By MILES SOUZA
Buccaneers Football captured their second win of the season against the Lawrence University Vikings in a fall break, road game by a score of 34-14. This marked the Bucs’ first conference victory of the season, heading into the last four weeks of conference play.
Beloit matched up well against the Vikings and had a rivalry brewing. The Bucs captured their one and only win last season in an electric home game against Lawrence by a score of 56-0.
The team came into this game knowing it was a great opportunity to pick up their second win of the season, but also knew that the Vikings had improved over the offseason. They also looked to spoil Lawrence’s annual Homecoming game by beating them at home, and the Bucs did just that.
A rushing touchdown by quarterback Jacob Shafer ’25 put the Buccaneers up by seven early in the first quarter. Lawrence answered, marching down the field for 72 yards and scoring on their next offensive drive.
Beloit then answered again, scoring on their next drive. The drive was capped off by a 34 yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Jeto-Rivar Sanon ’25. The connection between Shafer and Sanon was apparent from the opening kickoff and Sanon continued to be one of his go-to targets.
The Bucs then stretched the lead even further when Shafer connected with tight end Cooper Larrabee ’25 for a 15 yard touchdown pass. The lead was only extended to 13 after Lawrenece’s special teams blocked the extra point, making the score 20-7.
But the Vikings intended on leaving it all on the field and answered again before the clock struck zero. The moment of the blocked kick helped fuel the offense to another scoring drive, making the score 20-14 going into the locker room.
The halftime speech for the Bucs was the most effective of the year, as the Bucs came out firing on both ends of the ball and showed no signs of wavering. Beloit held Lawrence scoreless in the second half, playing great defense all over the field.
Shafer capped off the game with two more rushing touchdowns to stretch the lead to 34-14 heading into the fourth. The Bucs cruised their way home, spoiling the Homecoming game.
Shafer shined in the matchup, recording a whopping 348 passing yards to go along with 2 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. The incredible performance was aided by the constant pressure Beloit’s running backs put on the defense, as well as some of the best pass protection of the season. Beloit’s offensive line only gave up one total sack in the game.
This monumental win marked the first multi-win season for Buccaneers Football since 2016. Things are looking positive for the Bucs in the future, as they continue to make improvements.
The Bucs dropped their last two games against Monmouth and at Lake Forest. They will look to get back to their winning ways this Saturday in a home match up against Ripon College. They will conclude their season the following Saturday for their home, senior night game against Illinois College.
Featured Image Credit: Beloit College
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