(RV) Baker Continues Midseason Surge with 42-3 Road Win at CMU

FAYETTE, Mo. – Behind another dominant defensive effort and three non-offensive touchdowns, (RV) Baker continued its incredible midseason turnaround with a 42-3 road victory over Central Methodist on Saturday afternoon.

The win marked Baker's fourth straight and kept the Wildcats unbeaten in Heart of America Athletic Conference South Division play at 4-0, improving to 4-3 overall after opening the season 0-3.

For the second consecutive week, Baker controlled the game from wire to wire, scoring 42 unanswered points before the Eagles broke up the shutout with a field goal in the final 65 seconds. BU scored in all three phases and showcased one of its most complete performances of the season with three offensive touchdowns, two defensive scoop-and-scores and a special teams touchdown on a blocked punt.

Quarterback Truman Juelsgaard accounted for all three touchdowns for the BU offense, finishing 14-for-20 passing for 151 yards and rushing six times for a team-high 67 yards. He now has 17 total touchdowns on the year - nine passing, eight rushing - and has tallied at least three scores in each of the last three games.

Juelsgaard opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a 2-yard quarterback keeper, set up by his own 27-yard run on the previous play, to give the Wildcats an early 7-0 lead. He added a second rushing touchdown in the second quarter, bulldozing through a CMU defender at the goal line to make it 21-0.

Between those two scores, Baker's resurgent defense continued its own recent turnaround and forced the first of three turnovers. On the second play of CMU's drive, defensive end Eli'Sha Malveaux scooped up a loose ball forced by a sack from Zach Schneider and returned it for a touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0.

Late in the half, an Eagles jet sweep resulted in another disaster for the hosts as Cameron Porter snatched up the fumble for BU this time and took it all the way in the end zone for the second defensive touchdown of the first half, giving Baker a 28-0 lead at the break. Porter also recorded an interception in the second half, rounding out a solid outing for the sophomore from Gardner, Kan.

Baker struck again midway through the third quarter when Juelsgaard connected with Noah Hastert on a 21-yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 35-0. Special teams added the exclamation point later in the quarter when Max Nichols broke through the CMU line and blocked a punt that bounced into the hands of Errol Siemon, who returned it 27 yards for the Wildcats' third non-offensive touchdown of the day.

With a 42-0 lead entering the fourth quarter, Baker rotated personnel and continued to control the clock before CMU converted a late field goal with 1:05 remaining to avoid the shutout.

The Wildcats finished with 303 yards of total offense, including 124 rushing, surpassing 100 yards on the ground for the sixth time in seven games this season. Nine different BU players caught a pass in a balanced receiving effort.

With 42 points today, the Wildcats are averaging over 45 points per game (45.5) during their four-game win streak and have outscored opponents 182-59 in that span.

Combined with last week's 34-14 win over No. 22 MidAmerica Nazarene—where the Wildcats shut out the Pioneers over the final three quarters—BU held its opponents without a touchdown for six straight quarters and has allowed just two total touchdowns over its last eight quarters of play.

Baker will head out on the road for the second straight week next weekend with a matchup at Missouri Baptist on Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. in St. Louis.

#BakerBuildsChampions