Carroll University Pioneers (5-3, 3-1 MWC North)
at Beloit College Buccaneers (2-6, 1-3 MWC North)
Saturday, November 7, 2015, 1:00 p.m.
Strong Stadium, Beloit, Wisconsin
The Bucs return to Strong Stadium for Senior Day as they hosts Pioneers of Carroll in the regular-season finale. Beloit is looking to snap a five-game losing streak after last Saturday's 14-12 defeat at Ripon College. CU has won three straight after Saturday's 25-21 win over Macalester College in Waukesha…
The Series: The Buccaneers and Pioneers are meeting for the 42nd time in a series CU leads 21-19 with one tie. Carroll has won 10 of the last 11 in the series, with the Beloit win in that stretch coming on September 12, 2009, a 25-7 victory in the re-dedication of Strong Stadium game. The Pioneers have won four of the last five meetings played at Strong Stadium, with the only interruption in that streak being a 2009 game. The programs first met near the end of the 1907 season, a 12-11 Beloit victory…
The Bucs' Most Recent Game: Beloit was on the verge of completing a late-game comeback but was stopped with just over a minute left in regulation in a 14-12 Midwest Conference North Division loss at Ripon College last Saturday. The Bucs broke a scoreless tie with just 1:26 left in the first half when Joey Werner scored on a two-yard run for his first collegiate touchdown. But the point-after was blocked, giving Beloit a 6-0 lead at the break. Ripon scored their first TD four-plus minutes into the third quarter on a short four-yard pass for, with the extra point, a 7-6 lead. They made it 14-6 five seconds into the fourth quarter on a 17-yard scoring pass. The Buccaneers put together an 11-play, 68-yard drive in the final minutes, culminating in a four-yard scoring pass from Danny May to Mike Nolden. But the two-point conversion pass failed and Beloit still trailed 14-12 with 1:15 left. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Ripon at the Beloit 45 with 1:11 remaining and RC ran three plays to run out the clock. May threw for 149 yards, with Nolden catching six passes for 54 yards and Lukeson Versulien two for 48. Mason Dixon ran for 60 yards on nine carries. On the defensive side David Lafayette (14), Antonio Jones (12), Dewight Walker (12) and Michael Koch (11) all finished with double-figure tackles to lead the strong effort. Koch had a sack while Quin Dixon and Riley Pearson combined for another. Jones and Walker each intercepted a pass and Jones, Koch and Pearson all recovered fumbles…
Bucs' Last Time vs. the Pioneers: Beloit ran into a first-half buzzsaw at Carroll University on November 7, 2014, on the way to a 49-14 loss. The Pioneers scored touchdowns on four of their six first-half possessions while holding the Buccaneers to just 71 yards of offense to lead 28-0 at the break. CU took the opening kickoff 56 yards in six plays, with Lamont Williams running in from 10 yards out for the lone TD of the opening quarter. They then added three touchdowns in the second quarter, beginning with a short run Williams' one-yard run 44 seconds in. They added an eight-yard run by Kyle Burlingame at the 4:24 mark and then turned a late interception into a third TD in the quarter at 1:17 on a 14-yard run by Daniel Arden for their commanding lead at the break. The Buccaneers got on the board midway through the third quarter on Mason Dixon's four-yard run before Williams scored back-to-back TDs in a three-plus minute span – on a one-yard and 72-yard run - to make it 42-7 entering the fourth quarter. CU added a 100-yard interception return by Ryan Klapper midway through the quarter before Kam Sallee's 65-yard run closed out the scoring with 2:52 remaining. Dixon finished with 138 yards on the ground while Sallee had 101 to lead the offense. Williams rushed for 177 yards on 19 carries while Burlingame rushed for 88 and threw for 146. Kevin Jennings caught four passes for 41 yards and Williams had two catches for 60. Defensively Derell Carter had nine tackles and a fumble recovery while Antonio Jones had eight stops and Riley Pearson seven. Alam Ham had the lone sack for Beloit. Michael Sahli had 16 tackles for the Pioneers and Tyler Aerts added nine. Grant Nass had the team's lone sack and Ty Zimmerman also had an interception…
Senior Day at Strong Stadium: The Bucs will honor seven seniors playing their final home regular season game in the blue & gold. WR Lukeson Versulien, DB Antonio Jones, WR Nathan Brault, DB Joey Casa, and OL Mike Roth, Pat Galloway, and Jacob Thuente…
Notes & Notables: DB Antonio Jones continued his outstanding senior season at Ripon with 12 tackles, giving him a team-leading 79, and his fifth interception. He has 10 career interceptions, making him just the ninth player in Buccaneer Football history to record double-figures in the category. He is the fifth player with 10 in his career…RB Mason Dixon crossed the 3,500 career rushing yards milestone at Ripon and now has 3,518. He needs seven yards on the ground for his third straight 1,000-yard season...The Bucs' 15 interceptions this season are the most since they had 18 in 2002…
Up Ahead for the Bucs: Beloit awaits word on who next weeks' opponent will be. What is for sure is that the Buccaneers will host the game at 1:00 p.m. next Saturday as part of MWC Championship Saturday…