Box Score TERRE HAUTE, Indiana - The Mount St. Joseph University football team struggled out of the gate, allowing Rose-Hulman to score on its first five possessions. That coupled with a rainy and windy Saturday afternoon, which stifled the Lions prodigious passing attack led to the team's first loss of the 2019 season.
The Mount opened the game with the ball, and quickly went 3-and-out giving the ball to Rose-Hulman. Rose quickly went the other way scoring on their third play from scrimmage, a 47-yard touchdown pass. Rose would score on their next two possessions, jumping out to a 16-0 lead over the Lions.
The Lions finally got on the board early in the second quarter, as Chaiten Tomlin (Mt. Orab, Ohio/Western Brown) found Cornell Beachem Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) for a 24 yard touchdown pass. The Lions followed that up with a 2-point conversion cutting the lead to 16-8.
Rose again scored a touchdown on their next two possessions, pushing the lead out to 29-8 with 2:59 to go in the first half. The Lions threatened to cut the deficit before the half, but their drive stalled.
Coming out of the half-time break the Lions looked to get back into the game, and the defense did their part. On the Fightin' Engineers first drive of the half Payton Leugers (Goshen, Ohio/Goshen) picked off a pass, setting the Lions up with good field position. The offense though again stalled, and the Lions were forced to punt.
On the next Rose possession The Mount again picked off an errant Dion pass. This time it was Troy Speakman (Grove City, Ohio/Central Crossing) who stepped in front of the pass, an ankle tackle prevented Speakman from returning the ball for a touchdown. It was the first of two picks for Speakman in the second half.
The defense kept Rose off the scoreboard in the second half, and set the offense up with good field position on multiple occasions. The offense though could never get on track, in large part due to the bad weather.
With neither time able to make any hay offensively in the second half the game would end the way the first half did, with the Fightin' Engineers ahead 29-8.
UP NEXT:
Coming off their first loss of the season, the waters have muddied a bit for the Lions. Although they still have an opportunity to win their second HCAC title in a row. That starts with this weekends game against the top team in the HCAC the Panthers of Hanover College (6-1, 4-0 HCAC). The game is scheduled to get underway at 1:30 PM at Schueler Field next Saturday. This will be the final time that this season's senior class ever takes the field at home in a Lions uniform.
