ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The RV Washington University in St. Louis football team improved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the CCIW after blowing by Carthage, 65-16, on Saturday afternoon at Francis Olympic Field.
 
The 65 Bears' points are the most scored since 2015 when WashU beat Millsaps 70-32.
 
WashU received to start the game and went five plays before Carthage's Tanner Ludwig intercepted the ball at the 45. The Firebirds went on to score on their ensuing drive.
 
Bryce Frank ran for a loss of four but quarterback Bryce Lowe followed with a 12-yard pass to Gavin Betts. Lowe's next pass to Jackson Westmoreland for 31 yards was the first touchdown of the game and Mugdim Kreho's extra-point kick was good, putting Carthage up 7-0.
 
The Bears wasted no time in answering as junior Fred Ware ran for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive. Sophomore Ross Muchnick's kick was good for a 7-7 game.
 
Carthage punted on its next possession and the Bears went on to score, starting at their own six yard line. Senior Kenvorris Campbell ran for three yards, but the Bears were pushed back five yards after being whistled for holding.
 
Campbell picked up another yard and then moved up 15 yards following a personal foul on Carthage. Ware picked up 16 yards on three runs before Campbell unleashed for a 63-yard touchdown run. Muchnick's kick was good, putting WashU up 14-7 with 4:51 remaining in the first quarter.
 
After a quick four-and-out for Carthage, the Bears began a drive at the 32. Stephens connected with senior Collin Goldberg for a six-yard pass and Ware picked up seven yards and a first down. Stephens hit graduate student Collin Hoyhtya for an eight-yard pass and Ware closed out the quarter with 18 yards on three carries.
 
WashU opened the second quarter with three-straight runs from Campbell, including a 13-yard touchdown run at 13:37. Muchnick's kick was good, putting the Bears ahead 21-7.
 
The Bears defense forced another punt on Carthage's next drive, setting WashU up for another touchdown run.
 
At second-and-10, Ware picked up seven yards before Stephens hit Makael Carter for a 62-yard touchdown run with 10:26 on the clock. Muchnick's kick was good, making it a 28-7 game.
 
The Bears made it a 35-7 game on their next drive, which started with a one-yard rush from Campbell. Stephens found senior Taidhgin Trost for a 21-yard pass and a first down at the 50. Campbell followed with back-to-back runs for seven and four yards, respectively, before the Firebirds called a timeout.
 
Ware ran for seven yards out of the timeout before Stephens launched a 32-yard touchdown pass to Trost. Muchnick's kick was good for the Bears.
 
On WashU's next possession, the ball was fumbled and recovered by the Firebirds who then took it down to the seven-yard line and set up for a 25-yard field goal. Eric Antkiewicz's kick was good, making it a 35-10 game at the half.
 
Carthage opened the second half with a punt, setting up another WashU touchdown.
 
Campbell ran on the first five plays of the drive, totaling 20 yards and two first downs. Stephens connected with Hoyhtya for a 25-yard pass and then hit graduate student Grant Hajicek for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Muchnick's kick was good, putting WashU ahead 42-10.
 
On the Firebirds' next possession, Lowe hit Westmoreland for a 51-yard touchdown pass. Carthage attempted a two-point conversion but a penalty moved them back 15 yards. The Firebirds then attempted an extra-point kick, which was blocked by first-year Jack Middleton and recovered by Hajicek.
 
On the kickoff, Carter returned it for 34 yards to the 39 and Ware unleashed for a 61-yard touchdown on the opening play of the drive. The Bears attempted a two-point conversion, which failed, making it a 48-16 game.
 
On Carthage's next drive, the punt never got off and the punter was tackled at the seven, setting up the Bears for an easy touchdown run.
 
Sophomore Matthew Kinoshita ran for six yards and finished it off with the one-yard touchdown run. Muchnick's kick was good for a 55-16 Bears' lead.
 
WashU began the final drive of the third quarter with back-to-back rushes from Kinoshita for four yards. Junior quarterback Luke Johnston ran the ball for 14 yards and a first down and then hit sophomore Colin Donahue for a 19-yard pass and a first down.
 
Johnson ran the ball for the first four yards of the fourth quarter and Kinoshita picked up a first down with a seven-yard gain. Kinoshita added seven more yards on two carries before Johnston and Donahue connected for three yards and a first down.
 
Kinoshita picked up four yards before a WashU time out. The Bears lined up for a 22-yard field goal and Muchnick hit it, making it a 58-16 game.
 
The Bears scored their final touchdown of the game with 5:27 remaining.
 
Every play of the drive was carried by sophomore Cal Newell, starting with a 13-yard run and a first down at the 36. He then had two runs of nine yards each and added another eight yards. He scored the first touchdown of his career on a 10-yard gain. Muchnick's kick was good, making it 65-16 which held to the end.
 
The Bears racked up 672 yards of total offense (465 rushing, 207 passing) while Carthage had 253 (61 rushing, 192 passing).
 
Ware led the rushing game with a career-high 221 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns, including a 75-yard run and a 61-yard run. Campbell had 137 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns.
 
Carter led the receivers with 62 yards on one reception and a touchdown. Trost had 53 yards on two catches with a touchdown.
 
Defensively, junior Ryan Schmadtke and first-year Conner Durkin each had four tackles. Senior Grant Purdy, sophomore Salomon Dessalines, junior Joseph Norris, junior Brady Willmer and Middleton each had three tackles. Middleton had two tackles for a loss.
 
The Bears make the trip to Elmhurst next Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff and return home for back-to-back games against Wheaton on Oct. 26 (Military Appreciation Day) and Millikin on Nov. 2 (Parent and Family Weekend).