Valparaiso University

Fifth-year senior Alex Goworowski (Chicago, Ill. / Saint Patrick) and redshirt junior Max Samuel (Edina, Minn. / Edina) each blocked punts and had big days on defense to propel the Valparaiso University football team to a 24-7 victory over Presbyterian on Saturday afternoon at Brown Field. Goworowski secured a team-high 11 tackles, while Samuel continued to be a force in the backfield.
 
How It Happened

• The Valpo defense forced a quick three-and-out on the game's opening possession. After a sack by Samuel on third down, Goworowski blocked the Presbyterian punt and Valpo took over at the PC 15-yard line.
• The Beacons took advantage of the short field, as Cedric Benning III (Baltimore, Md. / Episcopal [Dickinson]) capped the opening drive by plunging into the end zone from a yard out, putting Valpo ahead 7-0 early.
• The teams exchanged punts for the remainder of the opening quarter. Early in the second quarter, Rowan Keefe (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) found Isaac Tran (Bothell, Wash. / Bothell [University of Puget Sound]) for a 59-yard pitch-and-catch, and that drive culminated with a 10-yard TD dash by Russell Tye (Cleveland, Ohio / Orange) to make it 14-0 with 12:19 left in the second quarter.
• Goworowski notched a sack on third down, and then PC went for it on fourth-and-14 from the Valpo 19, and the pass was incomplete, resulting in a turnover on downs.
• Valpo moved the ball into the red zone on that drive thanks in large part to a 69-yard hookup between Keefe and Ashton Allen (New Albany, Ohio / New Albany). However, Presbyterian notched a strip sack on 2^nd-and-10 from the PC 10, and the Blue Hose recovered to get the takeaway.
• The Blue Hose took advantage, marching all the way downfield to score on the ensuing drive with QB Max Holtzclaw keeping it for a 2-yard run with 56 seconds left in the half.
• Keefe had a series of five straight quick completions on the next drive, moving the ball well to within field goal range, but the field goal try as the first-half clock expired was wide left, and Valpo went into the locker room leading by only seven at 14-7.
• Still holding a seven-point edge, Valpo lost a fumble with 5:54 left in the third quarter and Presbyterian took over at midfield. However, the Beacons responded with a takeaway of their own as Micah Markley (West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West) made an interception and returned it 25 yards to the 50.
• Valpo turned it over on downs on the ensuing drive, but the defense forced a Presbyterian punt, and the Beacons came up with yet another big play on special teams. Samuel blocked the punt, and Valpo set up shop at the PC 14.
• The Beacons took advantage of the good field position, as Keefe kept it for a 1-yard TD run to cap off that drive, extending the lead to 21-7.
• Presbyterian put together an extended drive, but Samuel and Jason Salman (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Thomas Jefferson [Marietta]) combined for a sack on 3^rd-and-14 from the Valpo 21, dropping the QB for an eight-yard loss compounded by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Blue Hose. Presbyterian went for it on 4^th-and-37 from the Valpo 44, and turned it over on downs.
• Kicker Luke Scoma (Bellevue, Wash. / Bellevue) drilled a 48-yard field goal on the next Valpo possession, stretching the lead to 24-7 with 5:37 to play.
• PC had a long drive but eventually turned it over on downs, and the Beacons ticked off the remainder of the clock.

Inside the Game

• The blocked kicks were Valpo's sixth and seventh of the season, moving the Beacons into a tie for the FCS lead. The only other team nationally in FCS with seven is fellow Pioneer Football League member Marist.
• With the team's seventh blocked kick of the season, Valpo moves into a tie for third in program history with the 2002 season.  
• In terms of blocked punts specifically, the two on Saturday bring the team's season total to five, taking over the outright national lead in FCS.
• Valpo improved to 3-1 at home this season, the first time the program has been 3-1 or better through four home games since 2017. This guarantees that Valpo will at least tie for its highest home win total since 2017 (4-1), matching several other recent seasons where the Beacons had three Brown-Field victories.
• The Beacons knocked off a Presbyterian team that entered Saturday with a three-game winning streak and 3-1 PFL mark. The Blue Hose went 10-2 overall last season and tied for second in the PFL.
• Presbyterian entered the game ranked 25^th nationally in passing offense at 250.7 yards per game. The Beacons held the Blue Hose to 131 yards through the air.
• Keefe had 20 or more completions for the fourth time this season and the first time in the last four games, finishing 21-of-29 for 275 yards. The 275 passing yards marked a career high, surpassing 249 from earlier this season at Murray State. Keefe's output on Saturday helped him eclipse the 1,500-yard mark for his career.
• The 69-yard pass from Keefe to Allen represented Valpo's longest completion of the season. That marked Valpo's longest play through the air since Chris Duncan found Griffin Norberg for 75 yards on Nov. 10, 2018 vs. Jacksonville.
• Valpo's 275 passing yards marked the team's highest total since Oct. 29, 2022 at Dayton (323).
• Valpo's 379 yards of total offense represented the team's second-highest total of the season, narrowly behind 389 at Morehead State.
• The Valpo defense has shut out the opponent in the second half in three of the last four games. Morehead State, Drake and Presbyterian were all held scoreless after the intermission.
• Redshirt junior Marty O'Keeffe (Orland Park, Ill. / Brother Rice) hauled in a team-high five receptions for 44 yards on a day where Keefe's 21 completions went to 10 different players. O'Keeffe's five grabs represented a career high.
• Goworowski notched his fourth career blocked kick and first this season. His 11 tackles marked a career high.
• Samuel's two sacks lifted his season total to 8.5 to go along with 17.0 tackles for loss. Samuel has recorded a sack in five straight games and seven of eight overall this season. He entered this week already ranked among the national leaders in both sacks and tackles for loss.
• Samuel's blocked kick was the fourth of his career and first since 2023.
• Scoma's 48-yard field goal was the longest of his career. This marked Valpo's longest field goal since Ryan Hawk's 50 yarder on Nov. 23, 2024 vs. Davidson.
• Senior offensive lineman Noah Kline (Loveland, Ohio / Loveland) made his 40^th consecutive start, extending a streak that dates back to his collegiate debut on Sept. 23, 2023 vs. Marist.
• Benning scored his fourth touchdown of the season. He has found paydirt in three of the last four games.
• Tye scored the first TD of his collegiate career.
• Keefe's rushing touchdown was his fourth of the season and the seventh of his collegiate career.
• Markley's interception was the first of his collegiate career.
• Valpo held Presbyterian to just 2-of-14 on third down.
• The Beacons have doubled their win total from last season and secured their highest PFL win total since 2022.

Postgame Press Conference
Click here for postgame press conference.
 
Up Next
Valpo (4-4, 3-2 PFL) will have a bye next week before returning to action on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Dayton. The game will begin at 11 a.m. CT / noon ET and will air on YouTube.