Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
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Turnovers
Time of Poss.
RICHMOND, IND. – Five first half drives of 55 yards or more wound up with Manchester University crossing the Earlham College goal line in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action Saturday, Oct. 28.
Racking up just shy of 600 yards of total offense, Coach Nate Jensen's squad used a blitzkrieg approach to build a 41-0 halftime lead against the host Quakers at Darrell Beane Stadium in route to a 48-13 victory. The win boosted the Black and Gold to .500 overall (4-4) and in league action (3-3).
The fast start began on the second play from scrimmage when senior wide receiver Dakota Nelson (Fairland, Ind.) got his hands on the ball and rambled 52 yards for a score. After holding EC three and out on defense, the Black and Gold methodically moved 70 yards in 11 plays with freshman running back Cornelius Hawkins (Spring, Texas) covering the final 28 for six points. As the clocked ticked down over the remainder of the first quarter and throughout the second, it was more of the same. Sophomore wide receiver Austin Roberts (Indianapolis, Ind.) was especially helpful for the "O", rushing for a 12-yard score and catching two other touchdowns, one for 54 yards and the other for 34, to help build the six-touchdown halftime advantage.
Sophomore running back Donovan Henderson, Jr., (Hollywood, Fla.) continued his impressive slate, going for 119 yards and two more touchdowns, while Hawkins posted his first triple-digit yardage game with 111 on five carries. The aerial assault of sophomore quarterback Alex Downard (Indianapolis, Ind.) added to the gaudy totals, as he was 10 of 14 for 205 yards and the two scoring tosses to Roberts.
Defensively, the Spartans had three players lead the way in tackles, as junior defensive back Austin Coughlin (Fairland, Ind.); senior linebacker Jack Kay (Williamsport, Ind.); and sophomore linebacker Justin Thomas (Lowell, Ind.) provided five each. Coughlin also picked off Earlham signal caller Wes Hundley, while Thomas contributed three and a half tackles for losses and was in on one of two sacks.
The Black and Gold look to continue their recent roll of success Saturday, Nov. 4. They travel to Hanover College for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.