Ethan Greenfield showcases versatility within his role on the Cardinals offense, plus a blocked field goal by Jake Beesley on this week’s Check the Tape.
On just the second play of the game, Greenfield ran a wheel route to the right out of the backfield found a hole in the Augustana defense. Luke Lehnen floated a pass perfectly into Greenfield’s path and, thanks to a Vikings safety falling down, he had a clear path the rest of the way to the end zone for a quick score. It was one of four total touchdowns for Greenfield on the day, the other three all coming on the ground. Coach Jeff Thorne said Greenfield has shown his versatility over the course of his Cardinals career and it adds an extra dimension to the offense.
Speaking of those rushing touchdowns, one of those also involved Lehnen as well. The Cardinals called an option run to the left in a goal-line situation, and Lehnen flipped to Greenfield who made a man miss and dove into the endzone. Thorne said that while it is a play they would occasionally run with Broc Rutter at quarterback, the athleticism of Lehnen makes quarterback runs even more dangerous. Greenfield now has 8 rushing touchdowns and 300 yards gained on the season.
Finally, the Play of the Week this week, Jake Beesley’s field goal block had to feature on this week’s check the tape. Thorne said he wasn’t surprised at all to see Beesley’s jumping ability based on what he’s seen in practice and how far he knows Beesley can broad jump. The kick was attempted by Augustana’s Sidney Maroon from 35 yards, but didn’t have enough height to clear the outstretched arms of the Cardinals’ fifth-year senior defensive back, who also added on a nice return after knocking down the kick.