LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- There's a chicken-and-egg argument brewing at St. Edward this fall. Is the Eagles running game unstoppable because of an offensive line that averages 290 pounds, or is it senior tailback Reggie Terrell who makes the offensive line look so beastly?
St. Edward linebacker Avery Bailey celebrates his second-quarter tackle for a loss against St. Xavier Saturday in Lakewood.
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(John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer)
LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- There's a chicken-and-egg argument brewing at St. Edward this fall.
Is the Eagles running game unstoppable because of an offensive line that averages 290 pounds, or is it senior tailback Reggie Terrell who makes the offensive line look so beastly?
Take your pick, because it doesn't really matter. Just ask Cincinnati St. Xavier, a quality team that was run over by Terrell and company in a 20-3 St. Edward victory Saturday afternoon in Lakewood Stadium.
Terrell, who until this season was a backup cornerback, rushed for 212 yards on 36 carries and scored a pair of six-yard touchdowns. It was his fourth consecutive game of at least 100 yards in the wake of a knee injury suffered by tailback Terrell Bates, who should return next weekend.
Terrell (5-9, 170) played like a veteran, waiting for holes to open, picking his way through and accelerating for extra yardage.
"It was beautiful today," he said. Once the line figured out what it had to do against that defense, we just started pushing."
The combination of St. Edward's running game and a dominant defense was too much for St. Xavier (4-4), especially after the four-hour drive from Cincinnati on Saturday morning. The Bombers kicked a field goal on their first possession, then failed to cross midfield the rest of the day. With 175 total yards, they became the Eagles" seventh consecutive opponent to total fewer than 200 yards offense.
St. Xavier quarterback Griffin Dolle passed for 109 yards and ran for 19. Tailback Conor Hundley gained 33 yards on 12 carries.
St. X is really physical," St. Edward defensive end Deonte Gibson said. "We had to match that and kick it up. After the first drive, we got a feel for them. After that, it was pretty much game over."
St. Edward scored 10 points in the second and fourth quarters, and Eagles kicker Mike Dinunzio made a pair of 37-yard field goals. He also was a field-position factor, notching four touchbacks on kickoffs.
The Eagles, who led at halftime, 10-3, had numerous breakdowns in their passing game against St. Xavier's funky 3-3 defense. They struggled to keep at bay outside linebacker Steven Daniels, who had 12 tackles, five of which were at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Sacks of quarterback Kevin Burke on consecutive first-half drives cost St. Edward scoring opportunities. One was followed by a missed 42-yard field goal attempt and another sack knocked the Eagles out of field-goal range. Frequent blitzes contributed to Burke's five sacks and 6-of-17 passing for 97 yards, including a third-down interception by Jake Rumpke at the St. Xavier 6-yard line early in the third quarter.
"They just wear you down," St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said. "That's the most complete football team we've seen this year, top to bottom. For a little over three quarters, we played our hearts out, but it was tough to get anything moving. The field position hurt us and we just couldn't climb out of that hole."
St. Edward outscored its previous five opponents, 202-12, so it welcomed St. Xavier as a barometer heading into next Saturday's game at Cincinnati Moeller and the Week 10 rivalry game against St. Ignatius.
"This was a day to see where we stand," St. Edward coach Rick Finotti said. "We learned that we're tough, and that we're winning and not even playing our best football. We could have played better in all three phases."
St. Xavier has one game remaining, at home next Saturday against St. Ignatius. Specht said if the Bombers win, they are in the playoffs.
"That's a testament to our schedule and how difficult it's been," Specht said.