SPARTANS DOMINANT IN NAC OPENER

AURORA, Ill. October 4, 2008 - The Aurora University Spartans defeated their long-time rival Eagles of Benedictine University 31-7 in the Northern Athletics Conference season opener Saturday afternoon at AU Field.

Following a scoreless first quarter, the Spartans got on the board early in the second quarter, as junior quarterback Nate Peterson connected with junior tight end Ryan Milus for a six yard touchdown pass to put the Spartans in the lead 6-0.

Minutes later, Peterson found junior running back Ryne Reder for a 19-yard score, and after the extra point, the Spartans were up 14-0 heading into halftime.

The Spartans came out firing during the opening possession of the third quarter, as Peterson found junior wide receiver Tim Young streaking down the middle of field for a 64 yard score. The touchdown was Peterson’s third of the day, as he finished the day passing for 206 yards on 13 of 24 attempts. He also ran 10 times for 62 yards.

However, the Eagles were not ready to give in yet, as freshman wide receiver John Borsellino managed to slip by the Spartan secondary on a 50 yard pass from freshman quarterback Derek Hitt, making the score 21-7 AU with 7:44 in the third quarter.

Yet, the Spartans were firmly in control, as sophomore kicker Ryan Subick nailed a 39 yard field goal in closing minutes of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, following a BU possession, Reder scored on a nine yard run to end any hope of an Eagle comeback.

On the day, Reder ran for 82 yards on 17 carries with one rushing TD and one receiving TD. Other top

Spartan offensive performers included junior wide receiver Mike Abel, who caught four passes for 48 yards, and junior running back Jeff Fellers who ran six times for 25 yards.

The Spartan defense, which suffocated the Eagle offense all day while holding them to a mere 127 total yards, was led by junior linebacker Mike Budzinski (11 tackles, one interception), junior linebacker Dave Gesiakowski (eight tackles), and junior defensive back Tony Musaraca (three tackles, one interception). The defense also accumulated three sacks.

On the year, the Spartans improve to 3-1 (1-0 NAC) while the Eagles fall to 0-4 (0-1 NAC).

The Spartans will be in action on October 11, when they travel to Watertown, Wisconsin to face Maranatha Bible Baptist College.