No. 20 Southeastern University men’s football fell to No. 4 St. Thomas University, 48-13, on Oct. 24 at Victory Field in Lakeland. St. Thomas University scored 28 points in the first quarter and led 31-3 at halftime. Southeastern University fell to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in The Sun Conference, while St. Thomas University improved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play.
St. Thomas University opened the scoring with a touchdown pass from Jalen Daniels to Isaiah Lopez. Lopez added rushing touchdowns of 4 yards and 1 yard in the first quarter, and Markeyon Moore returned a blocked field goal 54 yards for another touchdown as the period ended. Joel McGrath gave Southeastern University its first points with a 36-yard field goal, but James Giunta added a 39-yard field goal before halftime.
Southeastern University responds in third quarter
Southeastern University scored 10 points in the third quarter while holding St. Thomas University scoreless. McGrath made another 36-yard field goal, and Jamil Jones returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown. The Fire entered the fourth quarter trailing 31-13.
St. Thomas University scored 17 unanswered points in the final period. Lopez scored on a 49-yard run, Giunta made a 38-yard field goal, and Andreas Zayas closed the scoring with a 57-yard touchdown run. The result secured the 48-13 final for the Bobcats.
Offensive and defensive leaders
Southeastern University finished with 337 yards, including 238 passing yards and 99 rushing yards. Zach Pleuss completed 25 of 54 passes for 214 yards, while Tre McClellan led the Fire with six receptions for 51 yards. David Wacenske added four catches for 56 yards, and Julian Arthurs recorded three receptions for 48 yards.
Connor McCazzio led Southeastern University with 60 rushing yards on 11 carries. Christian Sell added 57 rushing yards on nine carries. St. Thomas University totaled 467 yards, including 140 passing yards and 327 rushing yards.
Brady Nowlan led the Fire with 12 total tackles. Aidan Cooper recorded one sack, and Southeastern University finished with three sacks and three interceptions. Jones’s 65-yard interception return was the team’s defensive touchdown.
Lopez scored three rushing touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass for St. Thomas University. Moore added the 54-yard blocked field-goal return, while Giunta made field goals of 39 and 38 yards. Zayas contributed the 57-yard touchdown run.
What comes next for Southeastern University
Southeastern University will visit Warner on Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. The Fire will host No. 10 Keiser on Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. Southeastern University will then visit Ave Maria on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
FSB Take
The 28-point first quarter put Southeastern University in a significant deficit against the No. 4 team. The Fire answered with 10 points in the third quarter and held St. Thomas University scoreless in that period, but the Bobcats pulled away with 17 fourth-quarter points. Southeastern University now moves into its three-game schedule against Warner, No. 10 Keiser and Ave Maria at 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
Source: Original report