2008 Woodie Awards
Club Football drops first road game to Xavier
Zachary Groves
Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: Sports
The SIUE Club Football team dropped its first-ever road game to the Xavier University club squad, 13-6, on Norwood High School's field in Norwood, Ohio.
The Cougars intercepted three passes from interim Musketeer quarterback Tim Fagel, who is usually a safety, but allowed two big passing plays in the first half to fall to 1-1 for the season.
Junior quarterback Kevin Nesselhauf threw a touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Ben Jacob late in the first quarter for the Cougars' only points.
Xavier entered the second half up 13-6, but several penalties and turnovers between the two kept the second half scoreless.
Junior defensive back Jay Verstreater, who had one of the interceptions, said the Musketeers' game-winning pass from Fagel to running back Jimmy Castrigano might have come on a draw play.
"When they do a draw play they open up the (offensive) line," Verstreater said. "So, our line just comes in at (Fagel) in a blitz like we're rushing, but they open up and they let them in and they pass it over."
Verstreater also said he should have tackled Castrigano.
"I could have had the tackle, I missed the tackle and nobody else was behind me," Verstreater said.
Xavier Head Coach Tom Powers said his team won the game on a quarterback gamble. The Musketeers starting quarterback, Chris Greenwood, was out with the flu and backup Jimmy Byrnes sat out with an injury to force Powers to put in the defender to take snaps.
"We got lucky (Saturday)," Powers said. "We just played within our game and good things happened."
SIUE came close to another comeback late in the fourth quarter as Nesselhauf threw a pass for more than 20 yards to Jacob, but the Cougars could not move the ball far enough to get the touchdown.
"We have great receivers and I thought that any of our receivers that's given an opportunity could have made a play," SIUE Head Coach Tom King said. "It just didn't work out (Saturday) that we didn't actually take it all the way to the end zone."
The Cougars intercepted three passes from interim Musketeer quarterback Tim Fagel, who is usually a safety, but allowed two big passing plays in the first half to fall to 1-1 for the season.
Junior quarterback Kevin Nesselhauf threw a touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Ben Jacob late in the first quarter for the Cougars' only points.
Xavier entered the second half up 13-6, but several penalties and turnovers between the two kept the second half scoreless.
Junior defensive back Jay Verstreater, who had one of the interceptions, said the Musketeers' game-winning pass from Fagel to running back Jimmy Castrigano might have come on a draw play.
"When they do a draw play they open up the (offensive) line," Verstreater said. "So, our line just comes in at (Fagel) in a blitz like we're rushing, but they open up and they let them in and they pass it over."
Verstreater also said he should have tackled Castrigano.
"I could have had the tackle, I missed the tackle and nobody else was behind me," Verstreater said.
Xavier Head Coach Tom Powers said his team won the game on a quarterback gamble. The Musketeers starting quarterback, Chris Greenwood, was out with the flu and backup Jimmy Byrnes sat out with an injury to force Powers to put in the defender to take snaps.
"We got lucky (Saturday)," Powers said. "We just played within our game and good things happened."
SIUE came close to another comeback late in the fourth quarter as Nesselhauf threw a pass for more than 20 yards to Jacob, but the Cougars could not move the ball far enough to get the touchdown.
"We have great receivers and I thought that any of our receivers that's given an opportunity could have made a play," SIUE Head Coach Tom King said. "It just didn't work out (Saturday) that we didn't actually take it all the way to the end zone."
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