SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - The Lawrence Technological University football team suffered a heartbreaking 14–10 defeat at the hands of the #17 ranked University of Saint Francis (Ind.) on Saturday afternoon at Blue Devils Stadium.
Lawrence Tech drew first blood midway through the opening quarter when quarterback Ryan Schuster hooked up with Tyler Garrett for a 26-yard touchdown strike, capping off an 8-play, 58-yard drive to take an early 7–0 lead. However, Saint Francis struck back early in the second period as Chris Mullen found Kendrick Pennybaker wide open for a 45-yard touchdown pass to level the score at 7–7 going into halftime.
The Cougars swung momentum in their favor midway through the third quarter, putting together a grinding 12-play, 51-yard drive that consumed over seven minutes of clock before Mullen connected with Airic Hester for a 17-yard touchdown to grab a 14–7 advantage. LTU mounted a prolonged comeback effort in the fourth quarter, orchestrating a 14-play, 83-yard drive that resulted in a 27-yard field goal from Juliano Haddad to pull within four points at 14–10. After forcing a late Saint Francis punt, the Blue Devils drove inside Cougar territory with under two minutes remaining, but a lost fumble sealed the win for Saint Francis.
Schuster powered the LTU offense, completing 15-of-32 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown while leading all rushers with 76 yards on 22 carries. Garrett caught 3 passes for 52 yards and the touchdown, while Buddy Banks-Williams contributed 69 all-purpose yards (30 rushing, 39 receiving). Defensively, linebacker Karter Schmitt led the charge for the Blue Devils with 13 total tackles, while Jake DiFalco added 10 tackles and two tackles for loss.
