October 4, 2012
Beavers head to Rose-Hulman for battle with Fightin' Engineers
LIVE STATS / LIVE AUDIO / PREVIEW
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University football team picked up where it left off in 2011 when the Beavers won five of their last six contests, including a first-ever victory over Rose-Hulman. Bluffton equaled the school record with five conference victories, tying for second place in the Heartland Conference. The Beavers handled Kenyon College in Salzman Stadium on Sept. 1, posting a 20-0 shutout of the Lords. Bluffton then traveled to #17 Baldwin-Wallace, dropping a 45-13 decision to the Yellow Jackets before opening HCAC action at Earlham with a 28-20 road win. The Beavers fashioned their first win (14-7) over MSJ since 2001 before falling to Manchester on Saturday. Homecoming is slated for Oct. 13 when Bluffton hosts Hanover. A bye week and trips to Anderson and Franklin lead up to the season finale, a home battle with rival Defiance on Nov. 10.
ALL-TIME SERIES - Rose-Hulman leads the all-time series with Bluffton by 7-1 margin. The Beavers finally cracked the win column in 2011 when Bluffton handed the Engineers a convincing 31-13 setback in Salzman Stadium. Rose won by a 40-13 count when the teams last met in Terre Haute.
LEADING THE BEAVERS - Freshman Calib Alexander and Airic Steagall have formed an outstanding one-two punch in the backfield, combining for 611 yards and five TD's on 133 carries. Junior Shawn Frost has 18 receptions for 235 yards with two scores while junior QB Tyler Wright is 66-of-101 for 793 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Josh Runda leads the Beavers with 41 tackles and he has 5.5 TFL's, a forced fumble and a recovery. Fellow linebackers Ben Kaufman and Mike Johnson have chipped in with 35 and 31 tackles, respectively. Kaufman has two pickoffs, while Johnson has 3 breakups. Justin Hahn, Tyler Hensley and Jeff Parker all have two INT's.
LAST CONTESTS - The Beavers welcomed HCAC foe Manchester to Salzman Stadium on Saturday, looking to continue this season's quick start. However, the Spartans (1-4, 1-2 HCAC) were able to fend off the Bluffton offense late in the game to earn a 24-14 victory, their first of the year. Hanover College came back from 20 points down in the fourth quarter to claim a stunning 33-27 overtime victory over Rose-Hulman in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday.
-BEAVERS-
