Box Score Nov. 2, 2013 - One of the oldest football rivalries in the region was renewed this afternoon when Concordia University Chicago hosted Benedictine University on a cold, overcast day in River Forest. A hard-hitting and sometimes chippy game was decided in the third quarter as Benedictine scored twice within 75 seconds to break open a close game and go on to a 48-27 victory.

The offenses started rolling early, putting up points on the opening possessions. Benedictine struck first as Artie Monaco embarked on a 207-yard rushing day with a 44-yard gallop to the north end zone and an early 7-0 lead. But Concordia struck back shortly as Ryan Fischbach (St. Charles, IL/St. Charles North) took to the air for big completions to Marc Williams (Houston, TX/West Side) and Nick Awrey (Marquette, MI/Saginaw Nouvel Catholic). The Cougars gained a first down at the 24 from where Fischbach hit Mike Brown (Modesto, CA/Johansen) for the points. Fischbach was 5-5 on the opening drive for 54 yards.

After the opening salvos, there was no more scoring until midway through the second quarter. Following an interception, Benedictine regained the lead as Monaco scored from eight yards out. The Eagles added to their lead on their next possession as Cyle Schultz hit Greg Simms around the left end for a five-yard touchdown reception. However, the extra point hit off the upright, leaving the score at Eagles 20, Cougars 7.

Concordia put together a touchdown drive in the final two minutes of the half with the aid of some nifty improvisation. On a third-and-19 from the Eagles' 44, Acusio Bivona (Los Angeles, CA/Hamilton) hit David Campbell (Fort Myers, FL/East Lee County) on the left side. Campbell was about to be tackled at the 37 but he lateraled to Williams who was trailing the play closely. Williams raced all the way to the 12-yard line, and six more yards were tacked on when a late hit flag was thrown at the end of the play. On the next snap, Bivona hit Williams in the middle of the end zone with 12 seconds remaining on the clock for the half. The Cougars went to the locker room trailing by just a 20-14 score.

The Cougars looked to take the lead as they took the second-half kickoff and marched steadily downfield. Bivona and Williams hooked up for four completions totaling 52 yards, A run by Jamaul Martin (Inkster, MI/H.S.) put the ball at the seven, but the drive would stall there. Danny Colapietro (Norridge, IL/Maine South) came on to boot a 24-yard field goal to make the score Benedictine 20, CUC 17.

Benedictine would hold off the home team's charge with the crucial two scores of the game. The Eagles put the ball in the hands of Monaco for six of the next seven plays as he led them down to the 14-yard line. Schultz then found Max Siebert on the left side of the end zone for the score.

A quick three-and-out gave the ball back to the Eagles, and they wasted no time. On the first play following the punt, Schultz hit Colin Kanehl on a fly pattern down the right side for a 53-yard strike. Just like that, the Eagles built their lead to 17 points at 34-17.

Concordia looked to answer as Bivona came back with completions of 16 yards to C.J. Woodford (Detroit, MI/John Glenn) and 19 yards to Brown. The Cougars made it to the eight, but three straight incomplete passes forced them to settle for another Colapietro field goal from 25 yards out.

As the fourth quarter began, the visitors looked to put a lock on the game. Monaco scored on a two-yard run just 38 seconds into the quarter, and he later added his fourth touchdown of the day on a 10-yard scamper that put him over the 200-yard mark for the day. Concordia finished the scoring with 5:14 remaining as Bivona connected with Awrey on an 11-yard pass to cap a 12-play, 74-yard drive.

Monaco's rushing accounted for a large percentage of Benedictine's 471 yards of total offense. Schultz finished with 14 of 20 passing for 211 yards and three touchdowns.

Concordia amassed 375 yards of offense, 318 through the air. Bivona passed for 226 yards on 17 of 30 while Fischbach added 92 yards on 11 of 20. Williams caught a career-best nine passes for 126 yards while Brown hauled in seven passes for 86 yards.

Defensively, Benedictine's Dylan Rose led all players with 15 totat tackles (eight solo) while Alex Davis added seven tackles including three quarterback sacks and three hurries. Concordia was led by Gilbert Reger (Phoenix, AZ/Cesar Chavez) wwith eight tackles.

The Cougars (1-7, 1-4 NACC) will travel to Sheboygan, Wisconsin next Saturday to take on Lakeland College.