Box Score
The Prairie Fire got off to a great start on the road at Illinois College Saturday, hoping to win a second straight Midwest Conference game and put a damper on I.C.'s Homecoming festivities. However, a key turnover in the third quarter turned the tide and the Blueboys escaped with a 31-23 win.
The Prairie Fire (1-6, 1-5 MWC) found the end zone just 47 seconds into the game when first-year quarterback Drew Diaz (Niles, Illinois) scored on a 68-yard run to cap a 2-play, 71 yard drive. Sophomore kicker Doug Lillibridge (Byron, Illinois) connected on the PAT to give Knox a quick 7-0 lead.
Lillibridge had a hand in the next scoring play for the Fire when a 6-play, 45 yard drive ended with him banging through a 29-yard field goal with 1:51 in the first quarter for a 10-0 Knox lead.
The potent Illinois College offense responded in the second quarter with 17 points while the Blueboy defense held Knox to six to go up 17-16 at halftime.
I.C. (4-3, 4-2 MWC) scored its first touchdown of the game with 12:51 in the first half when Chase Davis rushed for a 3-yard touchdown followed by a successful PAT. The hosts struck again when quarterback Mitch Niekamp hit Kevin Wallace with a 17-yard touchdown pass at the 8:25 mark of the second quarter to take a 14-10 lead.
Knox reclaimed after junior receiver Clarke Cuthbert (Oak Park, Illinois) scored on a 78-yard pass play from Diaz to put the Fire up 16-14. Lillibridge's PAT kick was blocked. A 23-yard field goal by Illinois College kicker Travis Downey gave Illinois College a 17-16 advantage at the half.
I.C. scored the next 14 points, one touchdown the result of a costly fumble inside the Illinois College 10-yard line with 1:20 in the third quarter that was picked up by Jake Powell. Powell raced 90 yards the other way for a Blueboys touchdown and a 24-16 lead. I.C. tacked on another score on an scoring pass from Niekamp to receiver Brock Thompson to make it 31-16.
The Prairie Fire fought back and got within one possession when senior Bill Meyer (Carey Grove, Illinois) scored on a 1-yard run with 2:06 to play in the game and Lillibridge made the extra point kick for a 31-23 score.
Knox College's defense got a much needed three-and-out, giving the football back to the offense. But a drive that took Knox inside the Illinois College 30 yard line ended when a Diaz pass was intercepted as time expired, preserving the win for I.C.
Knox had little trouble moving the football, gaining 513 total yards of offense. Diaz finished 17-of-36 passing for 316 yards with one TD and three interceptions. The Fire lost two fumbles as well. Diaz also led the ground game with 11 carries for 93 yards and a score. Meyer wound up with 20 yards on the ground and a TD, along with 7 receptions for 54 yards.
Despite the loss, the day belonged to Cuthbert. He torched the Blueboy defense with 8 catches for 242 yards and one TD. The yardage is second all-time for a Knox receiver behind Chris Vogel's 280 yard performance in 1987 against Ripon College. Cuthbert also now owns the third best average yardage per catch in a game - 30.3 - in Knox history.
The Prairie Fire tries to rebound during Homecoming at the Knosher Bowl Saturday against Carroll University. The Pioneers are among five teams with a 4-2 record in Midwest Conference play and own a 5-2 overall record after falling 30-6 at home against St. Norbert College on Saturday.
The kickoff for the Knox game against Carroll is at 1:00 p.m.
