GREENVILLE, Ill. - The football team won an exciting contest in their return to Francis Field for their first game since the 2019 Victory Bowl. Greenville received Paul Garrett's third touchdown of the game with 8:41 remaining in the fourth quarter to go on top 28-25, and the team held Iowa Wesleyan at bay for their first win of the spring season.
Iowa Wesleyan marched down the field on their first possession, scoring on six plays covering 61 yards with 11:22 left in the first quarter.
On Greenville's first possession of the second quarter, GU capped a nine-play, 44 yard drive with a five yard touchdown run by Garrett to tie the score at 7-all with 9:28 to go in the half.
Before the first half ended, Greenville took a 14-7 lead with a 13-yard touchdown run by Garrett with 1:31 left on the clock.
In the third quarter, the Panthers pinned the Tigers deep on their end of the field, and Javion Smith picked off an errant pass and returned it for a 12 yard touchdown with 9:58 left on the clock in the third quarter. The score by Smith provided GU with a 21-7 lead.
Iowa Wesleyan scored 18 unanswered points on three touchdowns and went ahead 25-21 with 10:22 to go in the game.
On the Panthers ensuing possession, Greenville used four plays to go 70 yards, highlighted by Garrett's 61-yard touchdown romp.
On the Tigers final possession, Smith picked off his second pass of the day to give the Panthers possession, and GU ran out the final 6:42 with 14 plays for the win.
Garrett ended with 222 rushing yards on 26 carries for Greenville and three touchdowns.
Chase Butterfield went 15-of-32 for 108 yards, and Terrance Brown caught four passes for 43 yards.
Jaden Apple-Gibbs, Lakari Benjamin, and Javion Smith all had eight tackles. Benjamin added two quarterback sacks for a loss of 20 yards.
Smith forced a fumble and ended with two interceptions.
The Panthers (1-2) travel to Lake Forest next Saturday for a game at 2:30 p.m. Lake Forest is coached by former Panther football student-athlete Jim Catanzaro who has served as the NCAA Division III football national chair during his time at Lake Forest.
