TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Illinois College scored the final two touchdowns to rally from a 13-0 deficit and capture a 14-13 victory over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in the college football opener for both teams on Saturday night at Cook Stadium.
Daniel Modelski tossed two touchdown passes to Austin Ellsworth in the final 15:07 of the game to complete the rally. Modelski rushed for 118 yards and completed five passes with two touchdowns to lead the Blueboys offense.
Senior Austin Swenson finished 27-46 through the air for 287 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Rose-Hulman offense. Junior Kevin Dufauchard rushed for 118 yards, and sophomore Nathaniel Stewart led the receiving corps with 10 receptions for 111 yards.
Defensively, sophomore John Kirby paced Rose-Hulman with 14 tackles, including 10 solo efforts. Junior Kaelen Garner added nine tackles, senior Kyle Brewer recorded seven stops with 1.5 sacks to lead the Engineer defensive effort.
After a scoreless first half, Rose-Hulman jumped out to a 13-0 lead with two touchdowns in the first 5:10 of the second half. Swenson completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to junior Raymond Burtnick to give the Engineers a 6-0 lead.
Senior Marlin O'Neal hauled in an interception on the next possession, and Rose-Hulman struck quickly to push its lead to 13-0. Swenson hit Zack Murphy on a 12-yard scoring strike to complete the quick drive.
The Rose-Hulman defense recorded four sacks and forced two turnovers on the day. Brewer recovered a fumble and O'Neal grabbed an interception to stop Blueboys drives.
Illinois College improved to 1-0 on the season, while Rose-Hulman dropped to 0-1. The Fightin' Engineers return to action next Saturday at Millikin University.
