The Central Methodist football program secured its first win under first-year head coach Dave Brown on Saturday when the Eagles gutted out a 16-11 road victory at Culver-Stockton College.

Coach Brown and the Eagles improve to 1-1 overall, while the Wildcats remain winless at 0-3.

Central opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal from Oscar Simon in the first quarter. The offensive drive began with a sack and fumble recovery by the CMU defense on the previous possession at the CSC 24-yard line.

On their following offensive possession, the Eagles drove 83 yards in 10 plays, taking just over five minutes off the clock. CMU senior quarterback Joe Cambridge found Drake Dudley for a 23-yard touchdown catch, putting the Eagles up 10-0 early in the second quarter.

Central’s defense would hold the Wildcats scoreless in the first half, taking a 10-0 lead into the locker room at the break.

Simon added to Central’s score with a 25-yard field goal at the 9:41 mark of the third quarter to extend the lead to 13 points. He added Central’s final points early in the fourth on a 45-yard field goal make.

The Wildcats found life in the final seven minutes of the game, scoring 11 points over a span of four minutes. Culver scored a touchdown and cashed in on a two-point conversion to get on the board, then followed with a 35-yard field goal to cut Central’s lead to five.

Culver would hold Central on the following possession and had an opportunity pull ahead with a score. But the Eagles had the clock advantage. The Wildcats came as close as the CMU 31-yard line before time expired, preserving the victory for Central.

Cambridge finished the game, completing 18-of-31 passes for 295 yards and a touchdown. Dudley led the receiving corps with five catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. AJ Allen nearly cracked 100 yards, finishing the game with 97 receiving, including a 41-yard catch in the fourth quarter.

Fayette native and Eagle sophomore Garren Vroman led the rushing game with 10 carries for 46 yards, including a long of 18. Cambridge picked up 44 yards on 11 carries. Charles Johnson had 19 carries for 18 yards. 

Altogether, Central racked up 409 total yards of offense compared to 372 for Culver.

Simon was a perfect 3-for-3 on his field goal attempts and converted his lone extra-point attempt of the night.

Lontas Mcclinton and KeShawn Wilson led the defensive unit with 10 tackles each. Dylan Holt and Joseph Slattery recorded eight and seven tackles, respectively, while Slattery, Nyjahl Vaughn, and Nyles Pokipala-Walohu each forced a fumble.

The Eagles remain on the road this week with a trip to Clarke University. Saturday’s kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.