Buena Vista beats Rams with big second half

The Iowa Conference football opener got away from Cornell in the second half as Buena Vista broke open a tight game with 30 unanswered points and handed the Rams their first loss of the season, 44-10, Saturday afternoon at J. Leslie Rollins Stadium.

A pair of long second-quarter scoring drives pulled the Rams (2-1 overall, 0-1 IIAC) to within 14-10 at halftime. The Beavers (1-3, 1-1) ran back the opening kickoff of the third quarter 87 yards for a touchdown. From there it was all Buena Vista, which held the Rams to 38 total yards and three first downs in the final 30 minutes.

Cornell senior wideout Thomas Connor moved into elite company with a four-catch day, giving him 101 career receptions and becoming the 11th Ram to reach the milestone. Sophomore James Scully netted a career-high 127 yards on three receptions, including a long pass play of 72 yards.

Quarterback Juan Flores had another solid game, completing 16-of-23 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a team-high 60 yards on 15 carries.

Trailing 10-0, Flores drove the Rams 80 yards on 11 plays and hooked up with junior Chris Lopez for a 15-yard touchdown strike with 11:07 remaining in the second quarter. Justin Cox hauled in a 23-yard reception on the scoring drive.

Freshman cornerback Myron Seabrook intercepted a Buena Vista pass in the end zone for a touchback late in the second quarter. The Rams took advantage, marching 75 yards on eight plays before getting a 23-yard field goal from Anthony Bridges that cut the deficit to 14-10 with three seconds left in the half.

Buena Vista scored touchdowns on its first three possessions of the second half, making it 35-10 with 14:42 left to play. The Beavers added a safety and then capped the game's scoring with a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown with 2:35 remaining.

The Rams turned the ball over four times in the game, including three lost fumbles. Two of the fumbles came deep in Cornell territory, one of which led to a Beaver touchdown.

Cornell senior linebacker Tyler Bailey collected a game-high 14 tackles. He had eight solo stops and two tackles for loss. Drew Campbell was in on nine tackles, including 1.5 for losses. Geoffrey Miller had eight tackles and one for lost yardage. Senior Erik Krol blocked a 27-yard field goal attempt midway through the second quarter.

Buena Vista outgained the Rams in total yards, 385-306. The Beavers held a 25-14 edge in first downs and owned a nine-minute advantage in time of possession. The Rams went 3-of-11 on third-down situations.

The Rams play host to the 10th-ranked Wartburg Knights in a 1 p.m. kickoff Saturday, Oct. 1 at Ash Park Stadium. Wartburg is coming off a 27-24 home loss to Coe.