Keiser rolls to 2-0 start

Seahawks rally from early deficit for 45-17 victory.

Keiser University, playing its second football game in program history, had to wait out a two-hour lightning delay before kickoff Saturday night in Bluefield, W.Va.

Once the game started, Keiser struggled to get anything going and fell behind host Bluefield College 14-3 early in the second quarter.

But that was the end of the bad news. Freshman quarterback Eli Mathews (Palm Beach Gardens) threw four touchdown passes, three to tight end Jaylen Arnold, and the Seahawks’ defense dominated the rest of the way in a 45-17 victory.

Keiser, which opened the season with an overtime victory Aug. 23, scored four touchdowns in the second quarter. Marques Burgess ran 4 yards for a score and Mathews threw TD passes of 26 yards to Jonathan Santos (Park Vista) and 17 and 16 yards to Arnold.

In the second half, Mathews and Arnold hooked up on a 44-yard scoring play and Tyrese Lyons scored on a 3-yard run.

Keiser rushed for 251 yards, led by Burgess’ 112 yards on only seven carries, and passed for 191. The defense had four interceptions, three fumble recoveries and three sacks. Defensive back Marlon Eugene (Royal Palm Beach) led the way with an interception and a fumble recovery.

After a week off, Keiser plays a third consecutive road game Sept. 15 against Bethel (Tenn.), then returns to West Palm Beach for its home opener Sept. 22 against Georgetown (Ky.).