The Benedictine University football team did not trail and held the ball for nearly 35 minutes in opening the home and conference schedule with a 34-7 win over visiting Rockford in the heat on Saturday afternoon.
Benedictine forced Rockford into a three-and-out on the game's first possession before marching 79 yards down the field to open the scoring.
Cooper Simmons-Little opened the game with a 15-yard connection to
Alex Siebens, setting the tone for the contest. The first touchdown of the day came with 11:39 remaining in the first when
Alexander Corbett snared a 12-yard pass following a long run. Siebens made it 14-0 midway through the quarter with his first of two touchdown catches, a 27-yarder.Â
The defense held Rockford at bay for most of the day and set up Benedictine with solid field position early in the second, leading to a five-yard touchdown run from
Blake Shoddie with 11:46 left in the half to make the score 20-0. Rockford responded with their only points of the day, but Siebens broke away for an 88-yard touchdown to push the margin to 27-7 just before the half.
Much of the second half was spent on the ground, grinding through the temperatures, which soared to over 90 degrees. Dino Stephens tallied the lone points of the second half, scampering for a 32-yard score early in the fourth to account for the final.
Benedictine piled up 479 yards of offense while the defense limited Rockford to just 206. No team has managed over 214 yards in a game against the defense so far this year. The defense is allowing just 189 yards per game, tops in the conference. The offense was balanced with 248 on the ground and 231 through the air. The 248 yards rushing marked a season high. Siebens caught five passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Corbett reeled in six passes. Eight players carried the ball at least once. Stevens totaled 89 yards on nine carries, averaging nearly 10 yards per carry. Shoddie logged 68 on 14 attempts. Simmons-Little completed 15-of-26 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns.
Gessie Escudero led the defense with 10 stops.
Keenon Davis notched seven tackles, six solo, including two for loss.
Benedictine (3-0, 1-0 NACC) hosts Concordia Wisconsin next week for the homecoming contest.
