LAKELAND, Fla.—All three phases of the game contributed to a 44-27 win by Southeastern over Campbellsville at Victory Field.
After giving up a score on the opening drive, the Fire responded with the next 27 points of the game to lead 27-7 with 12:50 left in the third.
David Larson connected on the first of his three field goals, connecting from 27 yards out after
Nico Moreno picked off a pass and set the Fire up inside the Campbellsville 20-yard line.
Cooper Jones then found
Eugene Witherspoon on a 50-yard touchdown pass to cap off a two-play, 96-yard drive. Jones then hit
Bryan Bell for a 22-yard strike with 8:13 left in the second, then
Jacob McCrary from 37-yards out with 13 seconds left in the half, giving the Fire a 24-7 halftime lead.
"Yards after catch are very important and Eugene had the best game of his career here and it couldn't have come at a better time," said coach
Keith Barefield. "We have a good stable of receivers, it's not just one guy and that puts a lot of pressure on opposing secondaries."
Larson's 39-yard field goal to start the third put the Fire up 20, but Campbellsville's David Richardson scored consecutive touchdowns to bring his team within six with 2:48 left in the third.
Jones answered with his fourth TD pass of the game, finding Witherspoon from 72 yards out on 3
rd and 10.
Campbellsville got within seven again with 12:44 left after a 20-yard touchdown pass, but the extra point was blocked. The Fire answered with
Lorine Parker pirouetting over a would be tackler on a nine-yard touchdown run, and Larson's 40-yard field goal.
Last week's school-record passing yardage only held the top spot for a week after Jones passed for a team record 342 yards and matched his career-high with four touchdowns. His favorite target was Witherspoon, who had seven catches for 164 yards with two scores.
"I just wanted to be there for my teammates and making plays when they needed to," said Witherspoon. "We finished the game strong after a slow start and felt I had to step up."
On defense, the Fire recorded seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Moreno led the Fire with 13 stops.
Loobert Denelus had two sacks, and was in on an additional tackle behind the line.
"Our young guys are a great group, they are very aggressive and they make us older guys better," said junior defensive tackle
Justin Visconti, who had three tackles and a sack. "I'm really proud of all my guys up front and the rest of our defense."
Marquavis Myers and
Tyland Simpson each had blocked kicks on special teams.
The Fire will complete their three game homestand next Saturday, opening Sun Division play against Ave Maria at 7 p.m.
