieper and Cullen are out for the season, O’Mahoney may return late in the campaign.

The Vikings have been playing as many as nine first-year players at one time this season. The good news is Lawrence is holding its own with a 4-6-1 overall mark against a quality schedule of opponents. The Vikings are 2-2-0 and in the thick of the race for a berth in the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a notes package written by Lawrence University Director of Athletic Media Relations Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.

Paider picks up national football honor

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University football standout Andy Paider has been named to the defensive team of the week by USA College Football.

Paider (Denmark, Wis./Denmark), a senior linebacker, was given honorable mention on the NCAA Division III national team for the week of Oct. 5. Paider, who also was named the Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week, picked up a career-high 7.0 tackles for loss and a season-best 14 tackles in Lawrence’s 26-6 loss to Illinois College.

Paider, who recorded 10 solo tackles, picked up 2.0 sacks as part of his 7.0 TFLs. The 7.0 TFLs is the highest mark by a player in the Midwest Conference this season. Paider now has 12.0 TFLs this season and 30.0 for his career, and that ranks fifth on Lawrence’s career list.

Paider was part of the Lawrence defense that allowed just 20 offensive points to the Blueboys, who were averaging a league-best 45.0 points per game entering the contest.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Carroll University for a 3 p.m. game.

Paider earns MWC Player of the Week honors

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University football standout Andy Paider has been named the Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

Paider (Denmark, Wis./Denmark) earned the honor after recording a career-high 7.0 tackles for loss and a season-best 14 tackles in Lawrence’s 26-6 loss to Illinois College. This was the first Defensive Player of the Week honor for Paider, a senior linebacker.

Paider, who recorded 10 solo tackles, picked up 2.0 sacks as part of his 7.0 TFLs. The 7.0 TFLs is the highest mark by a player in the Midwest Conference this season. Paider now has 12.0 TFLs this season and 30.0 for his career, and that ranks fifth on Lawrence’s career list.

Paider was part of the Lawrence defense that allowed just 20 offensive points to the Blueboys, who were averaging a league-best 45.0 points per game entering the contest.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Carroll University.

Blueboys battle past Lawrence

APPLETON, Wis. — Cecil Brimmage ran for 273 yards, and the Illinois College football team battled to a 26-6 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday at the Banta Bowl.

Brimmage carried 29 times and scored a third-quarter touchdown. Blueboys quarterback Michael Bates completed 14 of 25 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

Lawrence quarterback Luke Barthelmess went 22 of 40 for 230 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Barthelmess also posted his third 100-yard rushing game of the season with 24 carries for 117 yards.

Illinois College (4-0, 3-0 MWC) jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter with a Bates touchdown pass and a Kurt Frischman interception return for a touchdown. Frischman, a defensive lineman, batted a Barthelmess pass and hauled it in. He rumbled 75 yards for the score.

Lawrence (0-4, 0-4) cut the lead to 13-6 on a long scoring drive early in the second quarter. The Vikings moved 88 yards in 13 plays and took more than seven minutes off the clock. Barthelmess hit Sam Wagner with a nine-yard touchdown pass with 11:54 left in the first half.

The Lawrence defense stopped the Blueboys on their next possession when Bates’ fourth-down pass fell incomplete in the Lawrence end zone. The Vikings stopped the Blueboys again when Brimmage fumbled at the goal line and the ball was recovered by linebacker James Holden in the end zone.

With Brimmage doing nearly all the damage, Illinois College scored early in the second half. Brimmage’s 24-yard touchdown run put the Blueboys up 19-6.

After the Blueboys stopped Lawrence on downs deep in Illinois College territory, they drove back down the field for the final score of the game. Bates hit Kevin Fuller with his second touchdown catch of the game for a 26-6 lead.

Linebacker Andy Paider had a big day for the Lawrence defense with 14 tackles, including 7.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Paider also forced a fumble.

Lawrence returns to action next Saturday when it travels to Carroll University.

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