FULTON, Mo. — William Woods football (1-2) earned its third-ever win over Clarke University (0-3) in a 38-15 thrashing of the Pride. Woods used a balanced attack against the Clarke defense while maintaining stout defensive pressure throughout the contest.
The Owls elected to start the game on defense, giving the Pride a chance to get ahead early. William Woods edge rusher Keeno Theadford Jr. and the rest of the Owls defense had other plans, as the six-foot senior from Fort Worth, Texas, punched the ball free on a strip-sack that was recovered by defensive end Chris Smith Jr. on the Clarke 49-yard line. The Clarke defense held the Owls to a turnover on downs just three yards from where Woods started its drive.
Woods' defense again held firm on the next Pride offensive set, but a booming 43-yard, field-flipping punt set the Owls back to their own 16-yard line. On the first offensive play of the series, quarterback Dontae Rhodes, in shotgun, handed the ball off to feature back Jalen Proctor, who broke free for a 27-yard rush to move the sticks. Two plays later, Rhodes himself found a gap in the defensive front and improvised a 20-yard rush that set Woods up on the Clarke 26-yard line. After the Pride earned back-to-back stops at the line of scrimmage, Rhodes leveraged pre-snap motion into a play-action pass that found Jaquan Bell wide open in the back of the end zone for the first score of the contest.
After back-to-back stops from both defenses, Woods grew its lead midway through the second period. Rhodes found sophomore utility man Kamron Milstead just before the line to gain. Milstead deked the defender and broke away for a 43-yard touchdown trot to give the Owls a 13-point lead.
The Owls defense stopped the Pride on the next series, giving Sam Camp and the Owls offense one more chance to score before the break. Starting at the 23-yard line, Rhodes and company marched down the field to the Clarke 13-yard line before being stopped on a critical third down.
Freshman kicker Ryan Mendoza centered the posts on a field goal attempt, but missed wide right, returning the ball to the Pride with 4:41 left on the clock. However, a late penalty flag flew following a late hit on Owls holder Matthew Segovia. The penalty resulted in an automatic first down that Woods used to run down the clock before the break and give its kicker better positioning. Mendoza hammered in the 22-yard kick to give Woods a 16-point advantage at the intermission.
With the lights now on at the NCAC, Woods received the second-half kickoff and returned it 51 yards to set up the offense deep in Pride territory. The Owls stuck with their balanced attack and set up a third-and-goal from the eight-yard line. JaQuieze Holland got the call and was stifled about four yards short of the goal line before the big boys up front began to push the pile. The result of the effort found Holland in the end zone and the Owls growing their already sizable advantage. With Mendoza's extra point, Woods held a 23-point lead.
The Clarke Pride weren't going to go away quietly. The offense marched 48 yards before finding itself up against the Owls defense on fourth-and-eight. WWU's defense stopped the fourth-down play but acquired a costly roughing-the-passer penalty that resulted in a 15-yard gain and an automatic first down. The CU play caller, Patin, found his receiver through the middle of the field for a 15-yard touchdown reception.
Strictly in the air on this drive, William Woods and Rhodes found three different receivers on their fourth touchdown drive of the game. Initially, it was Segovia who reeled in a catch on a flat route and turned up field to the midfield stripe. Senior wideout Desmond Wilkins earned a toe-tap catch six more yards downfield before Rhodes found a wide-open Ethan Lollar in the back of the end zone for a 30-yard acrobatic touchdown catch. The Owls marched 64 yards on seven plays and, after Mendoza split the uprights, led the game 30-7.
Starting the fourth quarter, Woods marched 70 yards for its final score of the contest. Facing an all-out, zero-man blitz, Rhodes found his running back Holland on a short out route that the junior from Las Vegas, Nevada, took to the house for his second touchdown of the contest and the fourth through the air from Rhodes. On the extra-point attempt, a botched snap gave way to a Segovia rollout and rushing two-point conversion that sealed the Owls' win.
The Pride were able to notch one more score in the game but ultimately fell 38-15.
William Woods football returns next weekend on the road at Mount Mercy University, which is in its inaugural season of collegiate football. The Owls look to improve to .500 on the trip after dropping their first two matchups against Southwest Baptist (NCAA DII) and Culver-Stockton College. The Mustangs of Mount Mercy are coming off a loss to fellow Heart school Baker University and a three-point loss in their first-ever game against NCAA DIII Grinnell. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Hadzic Field in Cedar Rapids.
