WINFIELD, Kan. – On a rainy Saturday night in Winfield, the No. 8-ranked Southwestern College football team played host to the Bethany College Swedes for the Builders' first home contest of the 2022 season. The rain did little, if anything, to slow down the SC offense in this one. By the conclusion of the tilt, Southwestern had compiled 501 yards of total offense, along with 65 points in a dominant 65-0 destruction of Bethany.

Unlike a week ago, when the SC offensive attack took an entire half to score any points, the Builders put together a nine-play drive which eclipsed 62 yards en route to a touchdown on their opening drive. Keyshawn Jones was able to reach pay dirt with a five-yard rush. The drive took the first 4:06 off the game clock. Then, after a quick three-and-out from the Swedes, Southwestern added another score, after starting with great field position at the Bethany 45 yard-line. They drove the ball 45 yards in six plays, as they concluded the march with a one-yard QB sneak by Brad Cagle. The score made it a 13-0 game after the wet conditions caused a low snap on the second PAT try.

As the battle headed into the second quarter, Southwestern continued to move the ball efficiently. In fact, the squad put up an amazing 28 points in the second stanza. It all started in the waning moments of the first quarter when the Moundbuilders took control of the pigskin at the Bethany 31 yard-line after an interception by Taveon Williamson to set up the Builders in prime position for points. On the opening play of the second quarter, Cagle pranced into the endzone from 12 yards away to make it 20-0 after the made PAT by Gabriel Medrano.

After another SC interception on the ensuing Bethany drive from Landon Davis, SC would go 52 yards on eight plays in just 2:50 to extend the lead to 27-0. Andre Jones was the beneficiary of a beautiful ball from Cagle from 27 yards out to continue to pour it on for the Southwestern. The Builder defense forced another three-and-out from the Swedes, and were able to start their next offensive drive at their own 38 yard-line. It was another beautiful drive by the Builders, who traveled 62 yards on eight plays. Layke Hoffman became a part of the TD parade with his 19-yard touchdown catch from Cagle to make it 34-0. Then, after a turnover on downs by the Swedes, a nine-yard rush by David Roper II and a subsequent 34-yard TD strike from Cagle to Jordyn Jackson made the score 41-0 entering the intermission.

Following the onslaught that was the second quarter, the Builder offense continued to add points in the third quarter. After Southwestern forced a punt to open the third, they quickly went 72 yards in five plays to make it a 48-0 game. The first four plays of the drive were rushes, as Roper rushed for 32 yards on three totes and Thomas Yam had a five-yard carry. Then, though, the Builders capped off the march with a 35-yard TD pass from Yam to Ziyon Kenner on a rope to the goal-line pylon. Darren Hicks Jr. would then force a fumble on the following possession which was recovered by the Builders' Chance Price at the Bethany 28 yard-line. The SC offense did not move the ball more than four yards on the drive, but did pick up three points on Medrano's lone field goal of the evening from 41 yards away. That would conclude the scoring in the third quarter, as the Builders led 51-0 after three.

Southwestern added an additional 14 points in the final period, as they began the stanza with an interception from Travon Crockett on a fourth-down conversion attempt by the Swedes. Then, SC put together a drive of 79 yards on six plays to add even more to their advantage. The final play of the possession was a weird one, though, as Josh Edson caught a pass from Yam for 25 yards but fumbled the ball at the one yard-line. The fumble bounced forward into the endzone where it was recovered by Matthew Holthusen, who was credited with the TD despite not recording a reception in the game for the Builders. The 58-0 lead would grow on the next SC possession, as the Southwestern defense stifled the Bethany running game on fourth down and four to give their offense a 49-yard field to work with. The opportunistic Moundbuilder offense continued its unreal day on the gridiron with the James Maddox show. He carried the ball six times on the drive for 54 yards and the bruising, drive-ending, six-yard touchdown run. That was all she wrote for Bethany, as they were content to simply run the clock out on this one. Southwestern controlled the game the entire way in the 65-0 blowout.

For SC, it was Cagle who led the passing game. He completed 10 of his 16 attempts through the air, with several of those being drops due to the wet conditions. He racked up 173 yards and three scores with his arm in the bout, and added 34 yards and two scores on the ground. Yam came in in relief of Cagle in the second half, were he was 4-of-6 for 81 yards passing with a pair of touchdown tosses.

The Builder running game had a much more proficient night in this one, posting a grand total of 257 yards on the ground. Roper had the most yards of any SC ball-carrier in the tilt, with 65 on 11 totes, as Maddox had a highly respectable 63 yards on 10 carries. Sommarra Hunter took advantage of his opportunities in this one, as well, as he tallied 59 yards on just five handoffs. K. Jones' five-yard rush into the endzone was one of his two rushing attempts in the day. The much-improved rushing attack put the Builders in a great spot on offense in this game.

Five different receivers earned touchdown grabs for Southwestern, while seven had at least one catch. Hoffman had the most catches of any one receiver in the battle, as he grabbed three passes for 27 yards and a touchdown. A. Jones (61 yds), Jackson (51 yds), Kenner (45 yds), Edson (41 yds) and K. Jones (24 yds) hauled in two passes apiece. Joshua Boyanton had a snag for five yards and Holthusen was tabbed for a TD with his fumble recovery in the endzone.

Defensively, there were several standout performances. Drew Smith came up with two sacks in the battle out of the four total sacks recorded by the SC defense. He also had the second-highest number of takedowns in the bout, with six. Price led the squad in tackles with nine, as he also had a half tackle for loss. Josh Carter came up with his first sack of the campaign in this one, and later tacked on an additional half tackle for loss. Taylor Lee and Nick Strong put together a half sack apiece, as well. The squad had three interceptions, as Williamson, Davis and Crockett each hauled one in.

After the convincing victory at home, the Builders (2-0, 2-0 KCAC) will face off with the University of Saint Mary next Saturday, September 17 at 6 p.m. in Leavenworth, Kan. They will be looking for their third straight win to open the campaign. Then, they will return home to face a difficult opponent in Avila University at 6 p.m. at Richard L. Jantz Stadium on September 24.

--buildersports.com--