ANDERSON—The long wait for Anderson University’s football debut turned out to be well worth it. The Trojans raced to a 42-0 halftime lead and never looked back in whipping St. Andrews University 51-14 Saturday afternoon before a jubilant sellout crowd of 6,356 at Spero Financial Field. A perfect fall-like day greeted the Trojans and their supporters with sunshine and temperatures in the low-80s.
The outcome was even better.
“It’s been a long time coming,” AU coach Bobby Lamb said. “We came out of the tunnel and there were people everywhere just like I knew there would be. In July of 2021 I was hired as head coach and in August of last year we held our first practice.
“A lot of people have worked hard to make this happen from administrators to coaches to players, and it’s great to come out and get our first win. I told the guys we’re still undefeated, and we are.”
AU asserted its dominance immediately, winning the toss and taking five plays to move 45 yards to the end zone, scoring the program’s first-ever touchdown on a 28-yard pass from quarterback Tyler Wesley to fellow junior Wesley Beckett to go up 7-0.
Later that quarter, the Trojans drove 66 yards and pushed the lead to 14-0 when Monzelle Campbell took a pitch, swept around the right end, and bolted 33 yards to the end zone.
From there, the Trojans never let St. Andrews back in the game. They scored four times in the second quarter to build a 42-0 halftime lead behind two Wesley TD passes, a four-yard run by Zaidon Gunn, and a late 14-yard pick six by freshman linebacker Aaron Bryant.
Over the first two quarters, AU outgained St. Andrews 249 yards to 42. “We’ve got some weapons on offense,” Lamb said. “I thought Tyler Wesley did a good job operating our offense, especially there in the second quarter. Defensively, we really slowed them with our first-team defense. We played a lot of young players and they moved it a little in the second half, but we had a bunch of freshman out there in the second half, so obviously, we’ve still got some work to do.”
The AU roster includes 125 players, Lamb said, estimating that between 90 and 100 players saw the field Saturday.
The Knights broke the shutout with 5:14 to go in the third quarter when Nahjiir Seagraves scampered 68 yards for a score. Ross Burnette hit three field goals in the second half for the Trojans. Wesley finished 9-of-12 passing for 123 yards and three TDs. Campbell led AU in rushing with 45 yards on three carries.
AU finished with 353 yards of offense and limited St. Andrews to 194 yards, including 98 yards passing. The Trojan defense recovered two fumbles, grabbed two interceptions, and blocked a punt, but committed no turnovers.
Photos courtesy of AU Athletics