Kentucky Wesleyan fell behind early and never fully recovered Saturday, dropping a 48-21 road contest to William Jewell in their final non-conference matchup.
For the second straight week, the Panthers saw their opponent score on the opening play. The Cardinals added two more quick strikes to build a 20-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Wesleyan fought back just before halftime. AJ Bullard returned an interception for a touchdown and later forced a safety, while Payton Lewis added another interception to give the Panthers momentum. That cut the deficit to 20-9 at the break.
The Panthers opened the second half with the ball and a chance to close the gap, but a turnover returned for a Cardinals touchdown widened the margin again. Quarterback Harrison Burch answered with a 13-play, 78-yard drive capped by a scoring toss to Dominick Hollis. Burch later found Camron Brogan for another touchdown to trim the deficit to 34-21, but William Jewell continued to pull away in the fourth quarter.
Burch finished 31-of-52 passing for 266 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Brogan caught nine passes for 103 yards and a score, while Will Ray hauled in seven receptions for 63 yards.
Defensively, Bullard stood out with the pick-six and forced safety. Josh Noble had a team-high seven tackles and recovered a fumble. Lewis and Taveris Albury each had an interception.
Kentucky Wesleyan (0-2) returns home to Steele Stadium next Saturday to open Great Midwest play against Walsh. Kickoff is set for noon.
