After losing their first three games, all on the road, the Grinnell football team returned to Rosenbloom Field to host the Buccaneers of Beloit College on Saturday, Sept. 28. The homecoming proved successful for the Pioneers, as Grinnell handled Beloit in a 42-17 beating. The Pioneer defense and special teams showed up in a big way early, recovering two fumbles in the end zone for touchdowns to give Grinnell a 14-0 lead. Grinnell took a 21-10 halftime lead and after Beloit cut the score to 21-17, the Pioneers did not look back, scoring the game’s final three touchdowns. Jacob Bernholtz ’17—whose “Spotlight” can be found on page 13—had a breakout day, gaining 157 yards on 14 carries, including three scores—two on 50-plus yard carries and one after recovering a botched long snap in the end zone. T.J. Goetz ’14 completed 14-of-28 passes for 179 yards and two scores to Jake O’Polka ’15 and Jayson Campos ’14. On the defensive side, David Ternes ’15 and Daniel Munger ’15 led the Pioneers with 19 and 16 tackles, respectively, as Munger and Seth Gustafson ’14 added an interception each. The Pioneer defense managed six turnovers as Gustafson, Bernholtz, Rich Renteria ’15 and Clayton Desjardin ’15 each recovered a fumble. The Pioneers have a bye this week and will return to the gridiron at Monmouth College on Saturday, Oct. 12.
