Peru State College Athletics

(Peru, Neb.)- The Peru State College football team would be down by one to enter the fourth quarter, but a 20-point swing in less than nine minutes of game time would see the Bobcats down Heart of America Athletic Conference North member Graceland on Homecoming 42-23.
 
The win rises Peru State to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in the North Standings while the Yellowjackets falls to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the Conference.
 
Graceland would draw first blood by taking the opening drive and marching 70-yards in five plays to cap off with a 10-yard rush into the endzone where the good point after would give the Yellowjackets a 7-0 lead with 12:30 remaining in the first, A Bobcat penalty would back the Offense's opening drive to the 14 but Peru State would move the sticks three times before facing 3^rd and 6 where CJ Dixon (Loganville, Georgia / Grayson High School) would fire a long pass 45-yards to Jazir Francois (New City, New York / Saint Joseph Regional High School) for the Bobcats first score of the day, the PAT would go good to knot the score at 7-7.
 
Graceland would take the ball and drive all the way to the Peru State 25 until facing a 3^rd and eight, the Yellowjacket pass would fall incomplete and Graceland would settle for a 42-yard field goal to set the score to 10-7, the Bobcats would waste no time as they would convert a five-play, 74-yard drive that featured Ahmad Bacon Jr. (Tampa, Florida / Jefferson High School) hauling in a 37-yard strike to find the endzone. The kick after would miss as Peru State would hold a 13-10 advantage with 1:54 remaining in the first quarter.
 
The Yellowjackets would take the following drive into the second quarter and long chunks of 36-yards and 27-yards would see Graceland reach first and goal on the eight, but Sean Smith (Atlanta, Georgia / Westlake High School) would jump the following pass on the seven-yard line before being dragged down on the Bobcat 11-yard line. Peru State would go three and out the following drive and the Yellowjackets would march into the Bobcat four-yard line before a fumble would see Graceland face 3^rd and 18 at the home 20-yard line. An incomplete pass would set up a 37-yard attempt for the Yellowjackets which would go wide left to keep the score 13-10 with 7:49 left in the first half.
 
Peru State would be forced to punt after another three and out while Graceland would take the following series and march to their own 47-yard line before consecutive flags would see the Yellowjackets face 1^st and 25 at the opposing 32-yard marker, before a 49-yard bomb would set Graceland in the Bobcat redzone followed by a 19-yard pass to the endzone for six and following a failed point after attempt the Yellowjackets would take the lead 16-13 with 3:30 left in the second quarter. Facing 3^rd and eight on the following drive Dixon's pass would fall incomplete to set up a punt to the Graceland 41, the Yellowjackets would push into the Peru State redzone again before an incomplete pass on 3^rd and nine would set up a 34-yard field goal but the kick would miss the uprights to keep the score 16-13 into the half.
 
The Bobcats would take the first drive of the second half and after converting two first downs to the opposing 41-yard mark, Dixon would throw up a long pass for Kenyen Skelton (San Antonio, Texas / Taft High School) to run under and grab in the right side of the endzone for a touchdown where Brenden Bartholomew (Andalusia, Alabama / Straughn High School) would send the point after right down the middle to take the lead 20-16. Graceland would respond through a 7-play 75-yard march that saw three first downs and a six-yard rushing plunge to cap off the drive, the kick after would be good to give the Yellowjackets the lead 23-20.
 
Peru State would go three and out to follow then Graceland would churn out a nine-play, 54-yard drive to reach the home 33-yard line until Jeffery Taylor (Atlanta, Georgia / Langston Hughes High School) would take the pass and sprint down the line 80-yards to snatch away the Yellowjacket possession for his second interception in two weeks. A flag on the return would see the Bobcats start at their own 29-yard line where they would march to the 47 before Bacon Jr. would haul in a 40-yard reception to set up at the away 13, following two incompletions a Graceland defender would jump a pass at the one-yard line and step out of bounds to give the Yellowjackets possession at their own goal line. Graceland would botch the snap of the following play to give Peru State a safety which would cut the lead to one (23-22).
 
A Yellowjacket penalty on the return would see the following drive for the Bobcats begin at their own 37-yard marker where they would march five-plays and 43-yards before facing 3^rd and 16 in the Graceland redzone, Dixon's pass would be intercepted and returned to the opposing 27-yard line before being shoved out of bounds. The Yellowjackets would convert three first downs while driving into Bobcat territory before an incompletion on 3^rd and 1 would see 4^th down on the Peru State 25-yard line, Graceland would attempt to pass but Gavin Dunkel (Scottsbluff, Nebraska / Morrill High School) would break through the offensive line and rush the throw to fall incomplete.
 
The Bobcats would start on their own 25-yard line where Chandler Cotton (Omaha, Nebraska / Papillion LaVista South High School) would grind out rushes of seven-yards, 10-yards, nine-yards and four before breaking loose with a 41-yard rumble to set up 1^st and Goal at the four-yard line, A loss on the following play would see 2^nd and Goal where John Holcombe II (Houston, Texas / Summer Creek High School) would catch a pass in the endzone and the following point after would give Peru State a six-point lead (29-23). The Bobcats would fall on the following kickoff at the Graceland three to regain possession where it would take three plays to find Francois for his second touchdown reception of the game, Bartholomew's point after attempt would be blocked to make the score 35-23.
 
Graceland would find their composure on the following drive through a 12-play, 71-yard marathon that would see the Yellowjackets reach 3^rd and Goal on the Peru State five-yard mark, the following pass would make it 4^th and goal from the four until Robert Bennett (Richmond, Texas / Randle High School) would jump a pass at the goal line and scamper the whole length of the field to submit his second interception returned for a touchdown in two weeks, the following kick would split the uprights to make the score 42-23 with 1:23 remaining. The Bobcat defense would hold strong as time would expire on the following Graceland possession.
 
Offensively Dixon continued to impress as he completed 15 passes for 319 yards and five touchdowns through the air, Cotton notched 18 carries for 114 yards and a 6.3 rushing average for his third 100-yard rushing game of the season. Bacon Jr. led the receiving efforts with five grabs for 122 yards and a score while Skelton Hauled in 2 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, Francois saw three catches for 63 yards and two scores while Brayden Vandervort (Omaha, Nebraska / Ralston High School) caught two passes for 41 yards.
 
The Defense was led by Tyrell McMillan (Mount Pleasant, Florida / Sneads High School) who notched eight total stops and seven solo while Austyn Cote (Ashland, Nebraska / Ashland-Greenwood High School) marked five solo tackles and two assisted, Smith racked up four total tackles with three solo stops and a pass breakup to go along with the interception while Taylor totaled four tackles with three solo and a Tackle For Loss (TFL) to pair with his interception. Bennett would take three solo tackles and a pass breakup to go along with his interception returned for a touchdown.
 
The Bobcats are on the road next as they travel to take on Clarke on Saturday.