Sept. 26, 2009 | Box Score
Lamoni, IA-After falling to Central Methodist last year in Fayette 20-3, the Jackets had high hopes at returning the favor Saturday night in Lamoni. However, Head Coach Cris Welch and his team knew that Saturday night's contest would not be easy. The Eagles (2-1), led by former Jacket defensive coordinator Alan Dykens, seem to be clicking on all cylinders in the 2009 campaign. Last week CMU defeated #17 Benedictine College by nineteen points while amassing 645 yards of total offense. Tonight, they showed that performance was no fluke. Central Methodist beat Graceland 41-23 outscoring the Jackets 24-0 in the second stanza.
The first half of play started out rough for both teams but the Jackets were able to capitalize on five Eagle offensive miscues forcing two fumbles and intercepting three passes. Chad Belt (Council Bluffs, IA) had a huge first half recovering both fumbles and picking off a pass, returning it for a touchdown. Senior Martin Ciccolini (Los Angeles, CA) also had a first half interception that set up a 28 yard touchdown strike on a beautifully executed bubble screen between quarterback Scotty Roth (Grinnell, IA) and wide receiver Jerremi Byrd (Los Angeles, CA). Graceland also scored on a 65 yard pass from Roth to senior tight end Simon Morefield (Independence, MO). The Jackets took a 23-17 lead into the locker room at half time but struggled in the second half to generate any offense. CMU controlled the clock in the second half with their strong ground game and moved the ball through their aerial attack, effectively keeping the ball out of the hands of GU and salting away the victory, 41-23.
The Jackets now stand at 2-1 overall and 2-1 in HAAC play and will travel to Missouri Valley next week for a 1:30 pm matchup with the Vikings in Marshall, Missouri. Stay tuned to the Jacket athletics website for continuing coverage of the Graceland football team and all of Jacket athletics.
For More Information on Graceland University Athletics Contact:
Matt Shelton, Sports Information Director (641) 784-5318 mshelton@graceland.edu
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