Leading up to the game, Keenan talked the talk.
On Sunday, the Knights (1-0) walked the walk.
The Knights (1-0) played with all the confidence and swagger senior quarterback Andrew McDonough talked about, and ran away with a convincing 23-7 win over defending champion Dillon.
For all the talk about Keenan's offensive firepower, it was the Knights' defense that stood out the most against the Big Red (0-1).
"The defense played a great game," McDonough said. "We challenged them all week in practice. It starts with the defensive line. [Senior] Tyler Gregory, [senior] Alex Green, [sophomore] Sean Hynes, [senior] Nate Carr played just great games. They were able to get pressure on [Dillon junior quarterback] Kevin [Fink] the whole game; he was never able to get comfortable."
Keenan's defense recorded two interceptions and , a sack, in and holdingeld Fink to 94 passing yards on the day. In the first half, the Knights held Dillon to just three rushing yards.
Not only did the defense stop Dillon dead in its tracks, but it also put points on the board, recording a safety to give Keenan a 2-0 lead.
Offensively, McDonough was the star of the game, going 10-for-14 with 133 yards, two touchdowns and an interception through the air, while also amassing 61 yards rushing on 11 attempts. Senior running back Adam Holzmeister tacked on 38 yards rushing and a score, and junior receiver Jeremy Riche led the team with 2 receptions for 72 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown pass to end the half.
"The offensive line, I've just got to tip my cap," McDonough said. "We didn't give up a single sack. We were able to run the ball all day. They dictated the tempo, and they get the game ball today."
Dillon was able to muster one substantial drive, a two-play, 65-yard drive that included a 56-yard pass from Fink. On the next play, Fink earnedgot Dillon its only points of the afternoon with a touchdown.
Keenan looks to keep rolling against O'Neill on Sunday while Dillon attempts to get back on track against Stanford on Sunday.
Contact Alex Wilcox at awilcox1@nd.edu
Sorin 19, Zahm 0
By ALEX STEMBAUGH
Sports Writer
In the season opener, Sorin showed its strength both offensively and defensively in a 19-0 shutout of Zahm on Sunday at Riehle Fields at Stepan.
Sorin (1-0) set the tone early, as its first possession ended in a 5-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Ted Spinelli to put the Otters on the board.
Spinelli and freshman running back John Pearl led a powerful ground attack for the Otters that consistently broke tackles and piled up yardage en route to the season-opening win.
Otters freshman receiver Jake Yurek said it was good to come out in week one and get a victory.
"It felt good to get a win out here today," Otters freshman receiver Jake Yurek said. "It's only our second time hitting, so it was really good to get game experience."
The Zahmbies (0-1) had a few big plays down the stretch, with sophomore receiver Sam Zappa making a series of catches, including a diving grab off a Sorin defender. Zahm couldn't convert in the red zone, however, and fumbled from inside the 5-yard line to give Sorin the ball.
"Our defense played really well, and it's only going to get better from here," Sorin freshman linebacker Galvin Loughran said. "Every other team we play should know they have to be ready for a fight."
Despite the loss, there were some positives for the Zahmbies to take away from the game. They blocked two extra point attempts and drove the ball down into the red zone just before halftime.
"We played hard," Zahm senior quarterback Alex Bowman said. "We're really looking forward to having a good time next week."
Zahm looks for a win against Carroll on Sunday, while Sorin has the weekend off before taking on Carroll on Sept. 30.
Contact Alex Stembaugh at astembau@nd.edu
Knott 6, Siegfried 3
By MARY GREEN
Sports Writer
In a low-scoring matchup between Mod Quad rivals, Knott defeated Siegfried 6-3 to capture an opening-week victory Sunday at Riehle Fields.
On his team's second drive, Ramblers senior captain David Whitmore ran the ball seven times for a total of 37 yards to give his team excellent field position in the Knott red zone, but costly errors hurt the Ramblers (0-1), who amassed four penalties in that drive alone.
"We made a lot of stupid mistakes that cost us a lot of yards," Whitmore said. "Playing a pretty good team like Knott, you can't win if you make those errors."
Siegfried, however, was able to salvage a few points with senior kicker Stephen Wandor's 27-yard field goal, giving them an early 3-0 lead they held going into halftime.
The teams exchanged scoreless possessions throughout much of the second half, as Knott
(1-0) still trailed 3-0.
With the clock winding down in the fourth quarter, a short Siegfried punt from deep within its own territory gave Knott stellar field position with four minutes left to play.
An eleven-yard rush brought Knott offense to first-and-goal at the Siegfried 7-yard line, and the team finally found the end zone when senior running back Joey Beglane scampered in to give the Juggerknotts a 6-3 lead they would not relinquish. Sophomore quarterback David Taiclet said the offensive line was key in leading the offense to the winning score."Our offensive line was great today, which let us pass and run a lot and eventually score the winning touchdown,"
Knott sophomore quarterback David Taiclet said.
The Ramblers made a comeback bid with a series of four passes from sophomore quarterback Nate Burggraf to freshman receiver Spencer Judd, but another false start penalty and an incomplete pass on fourth down thwarted their drive, allowing the Juggerknotts to finish the game in the victory formation.
"We came out here and beat Siegfried, who is probably the best team in our division, so our confidence is great heading into our next game," Knott senior Dylan Walter said.
After a bye week, Knott tries to remain undefeated against Alumni on Sept. 30, while Siegfried looks to rebound in Sunday's matchup against Alumni.
Contact Mary Green at mgreen8@nd.edu
Alumni 3, Duncan 0
By KYLE FOLEY
Sports Writer
Sunday's season opener between Alumni and Duncan was a defensive grudge match that held true to the final snap of the game. In the end, the Dawgs (1-0), led by junior quarterback Will Cronin,who took home a hard-fought 3-0 victory.
Cronin, whose sophomore year was cut short last year2011 campaign was cut short due to injury, propelled the Dawgs with his scrambling ability and leadership from the huddle.
"Cronin provided us with stability," Alumni junior captain Tom O'Sullivan said. "He made all of the adjustments we needed to make and kept our heads in the game. There is no doubt we are happy to have him back on the field."
Both offenses were led by their rushing attacks, with neither team attempting a pass until late in the second quarter.
The deciding play in the contest came right before halftime. After a failed fourth down conversion by the Highlanders (0-1), the Dawgs took over possession on their own 30-yard line. With 40 seconds left before the half, Cronin completed a 35-yard pass to junior receiver Kevin Rolfs.
Following a 15-yard scramble by Cronin, Alumni sophomore kicker Ryan Buckley nailed a 30-yard field goal to put the Dawgs up 3-0 going into the half.
The defenses battled back-and-forth in the second half asnd the game remained scoreless. A stout Alumni defensive unit led by O'Sullivan silenced the Duncan run game that had a chance to score in the final drive of the game.
The Highlanders, however, came up three points short as the Alumni defense held onstrong for the shutout.
Despite the loss, Duncan junior captain Gerrit Hobson said he was pleased with his team's tenacity on defense and thinks the Highlanders have to work on the small things.
"We looked good," Hobson said. "We have a couple small bugs to iron out though. This starts with better discipline during practice. In this league it is the little things that win you football games, and we have to work on that."
Duncan will try to get its first win against
Morrissey on Sunday while Alumni looks to make it two in a row against Siegfried when they square off Sunday.
Contact Kyle Foley at kfoley2@nd.edu
Carroll 21, St. Edward's 0
By KIT LOUGHRAN
Sports Writer
Carroll defeated St. Edward's 21-0 in an lopsided battle Sunday to win the season-opener.
Led by the duo of junior quarterback Tommy Spoonmore and junior receiver Bobby Dorman, Carroll's offense dominated the field. With less than a minute left in the second quarter,
Spoonmore found Dorman deep in the end zone for the pair's second touchdown connection of the game.
Dorman ran the ball in for the third and final touchdown for the Vermin (1-0). He covered the field as receiver and running back, proving a versatile threat against the Gentlemen (0-1).
"When he wanted to get the first down, he knew what to do, and I would let him take over," Spoonmore said.
In addition to the three touchdowns, Carroll played staunch defense en route to the shutout.
"We decided to keep throwing it and defensively we made sure we could just stop the runner," Spoonmore said.
Though St. Edward's failed to score, the Gentlemen's defense was aggressive and hard-hitting, sophomore linebacker Brendan Flynn said.
"We played well on defense for the most part," Flynn said. "We hit them hard."
The Gentlemen's defense pressured the Carroll offense, forcing the Vermin to fumble early in the third quarter and again late in the fourth quarter.
will look to improve their offense heading into their next game."We need to work on offense and getting more fluid," Flynn said.
St. Edward's hopes to improve its offense against Fisher on Sunday while Carroll win again againstfacesZahm on the same day.
Keough 21, Stanford 6
Keough defeated Stanford 21-6 on Sunday to secure its first win of the season.
The Kangaroos (1-0) put together a total team effort, as the offense and defense combined to lead the team to victory.
"We stuck to the run, and started opening up our passing," Keough sophomore captain Charlie Magiera said. "We had a good defense, and really shut them down."
Keough junior quarterback Seamus Donegan connected with junior receiver Mike Fischer throughout the game, which enabled the
Kangaroos to drive down the field. Though Fischer had an ankle injury early in the game, he returned to help lead his team to the season-opening win.
Keough's defense also intercepted two passes and recovered one fumble. In the second quarter, Keough's defense returned the first interception back for a touchdown.
"In terms of interceptions, I think that was good coaching and good athleticism," Magiera said.
Stanford (0-1) utilized the pass-catching combination of junior quarterback Conor Healy and senior receiver Jim Waclawik, which opened up the Griffin offense. In the fourth quarter, Healy connected with Waclawik down the right side, and Waclawik ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown.
Though the Stanford offense moved the ball, it was plagued by turnovers, something Stanford senior linebacker Paul Babiak said his team would try to improve on moving forward.
"We need to contain better on defense and give up a few less turnovers on offense," Babiak said.
After a bye week, Keough looks to keep rolling against Dillon on Sept. 30. Stanford looks to find the win column when it faces the Big Red on Sunday.
Contact Kit Loughran at kloughr1@nd.edu
