EUREKA, Illinois - The Prairie Fire football team fell to Eureka 41-16 in the ninth Lincoln Bowl. Knox still holds a 18-12-1 advantage in the all-time series.

The Red Devils struck first when they threw a touchdown pass midway through the first quarter. 

Eureka led 7-0 after one quarter and then added two more scores in the second quarter to jump out to a 21-0 lead. The Prairie Fire responded with a touchdown of their own late in the first half when Kaile Williams hit Evan Laws in the endzone with a 13-yard pass. Chris McMillan hit the extra point to send the game into halftime with Knox trailing 21-7.

The Prairie Fire added to their score with seven minutes left in the third quarter when McMillan hit a 27-yard field goal.

The Red Devils tacked on two more touchdowns in the last four minutes of the third quarter to take a 34-10 lead. Eureka added another score with 8:20 remaining in the game.

Knox responded with one more touchdown when Williams capped off a 52-yard drive with a 12-yard rush.

Williams finished 10-for-20 passing for 101 yards and a touchdown. He also added 80 yards rushing with a score. Hunter Anderson added 47 yards rushing on 15 carries.

Todd Smith led the Prairie Fire defense with nine total tackles. Nick Blencoe added seven tackles, including two for a loss.

"Every Saturday in college football is a test," said head coach Aaron Willits. "We found out we have more work to do. The beautiful part of this is the next opportunity. Half of America sits at 1-0. The other half, like us, is 0-1. One game doesn't define a season. We will learn, adjust, and get back to work for the next opportunity. Credit to Coach Barth and his team, they played a physical game."

Knox returns to action on September 9 as they host Beloit in their home opener.