Tabor falls to KWU 35-19

For roughly ten minutes of the first quarter, the Tabor College football team dominated the Kansas Wesleyan University?Coyotes Saturday at Salina. But the Bluejays lost a good measure of their momentum when a cold, bitter rain rolled in from the north and by the time the drizzle let up, KWU had scored the first of 21 straight points en route to a 35-19 victory in the Bluejays season opener.

Derek Washington recorded?70 rushing yards and Tabor's first touchdown, which came on the heels of a 37-yard completion from Marc Amos to Daniel Jost. The point after gave the Bluejays a 7-0 lead, which stood until Wesleyan punched in a 1-yard score with 2:02 left in the first quarter. The tying touchdown followed from a Tabor fumble at their own eight.

The score remained tied until Webster's 14-yard pass connected with Corey Ham with 29 seconds left in the first half. The Bluejays had the Coyotes dead to rights on fourth-and-four earlier in the drive, but jumped offside to allow the series to continue.

Tabor missed a 51-yard field goal attempt late in the half.

Wesleyan scored again just 2:49 into the third quarter, but Tabor answered almost as quickly. Washington caught a short pass in stride on third and nine, and weaved toward the left sideline. He turned back to the middle of the field and reached the right sideline, where he picked up?additional blocking.??Shaking off one last defender, he ran with a convoy to the end zone — a 69-yard score.

Unfortunately for Tabor, the extra point clanged off the upright, making the score 21-13.

The Bluejay defense forced a 3-and-out, and the offense malfunctioned: with 25 yards worth of penalties, followed by a 12-yard sack, the Bluejays retreated from the KWU 30 to their own 33. The ensuing punt went 36 yards, but did not reach the first down marker — and Troy Alsobrook returned it 40 yards to start the Coyotes possession in Tabor territory.

Jake Winship capped?that drive?with a 1-yard plunge and?Webster tacked on another score with 5:46 left in the contest. Marquis Lawrence scored a 33-yard touchdown for Tabor with the game out of reach. The?2-point try failed,?making the final score 35-19.

Jost finished with 5 catches for 121 yards, with a 43-yard long reception. But 195 Coyote rushing yards proved overwhelming. Winship netted 148 of those yards, along with two touchdowns.

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