Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

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updated 09/13/2009

Big Plays Lead Rose-Hulman Offense Past North Park

Senior Calvin Bueltel rushed for 159 yards and added an 88-yard kickoff return.

TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology improved to 2-0 on the season and crossed the 500-yard mark for the second straight game to earn a 48-17 victory over North Park University on Saturday.

Senior Derek Eitel (Marshall, Ill.) led a balanced attack with 19 completions in 27 attempts for 234 yards and three touchdowns to lead the 541-yard effort. Rose-Hulman recorded the third most yards in a game in school history and finished just 24 yards shy of surpassing last week's school record.

Senior Calvin Bueltel (Huntingburg/ Southridge) and freshman Kyle Kovach (Munster/Andrean) both crossed the 100-yard mark as the Fightin' Engineers amassed 307 yards on the ground.

Bueltel rushed for 159 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown, while Kovach gained 115 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown highlighted by a 63-yard scoring run. Bueltel also provided a spark with an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Junior Reed Eason hauled in six receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown.

The tandem became the first duo of Rose-Hulman running backs to rush for 100 yards in the same game since Charlie Key and Cameron Hummel achieved the feat in 2003.

Rose-Hulman has also scored 109 points in its first two games, the first time the Engineers have crossed 100 points in the season's first two games since the 1913 season.

Senior Reed Eason (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway North) and junior Ben Hopf (Huntingburg/Jasper) led the receiving corps with six catches each. Eason gained 84 yards including a 10-yard touchdown catch, while Hopf amassed 63 yards and scored on receptions of 10 and 18 yards. The scores were the first two of Hopf's career.

Graduate student Thomas Reives (Indianapolis/Tech) added 55 yards on three catches and had a 66-yard reception erased due to a penalty. Kovach also had multiple receptions with two catches for 29 yards.

Sophomore Nick Schneider (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) also provided a perfect day for the special teams. Schneider made field goals of 42 and 30 yards and finished 5-5 on extra points.

Senior Kyle Stevens reached double figures with a game-high 10 tackles.

The Rose-Hulman defense contributed a strong effort by holding North Park to just 194 yards of total offense and three points in the second half. Senior Kyle Stevens (Santa Cruz, Calif./Harbor) paced the team effort with 10 tackles, including five solo efforts.

Other key defensive contributors included senior Nick Murphy (Casey, Ill./Casey-Westfield) with eight tackles, one interception and one pass breakup, and junior Scott Eaton (Fishers/Hamilton Southeastern) with eight tackles.

Rose-Hulman jumped out to a 7-0 lead on its opening offensive drive. The 10-play, 68-yard march culminated in a 10-yard scoring strike from Eitel to Eason.

North Park answered with an 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Calvin Gant to knot the score at 7-7. Bueltel responded immediately with an 88-yard kickoff return of his own to put Rose-Hulman ahead 14-7 with 10:52 left in the first quarter for the game's third touchdown in 27 seconds.

Schneider booted a 42-yard field goal to increase Rose-Hulman's lead to 17-7, before a three-run touchdown run by Rakim Jones brought North Park within 17-14 with 14:55 left in the first half.

Sophomore Nick Schneider booted home two field goals and finished 5-5 on extra points.

Rose-Hulman answered with an eight-play, 71-yard scoring drive to regain a 24-14 lead with 7:49 left in the half. Bueltel capped the march with a 25-yard touchdown run. Schneider gave Rose-Hulman a 27-14 on a 30-yard field goal on the last play of the half.

North Park closed within 10 points at 27-17 on a 37-yard field goal by Bryn Nottoli with 5:10 remaining in the third quarter. Rose-Hulman closed with the game's remaining three touchdowns for its final margin of victory.

The first came late in the third quarter on a 10-yard pass from Eitel to Hopf. The second was a 63-yard scoring sprint by Kovach with 14:20 left in the game to cap a four-play drive. The connection of Eitel and Hopf hooked up again on an 18-yard scoring strike with 6:23 left in the contest.

Rose-Hulman improved to 2-0 on the season and returns to action next Saturday at Greenville College. The Fightin' Engineers return home for the Homecoming game against Mount St. Joseph on September 26.