STORM LAKE - Trailing 24-0 at the half, the Buena Vista football team came together at halftime and the Beavers responded in a big way by scoring 27 unanswered points, including the eventual game-winning touchdown with 37 seconds left as they stormed all the way back for a 27-24 victory in the home opener.

Quarterback Dylan Laughlin hooked up with Josh Lange on a quick out route from four yards out to cap an 11-play, 77-yard drive that gave BVU its first lead of the contest.  Morris Aranda connected on the PAT which gave the Beavers a three-point cushion.  Lange caught five passes in the contest for 40 yards.

BVU got on the board for the first time midway through the third quarter when Bryland Menicucci plunged in from two yards out that also capped a 77-yard drive.  Colby Laughlin made it a 10-point game with his five-yard touchdown reception from Reyes Lara III.  Aranda then got the crowd going wild when he picked off a tipped pass and returned it 30 yards for a score with 6:55 to play in regulation.  His PAT attempt was blocked to keep it a four-point contest.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead midway through the opening quarter with a pair of 45-yard touchdown passes.  Concordia finished the game with 245 yards through the air and 363 overall.

Junior Eric Pacheco came up big yet again for the Beavers, hauling in 10 passes for 226 yards, which is the fourth-highest yardage total in program history.  He now owns three of the top-5 marks all-time.  

"Incredible game by our guys," said BVU head coach Grant Mollring.  "They decided at halftime that we were going to lift each other up and play together and ultimately let the chips fall where they may."

"We obviously have a lot of things to still clean up, but when you give great effort and play together as a team, you can overcome the mistakes," he added.  "We wanted to play without fear of making mistakes, and that's what got us back in the ballgame.  The story of the game was our defensive effort. To hold Durdon to 70 yards and only really give up two long throws, is the improvement we are looking for. Coach Mandelko and the defensive staff have done a great job with that defense."

Menicucci added a team-high 72 yards on the ground as BVU totaled 77 overall.  A pair of fumbled snaps over the head of the quarterback resulted in a couple large losses which takes away from the 120 yards gained in the run game.

Buena Vista, now 2-0 for the second time under Mollring, will look to remain perfect when it hosts Nebraska Wesleyan next Saturday, September 21, for Homecoming.  Kick-off inside of J. Leslie Rollins Stadium is set for 1 p.m.  In addition to Homecoming, it's also Hall of Fame Weekend where the 2019 inductees will be enshrined at halftime of the contest.