Phillips' Big Second Half Fuels 20th-Ranked Football's 24-17 Comeback Win At St. Ambrose

DAVENPORT, Iowa – The 20^th-ranked Roosevelt University football team rallied back from a 14-point deficit by scoring 21 unanswered second-half points on three rushing touchdowns from freshman phenom Christian Phillips (FR/Waukegan, Ill.), and the Lakers capped the spring 2021 Mid-States Football Association slate with a 24-17 comeback road win against St. Ambrose University in the NAIA's "Game of the Week" at Brady Street Stadium on Saturday, April 10.

Roosevelt trailed 10-3 at halftime and fell behind 17-3 in the third quarter when Phillips and the Lakers took over. Carrying the load with starting running back Ke'von Johnson (JR/Joliet, Ill.) sidelined in the second quarter, Phillips capped a seven-play drive that lasted a little more than four minutes near the end of the third with a 23-yard touchdown run to make it a three-point game.

Moments later, after Roosevelt's defense forced a three-and-out early in the fourth, it took the Lakers just three plays to get back into the end zone. Quarterback Jack Sheehan (SR/St. Petersburg, Fla.) found Denzel Tolliver (SR/Bellwood, Ill.) for a 22-yard pass on second down that moved the ball to the St. Ambrose five, setting up Phillips for paydirt on the next play when he ran for a five-yard touchdown. Omar Beltran (SR/Los Angeles, Calif.)'s subsequent extra point deadlocked the game at 17-17.

The Lakers' defense bounced back from two early big gains on the next drive by sacking quarterback Declan McDonald on back-to-back plays, forcing another punt and giving the ball back to Roosevelt. The Lakers didn't need the ball for long, as Phillips ran 64 yards on the very next snap for his second score of the fourth quarter and third in as many drives to put Roosevelt ahead for the first time.

That is all Roosevelt would need, as the Lakers continued to make life as miserable as Saturday's dreary weather in Davenport for McDonald and the Bees' offense for the remainder of the game. Bennie Harris (FR/Danville, Ill.) forced two of the Bees' five fumbles to go along with two sacks.

GAME DETAILS

Score: Roosevelt 0 3 7 14 24

St. Ambrose 3 7 7 0 17

Records: Roosevelt 6-1, 5-1 (MSFA) // St. Ambrose 5-3, 4-2 (MSFA)

Location: Brady Street Stadium | Davenport, Iowa

OFFENSIVE NUMBERS

• Christian Phillips rushed for 174 yards and three touchdowns, both career-high marks
• Phillips rushed for 157 of those yards in the second half
• Jack Sheehan completed 12 of 22 pass attempts for 133 yards
• Denzel Tolliver caught four passes for 74 yards, including a 30-yard catch

DEFENSIVE NUMBERS

• Bennie Harris had 11 total tackles, including eight solo stops, to go with two forced fumbles and two sacks
• Dionte Moorehead (JR/Glendale Heights, Ill.) and Aubrey Jones (JR/San Jose, Calif.) had Roosevelt's other two sacks
• Ernest Potts (JR/Portage, Mich.) totaled nine tackles, including six solo
• KeVon Robinson (SO/Oak Brook, Ill.) forced a fumble

NEWS & NOTES

• The Lakers had 290 total yards to St. Ambrose's 265 total yards
• Roosevelt held the Bees to 71 yards passing
• Time of possession was almost even, as Roosevelt had the ball for 30:58 to SAU's 29:02
• Roosevelt came into the game ranked #20 in the NAIA Top 25 Poll, with St. Ambrose receiving votes
• Click here to view the current MSFA Midwest League standings.