By Paxton Ritchey- CSC Sports Information Director
CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State football scored 52 points, more than doubling its season total, as the Eagles soared to a 52-3 win over Adams State from Elliott Field at Don Beebe Stadium Saturday afternoon.
A 21-point second quarter got the Eagles off and running, allowing CSC to improve to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in RMAC play. Adams State falls 0-5 overall and 0-3 in the RMAC.
The Eagles led 28-0 at halftime, outgained the Grizzlies 417-99 and came away with three interceptions while not turning the ball over. Seven different Eagle players found the endzone, led by quarterback DJ Ralph, who completed 20 of 29 passes for three touchdowns and no interceptions while also racking up 56 yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground.
Grant Swenson, Rollin George III and Jamahd Monroe all caught touchdowns from Ralph, while former First Team All-RMAC receiver Tommy Thomas caught a game-high six passes for 33 yards in his return to the lineup from an injury in the season opener.
The Eagles received rushing touchdowns from Jake Marschall, Chase Nelson and Ralph as part of a 234-yard day on the ground for the team. The defense also got in on the scoring, with linebacker Logan O’Brien running in a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Both teams combined to go three-and-out on the first three drives of the game, with Adams State punting twice and the Eagles once. On CSC’s second drive, the Eagles drove 41 yards on nine plays, with Ralph hitting Garet Schlabs for a key third-down conversion before hitting Grant Swenson over the middle for an 8-yard touchdown pass to put the Eagles up 7-0.
In the second quarter, Ralph fed Rollin George III, who made a 10-yard catch to give Chadron State first and goal before scoring on a jet-sweep shovel pass moving from left to right to make it 14-0, Eagles.
With six-and-a-half minutes left in the first half, the CSC pass rush forced Adams quarterback Alexander Grado to throw early out of a sack. Junior linebacker Logan O’Brien corralled the floating pass and ran down the near sideline for a score, the first defensive touchdown of the season for Chadron State.
On CSC’s next drive, Ralph kept the ball on a read option, breaking two tackles and scampering for a 41-yard rushing touchdown to make it 28-0 before the half. The 41-yard run is the longest of the season so far for a Chadron State rusher.
The Eagles picked up where they left off after halftime, taking the opening second-half kickoff and putting together an 11-play drive that ended in a Wilson Yee field goal. On the ensuing Adams State drive, a Grado pass took a huge deflection off the helmet of a Chadron cornerback and went all the way back towards the line of scrimmage, where All-RMAC defensive tackle Tanner True made a diving interception to give the Eagles the ball back.
Chadron took advantage of the short field, scoring on three plays when Ralph hit Jahamd Monroe in stride for a 22-yard passing touchdown in the end zone. With the grab, Monroe joined Swenson as the only CSC offensive players with multiple rushing or receiving touchdowns in 2024.
Adams State scored a field goal, but Chadron State answered with its longest drive of the day in terms of plays, going 76 yards in 14 plays. The Eagles relied heavily on the run, as Jake Marschall got six carries on the drive, including a 1-yard touchdown run.
The final Eagles score of the day came on an 8-yard carry courtesy of Chase Nelson, a redshirt freshman running back who went off for a career-high 48 rushing yards on eight carries and 46 receiving yards on three catches. Entering the game today, Nelson had no career carries and one reception for four yards.
Chadron State’s defense competed the entire game, holding Adams State to eight first downs, 54 rushing yards and 45 net passing yards. Redshirt freshman defensive back Jahmir Everett snared his first career interception in his second career game with six minutes left.
The Eagles’ 49-point margin of victory is their third largest ever against Adams State, trailing a 52-0 win in 2000 and a 58-0 in 2007.
Chadron State is on the road next week against New Mexico Highlands, who lost 67-20 to nationally-ranked CSU Pueblo on Saturday. In two weeks on October 19, the Eagles will play Fort Lewis at home as part of homecoming weekend.