Notables
-Seventh straight win over Greenville
-CSS has scored at least 40 points vs. Greenville in five of the last six meetings
-Saints improve to 26-1 in UMAC road games since 2011
-CSS had 11 offensive plays of 20 yards or more
GREENVILLE, Ill. (csssaints.com) – Sophomore Zach Edwards threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns to lead the St. Scholastica football team past Greenville University (Ill.) 47-27 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) opener at Francis Field Saturday.
First Half Shutout
The Saints had the ball first and drove it down the field on the opening possession. The drive was capped off by a 6-yard Hunter Thompson touchdown reception on third down. Donovan Blatz added the extra point to make it 7-0 CSS.
On the ensuing possession, the Panthers marched the ball inside the St. Scholastica 20-yard-line, but were held scoreless after a missed field goal.
Following a CSS missed field goal, Greenville fumbled the handoff on the first play and ball was recovered by Matthew Hinaus. However, the Saints mishandled the snap on their first play resulting in a 21-yard loss. After a penalty the Saints had a third-and-36 and Edwards found Buthe for 24 yards. On fourth-and-12, the Saints decided to go for it and Edwards found Aaron Olson for a 23-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 after one quarter of action.
With nine minutes remaining in the second quarter, Buthe took the ball and scampered in from 20 yards out on third down to make it 21-0 St. Scholastica.
After the Panthers turned the ball over on downs, CSS added to its lead when Edwards took it himself for a 5-yard touchdown as the score read 28-0 Saints. Greenville was in position for a field goal at the end of the first half, but the attempt was blocked to give St. Scholastica a 28-0 halftime lead.
At the half, the Saints out-gained the Panthers 251-117 with 198 yards coming thru the air. On each of the scoring drives in the half, the Saints had a distance to go of 10 or more yards on third down at one point during the drive.
Greenville Scores Late in Second Half
The Panthers scored on a 46-yard trick play on their first possession of the second half. However, the Saints responded on the next drive in only four plays as Buthe plunged into the end zone for his second score of the day to make it 34-7. The touchdown was setup by a 39-yard connection between Edwards and Christian Rund.
Greenville drove into the CSS red zone on its next possession, but Hinaus picked off the Panthers and returned it 78 yards for touchdown to extend the margin to 40-7 midway through the third quarter. CSS only had possession for 1:16 in the third quarter.
Following a Greenville touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the Saints got their final score of the day with the same combination as their first score when Edwards found Thompson for a 22-yard touchdown to make it 47-14.
The Panthers would score twice in the final three minutes to make the final 47-27.
Key Team Stats
Total Yards: GU-451, CSS-401
Plays: GU-101, CSS-56
Passing Yards: CSS-285, GU-238
Sacks: CSS-6, GU-2
Red Zone Chances: CSS 5-6, GU 3-5
Top Performances for CSS
Edwards finished 13-of-21 for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Buthe ran for 44 yards on 12 carries and two scores. Thompson had three catches for 54 yards and Rund had two receptions for 65 yards.
Jonathan Senger recorded a team-high 12 tackles, including 0.5 sack. Cal Germain added nine tackles and Joe Matthews had eight tackles.
Top Performances for the Opponents
Quarterback George Harris was 18-of-32 for 192 yards and an interception. Jonny Pruiett ran for 72 yards on 16 carries. Tucker Tompkins had four receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. Bryson Johnson led the defense with eight tackles.
Up Next
The Saints (1-1, 1-0 UMAC) will have their home opener next Saturday when Westminster College (Mo.) makes the long trek to Duluth. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Public Schools Stadium. The action can be seen live on Saints Sports Net.