This past weekend, the Rhodes College Lynx kicked off the football season at home against Washington University in St. Louis. Excitement was high, and the fans brought enormous energy for the 7:00 pm kickoff. 

The Lynx started slow, and the Bears got on the board first with a field goal. Late in the 1st quarter, however, junior quarterback Evan Reeder connected with senior receiver Brent Barlow for a 66-yard touchdown. Freshman kicker Logan Ahern converted the extra point, and the Lynx led 7-3. 

Wash U countered the Lynx score, though, as they punched in a 3-yard run to start the 2nd quarter. The Lynx offense remained efficient throughout the 2nd, as Reeder threw another touchdown pass, this time a 26-yarder to senior Alex LeBlanc.

Following an interception from Nick Floyd and a strong collaborative turnover on downs by the Lynx defense, Rhodes went into halftime with the lead, 13-10. 

Wash U started the second half strong, scoring on a 1-yard quarterback sneak. Houston Wilhelm then drove the Lynx down the field, but a field goal attempt was blocked and returned for another Bears touchdown. Going into the fourth and final quarter, the Lynx found themselves trailing 23-13. 

The Bears scored again quickly to start the 4th quarter, but then the Lynx fired back with an impressive 34-yard rushing touchdown from senior Elijah Bane. As 4th quarter winded down, the Bears were able to reach the end zone twice more while the Lynx could not. 

In a game full of explosive plays and constant score trading, the Bears were able to edge the Lynx in the end, 44-20. The Bears outscored the Lynx 34-7 in the second half. 

The dual-quarterback system for Rhodes was still ever present in this game, as Evan Reeder finished with 125 yards and 2 touchdowns while Houston Wilhelm added 91 yards on 3 completions. Elijah Bane led the Lynx in rushing with 79 yards and a touchdown. On the receiving end, Brent Barlow had 77 yards, Austin Smith had 65, and Alex LeBlanc had 40. Both Barlow and LeBlanc scored. 

On the defensive side, Lawrence Watts led with 8 total tackles, while Jonathan Torres had 7. Nick Floyd had 6 tackles with one interception and 4 pass breakups. ShaKwan McKnight had 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack. Max Sale, Hart Penfield, and Thomas Conroy also recorded TFL's. 

This week, the Lynx look to bounce back from this loss as they continue conference play and travel to Sherman, Texas, to take on the Kangaroos of Austin College. The game will kickoff at 6:00 pm.