WashU QB Levi Moore moves the pile for a first down in Saturday’s D3 football game against Rhodes College. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Football | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhodes (0-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WashU (1-0) | 21 | 28 | 10 | 14 | 73 |
MEMPHIS, TN — The Washington University football team delivered a magnificent and dominant performance in its season-opening win over Rhodes College, Saturday night at Crain Field. The Bears won 73-0, with the 73 points being the third-most ever scored in a game by WashU and the most since the team scored 77 points in a game in 1997.
The Bears got right to work after forcing a Rhodes punt on the Lynx’s opening drive. On the first play of WashU’s drive, senior quarterback Levi Moore connected with senior Drew Bomar for a 47-yard touchdown pass. Junior Matias Adrogue converted the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
WashU forced another punt from the Lynx and set off on another scoring drive. The six-play drive culminated in a short pass from Moore to Bomar, who ran it for a 41-yard touchdown. Adrogue’s kick was good, putting the Bears ahead 14-0 with 7:54 on the clock in the first quarter.
Another Rhodes punt put the ball in the Bears’ hands again. WashU went on a three-play drive that ended in sophomore Brayden Lewis scoring on a five-yard run. Adrogue’s kick put WashU up 21-0 with 5:36 remaining in the first.
The Bears began their next scoring drive with 1:15 left in the first quarter and finished it out in the second quarter. The eight-play drive was finished off by Moore who ran it in for a three-yard touchdown. Adrogue followed with the extra point, extending WashU’s lead to 28-0.
On Rhodes next drive, senior Joy Chane intercepted Taylor Haas’ pass at the 35, returning it for 49 yards to the 16.
The Bears put together a three-play scoring drive in which Lewis scored his second touchdown of the day on a nine-yard run. Adrogue hit the extra-point kick for a 35-0 lead.
WashU’s defense held the Lynx to their own 30 on the next drive, resulting in another punt.
WashU’s Avery Lazard brings in an 18-yard touchdown pass during the Bears’ win over Rhodes College on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Following a seven-play drive, Moore ran the ball for the final yard and a touchdown. Adrogue’s kick was good for a 42-0 advantage.
The Bears closed out the second quarter with one more touchdown on a five-play drive. Moore connected with sophomore Avery Lazard for an 18-yard touchdown pass with just 30 seconds left on the clock. Adrogue converted the extra point, sending WashU into halftime up 49-0.
WashU had the ball to start the second half. After reaching the 14, Adrogue lined up for a 31-yard field goal and hit it, making it a 52-0 ball game with just over 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
After the Lynx turned the ball over on downs, WashU put together a three-play scoring drive. Junior quarterback Alexander Singh connected with junior Ryan Bienstock for a 47-yard touchdown pass. Freshman Caden An converted the extra-point kick for a 59-0 Bears’ lead.
The Bears’ next drive, spanning the end of the third quarter and into the fourth, resulted in an 11-play touchdown. Sophomore Karsten Cornell finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown run. An’s kick was good for a 66-0 lead with 11:56 left in the game.
WashU’s final scoring drive began with 10:55 left in the game and totaled seven plays, culminating in an eight-yard touchdown from first-year Cole Neupaver. An converted the extra-point kick for the Bears’ 73-0 lead.
As a team, WashU finished with 617 yards of total offense (300 passing, 317 rushing), while holding Rhodes to 165 (108 passing, 57 rushing).
Moore went 10-for-14, recording 212 yards with three passing touchdowns. He also had 21 rushing yards on four attempts with two rushing touchdowns.
Cornell led the rushing game with 108 yards on 17 attempts, scoring one touchdown. Senior Matthew Kinoshita had 76 yards on nine attempts and Neupaver had 65 yards on nine attempts with one touchdown. Lewis finished with 47 yards on eight carries with two touchdowns.
Bomar led the receivers with 92 yards on three catches with two touchdowns. Lazard finished with 51 yards on two catches with a touchdown and Bienstock had 47 yards on one catch with one touchdown.
Defensively, freshman Gavin Conjar had five solo tackles to lead the Bears. Senior Spencer Snipe had four total tackles (3 solo, 1 assist) with 1.0 tackles-for-loss. Junior Thomas Telesco finished with four solo tackles.
The Bears return to Francis Olympic Field for the 2026 home opener next Saturday, September 12, when they welcome DePauw University for a game at 1 p.m.
The contest will WashU’s first game as a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference and will be streamed live on FloCollege.com.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | RHO | WASHU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 13:53 | WASHU – Bomar,Drew 47 yd pass from Moore,Levi (Adrogue,Matias kick) | 0 | 7 |
| 1st | 07:54 | WASHU – Bomar,Drew 41 yd pass from Moore,Levi (Adrogue,Matias kick) | 0 | 14 |
| 1st | 04:56 | WASHU – Lewis,Brayden 5 yd run (Adrogue,Matias kick) | 0 | 21 |
| 2nd | 13:19 | WASHU – Moore,Levi 3 yd run (Adrogue,Matias kick) | 0 | 28 |
| 2nd | 10:21 | WASHU – Lewis,Brayden 9 yd run (Adrogue,Matias kick) | 0 | 35 |
| 2nd | 05:14 | WASHU – Moore,Levi 1 yd run (Adrogue,Matias kick) | 0 | 42 |
| 2nd | 00:30 | WASHU – Lazard,Avery 18 yd pass from Moore,Levi (Adrogue,Matias kick) | 0 | 49 |
| 3rd | 10:21 | WASHU – Adrogue,Matias 31 yd field goal | 0 | 52 |
| 3rd | 05:34 | WASHU – Bienstock,Ryan 47 yd pass from Singh,Alexander (An,Caden kick) | 0 | 59 |
| 4th | 12:02 | WASHU – Cornell,Karsten 3 yd run (An,Caden kick) | 0 | 66 |
| 4th | 05:58 | WASHU – Neupaver,Cole 8 yd run (An,Caden kick) | 0 | 73 |
2026 WASHU BEARS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5, 2026 (Saturday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Rhodes College | Memphis, Tenn. / Crain Field | W, 73-0 (1-0) |
| September 12, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | DePauw University* | Francis Olympic Field | |
| September 19, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Wittenberg University* | Springfield, Ohio / Edwards-Maurer Field | |
| September 26, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Oberlin College* | Oberlin, Ohio / Dick Bailey Field | |
| October 3, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | John Carroll University* | Francis Olympic Field | |
| October 17, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Kenyon College* | Gambier, Ohio / McBride Field | |
| October 24, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Wabash College* | Crawfordsville, Ind. / Little Giant Stadium | |
| October 31, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | Denison University* | Francis Olympic Field | |
| November 7, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Ohio Wesleyan University* | Delaware, Ohio / Selby Stadium | |
| November 14, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | The College of Wooster* | Francis Olympic Field |