LISLE, Ill. - It was a difficult day for the Rockford University football team on the road Saturday against the Benedictine University Eagles. Offensively the Regents were unable to put together many sustained drives as the Eagles held the ball for over 41 minutes compared to just 18 minutes for Rockford. Consequently the defense spent much of the afternoon on the field and thus the Eagles outgained the Regents 639-187. The combination of the differential in both time of possession and total offense led to Rockford's eighth straight loss and Benedictine's fourth consecutive win.
Despite all the offensive struggles, Rockford was able to punch the ball into the end zone on three separate occasions thanks in large part to a trio of big plays. The Regents' first touchdown of the afternoon came late in the first half when senior quarterback Jacob Gorsuch (Rockford, Ill./Jefferson) connected with freshman wide receiver Joe Breeden (Burlington, Ill./Central)on a 76-yard touchdown pass. Junior defensive back Reginald Haynes (Chicago, Ill./Prosser Career Academy) set up Rockford's next score when he intercepted a pass and returned it 63 yards to the Benedictine 2-yard line. One play later, Pete Berry (Ocala, Fla./Vanguard) tallied his fourth rushing touchdown of the season when he found the end zone from 2-yards out. Rockford's final touchdown of the day came late in the fourth quarter on perhaps its best offensive series of the game. The Regents strung together a 7-play, 69-yard drive capped off by a 39-yard Kendrick Cooley (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) touchdown scamper. However, the late score would not be enough as the Regents fell 56-20 to the Eagles.
Defensively Rockford had some very impressive individual performances. Senior linebacker Seth Swinehart (Rockford, Ill./East) had a career-high 18 tackles, one short of tying the school record. Sophomore Kendell Lee (Poplarville, Miss./Poplarville) also had a stellar day as he set a new career-high with 15 tackles. Swinehart and Lee are now fourth and fifth in the NACC with 83 and 78 tackles respectively. Junior defensive back Reginald Haynes tallied 7 tackles and intercepted his fourth pass of the season. Haynes is currently third in the NACC with 4 interceptions and second in the conference with 8 pass breakups.
The Regents will play their final game of the season on Saturday, November 15 at Concordia University Chicago. Kickoff is set for noon.
