Box Score The Valparaiso University football program incurred a 41-0 defeat on Saturday, starting the Pioneer Football League portion of the season against two-time defending conference champion Drake. Redshirt sophomore defensive back
Nic Lendino (Naperville, Ill. / Neuqua Valley) was a major bright spot for the Beacons, racking up a team-high 12 tackles plus an interception.
How It Happened
- The Valpo defense started the game by forcing a three-and-out, and then a short Drake punt set up the Beacons with favorable field position as they started their opening drive at the 40-yard line of the Bulldogs.
- A 10-yard completion to Micah Mackay (Zionsville, Ind. / Lutheran) had Valpo knocking on the door of the red zone, but an interception brought the drive to a halt.
- The Bulldogs went 70 yards on seven plays on the drive that followed the pick, culminating with a 34-yard field goal by Harry Balke to start the scoring. A key pass breakup from Connor Cervantes (Griffith, Ind. / Griffith) on 3rd-and-3 from the Valpo 16 helped keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone.
- Defense ruled the day for the remainder of the first quarter. After the field goal, Drake had two more first-quarter drives, and both resulted in punts, the last one after a three-and-out from the Valpo D. Lendino accrued six tackles in the first quarter alone.
- The Valpo defense started the second quarter with its back against the wall after a blocked punt. The Bulldogs took advantage of the short field, scoring on a 2-yard TD run by Woodson to make it 10-0 with 10:39 on the second-quarter clock.
- It stayed 10-0 until Balke made his second field goal, this one from 38, to build the Drake lead to 13-0 at the 1:39 mark of the second quarter.
- Lendino capped his stellar first half by making an interception at midfield with eight seconds on the clock, snuffing out Drake's effort to add more before the half. The Beacons took over, but after a sack they elected to head into the locker room to regroup with the deficit at 13. Lendino had 11 tackles including eight solos and a pick in the first half.
- Drake added on when Jacob Auen scored on a nine-yard pick six early in the third quarter to make it 20-0.
- Drake's Nick Herman found paydirt on a one-yard touchdown plunge with 3:36 left in the third to extend the lead to 27-0. Herman added a 27-yard TD dash late in the third quarter, then Foley had a 25-yard grab from Inagawa for another score to make it 41-0 with 3:32 left in the fourth, which stood as the final.
Inside the Game
- Lendino's 12 tackles marked a career high, eclipsing his previous mark of 10 on Sept. 28, 2024 at Morehead State.
- Lendino's interception was his second of the season and the fourth of his collegiate career.
- Redshirt junior Devin Yeats (Hampshire, Ill. / Hampshire) had a team-high four catches for 34 yards.
- Freshman Micah Markley (West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West) turned in six tackles, as did junior Mark Johnson (Nashville, Tenn. / Lipscomb).
- The pressure applied by Drake's defensive front was a big factor as the Beacons were sacked seven times and threw three interceptions.
- Drake improved to 19-1 in its last 20 PFL games.
- Valpo was shut out for the first time since Nov. 19, 2022, also against Drake, that one a 24-0 defeat.
Up Next
Valpo (1-4, 0-1 PFL) will host Dayton at 1 p.m. at Brown Field on Saturday. For ticket information, visit tickets.valpoathletics.com.
