QC COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SAU season ends in disappointing loss, major scuffle

It was a finish to the St. Ambrose University football season that will be remembered – for all the wrong reasons.

The Fighting Bees, after playing a fantastic first half, lost a 14-0 lead as they dropped a 21-14 Heart of America Conference North decision to visiting Peru State at Jack and Pat Bush Stadium.

During the post-game handshake line, words were exchanged – as they were all game on the field – and a melee broke out right in front of the SAU bench on the West side of the field.

Punches were thrown. Helmets from players of both teams were flying across the turf.

It took coaches a few minutes to get players separated as the PSU players were herded off to their team buses.

"There was a lot of emotion this game with it being Senior Day and everything," said SAU senior defensive end Jake Strater, who finished with 11 total tackles, second to Colin Gudella's 14. "It's not something that we're really proud of, or wanted to have happen."

As if the result from the physical game wasn't enough to put SAU coach Vince Fillipp in a bad mood, the ending sure did.

"Somebody says one thing and then 18-, 19-year-old kids can't walk away and be the bigger man," said Fillipp, who admitted he did not know what instigated the post-game altercation. "Everybody's got to flex their muscles.

"I don't care what the other team does, I don't care what they say, I don't care about what they do. I'm worried about our group. I want guys that make good decisions, always. That's being smart; that's walking away."

As it turned out, the Bees walked away from their final game with yet another loss that ended a tumultuous and disappointing 3-8, 1-5 Heart debut season.

This loss – in which starting quarterback Tomele Staples had to hobble from after re-aggravating a lower left leg/ankle injury – came with the offense not able to get much going and the defense getting worn down.

It followed a very similar script as another long touchdown pass against a young secondary again turned the tide.

While the final score looked like a very ordinary football final, the Bobcats' points came in a very unusual manner as they had five scoring plays to reach their 21 points.

A safety after an incredible SAU defensive stand opened the visitor's scoring when SAU running back Calvin Lee couldn't get a push out of the end zone on SAU's second snap after the Bees' defense held on a first-and-goal from inside their own 1-yard line.

"That was awesome," said Strater, who made the fourth-down stop on a PSU run around the left end. "You get the ball on the one-inch line, they get four plays and we get a stop. There's nothing better than to celebrate that with the guys after that."

That defense then held after the Bobcats (7-3, 5-2 North) took possession after the free kick as Strater said the Bees played one of their best halves of football of the season and helped the hosts to a 14-2 halftime lead.

As has been the case, the Bees couldn't play complementary football or keep things in check for the full 60 minutes as PSU QB Colin Shields threw two second-half touchdowns (40 and 4 yards) and Gus Bashore kicked two field goals (21, 32).

"I just wish we could put four quarters together," said Fillipp. "It's been a microcosm of the whole year – we've seen how good it can be for spurts at a time. It's trying to get that out of our guys for four quarters."

The visitors from Nebraska were seemingly on the field the entire game despite just a 79-74 advantage in snaps and less than a minute more of possession time. However, the guests churned out 309 yards offense on a chilly, breezy day to SAU's 212.

"We weren't able to move the ball," lamented Fillipp of a run game that accounted for only 47 yards on 33 carries. "We weren't being as physical up front and getting any push. We weren't staying ahead of the sticks."

Staples' injury didn't help that as he left early in the third quarter after two first-half touchdown tosses – a 25-yarder to Jalen Coleman and a 5-yarder to Lee – gave the Bees a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

After going down 21-14 with 4:47 left in regulation, SAU had two more possessions to make up the deficit, but senior backup QB Jake Ackman couldn't get the offense kick-started.

"It sucks, especially being a senior," said Strater of the season ending and the Bees not able to back up last week's road victory. "You want to go out the right way, leave the place better than you found it."

The Bees did improve their record, upping their win total from last year's 1-9 mark.

"We wanted to get them off on the right foot for next year," said Strater, a team captain. "It'll sting for a little bit, but guys can use this as motivation."

Peru State 21, St. Ambrose 14

Peru State;0;2;10;9;—;21

St. Ambrose;7;7;0;0;—;14

First quarter

SAU – Jalen Coleman 25 pass from Tomele Staples (Joe Namio kick), 8:10

Second quarter

SAU – Calvin Lee 5 pass from Staples (Namio kick), 10:12

PSU – Safety (Lee tackled in end zone), 6:13

Third quarter

PSU – Daylan Jones 40 pass from Colin Shields (Gus Bashore kick), 8:47

PSU – Bashore 21 FG, 0:54.7

Fourth quarter

PSU — Kaleb Herbel 4 pass from Shields (pass failed), 11:02

PSU – Bashore 32 FG, 4:47

;;PSU;SAU

First downs;22;17

Rushing-yards;31-123;33-47

Passing yards;186;165

Passes (C-A-I);17-48-0;20-41-1

Total offense;79-309;74-212

Punts;6-36.2;5-32.6

Fumbles lost;1-0;2-1

Penalties;4-45;4-37

Poss. Time;30:17;29:43

Individual statistics

RUSHING – PSU: Stacian Livingston 23-116, Shields 2-13, Grant Gutschow 3-5, Jermaine House 1-2, team 1-(-4), Amahd Baker 1-(-9); SAU: Calvin Lee 19-37, Maximo Vasquez 4-16, Jake Ackman 1-3, Joe Reinhart 1-3, Staples 8-(12).

PASSING – PSU: Shields 17-47-0-186 yards, Daylan Jones 0-1-0; SAU: Staples 12-18-0-107 yards, Ackman 8-23-1-58 yards.

RECEIVING – PSU: Jones 5-97, Gio Contreras 4-61, Herbel 2-10, Gutschow 2-1, Livingston 1-4; SAU: Coleman 6-72, Kameron Bohnsack 5-47, Braden Downs 4-17, Lee 3-14, Charles Jones 2-15.

TACKLES – PSU: Ja-Quez Oliver 3-6-9, Ashley Thompson 4-4-8, Duke McClinton 4-3-7, Aaron Thomas 3-4-7, Tomothy Marshall 4-1-5, Gavin Dunkel 1-4-5; SAU: Colin gudella 2-12-14, Jake Strater 1-10-11, Brock Mason 5-5-10, CJ Resto 1-6-7, Grant Macke 2-4-6, Jamari Chaney 2-4-6, Rolando Sepulveda 0-5-5.

TACKLES FOR LOSS – PSU: Oliver 1.5-2, Dunkel 1-15, Thomas 1-4, McClinton 1-2, Mason Benjamin 1-1, Zahir Washington .5-2; SAU: Mason 1-1, Sepulveda .5-2, Gudella .5-1, Jonthan Thurman .5-1, Chaney .5-0.

SACKS – PSU: Dunkel 1-15, Thomas 1-4, Oliver 1-1.

INTERCEPTIONS – PSU: McClinton 1-46.

FUMBLE RECOVERIES – PSU: Cedric Terrell 1-0.

sports writer/golf editor