WILBERFORCE, Ohio -- Notre Dame rode a monster performance by running back #Pedro Powell# and a strong performance by its defense en route to its second win as the Falcons picked up a 16-13 victory at Central State. (Box)

Powell ran wild in the rain and the mud at McPherson Stadium, having his number called 39 times and rushing for 236 yards. That performance, and a clutch field goal in damp conditions by #Jeremy Geier#, propelled the Falcons to the three-point win on the road.

The match-up in Wilberforce, Ohio, featured two squads who had lost each of its previous three games; the Central State Marauders (1-4) now head into their next game with a four-game losing streak in tow. Notre Dame (2-4) earned a better fate with what was the program's first win over a NCAA Division II squad.

Notre Dame scored on its first drive of the afternoon, with a well-executed 65-yard march down the field. Running back Pedro Powell garnered 27 rushing yards on the drive; he was the Falcons' primary weapon in moving the chains and getting NDC into Central State territory. James Flowers pounded through the line on a pair of quarterback sneaks that yielded first downs. Then, with the ball spotted on the CSU 21-yard line, the Falcon signal caller threaded a spiral into the waiting hands of Derrick Paster at the five. Paster juked and weaved through two Marauder defenders and crossed the goal line to score his second touchdown of the season.

For Notre Dame, the 65-yard drive marked its second-longest scoring drive of the season. It also made for the first occurrence this season whereby the Falcons had struck first in a game.

NDC would hold that lead until late in the second quarter.

After a James Flowers interception, the Marauders drove down the field to take a 7-6 lead when running back Josh Anderson rammed into the end zone from two yards out near the end of the half. For Anderson, the TD marked his 10th of the season. For Central State, the score and ensuing extra point put a cap on what was a disjointed, mistake-laden half for both teams.

Notre Dame turned the ball over three times and the two teams combined to commit 16 penalities (eight each) over the first 30 minutes of play. Things weren't much better in the McPherson Stadium press box, where a scoreboard clock malfunction midway through the second quarter forced the game officials to keep time on the field for the balance of the contest.

The Falcons, however, came out of the gate quickly in the second half. A 60-yard run to daylight by Pedro Powell put NDC in the end zone on its first drive in the second. That put the Falcons back on top, 13-7.

The NDC defense pitched a three-and-out on the Marauders' next drive. Then, midway through the third and with a steady rain falling, placekicker Jeremy Geier hit a key 36-yard field goal.

Moments later, however, and after a good kickoff return that gave the Marauders the ball at their own 45, CSU struck for a score of their own. That score came in the form of a 51-yard TD scamper by Josh Anderson, who got loose around the Falcons' left end. Anderson would finish the game with 122 yards on 23 carries.

Anderson's TD made the score 16-13, Notre Dame. Thanks to the strong performance of the NDC offensive line, the powerful running of Pedro Powell and the sure tackling of the Falcon defense, that score would hold up the remainder of the game.

For what would be Central State's final drive of the afternoon, NDC punter #Cayle Chapman-Brown# put the Marauders back within the shadow of its own goal line with an outstanding 50-yard, coffin-corner punt that the Falcons downed at the 4-yard line.

CSU, though, seemed to be up to the task of driving 96 yards down the field after quarterback Jeffrey Brooks completed a clutch pass on a fourth-and-6 with under five minutes remaining in the game. That successful conversion marked the first of six straight completions for Brooks, who finished the game 13-of-24 for 106 yards passing.

Those half-dozen first downs, combined with a personal foul levied against Notre Dame, got CSU's offense down to the NDC 29. The Marauders would have their last-gasp drive thwarted on a fourth-and-4 at the Notre Dame 23, when a scrambling Brooks dodged multiple tacklers before being run down by #King Malone# and #Zack Trumble# for a 2-yard loss.

For the game, the Notre Dame defense held Central State to just 221 total yards, mostly on the backbone of sure tackling and holding the Marauders to a 1-for-12 mark on third downs. Safety #Derrick Smith# was a big part of those tackles and key stops -- he made seven tackles for the game (six solo, one assist), with three of those being stuffs in the Marauder backfield. As a team, the Falcons produced seven tackles for loss. They also had a season-high five pass deflections on the afternoon; Smith was in on one of those break-ups.

Offensively for the Falcons, it was the Pedro Powell show. His 236-yard performance at CSU marked his third straight 100-yard rushing performance. Over the last three weeks, the Falcons' 5-foot-7, 190 workhorse has rambled for 447 yards on 78 carries (5.7-yard average). On Saturday, Powell's yardage was the product of what was likely the best day yet for the NDC offensive line. The left side of the line, in particular, was effective throughout the game, and many of Powell's 39 carries came behind left tackle #Cordell James# and left guard #Jared Schuster#.

For the afternoon, it was the line and Powell providing nearly 75 percent of the Notre Dame offense in the wet playing conditions. The Falcons had 243 yards on the ground and 73 through the air for a total of 316.

The real totals that Offensive Coordinator #Bill Rychel#, Head Coach #Adam Howard# and the rest of the coaches and players were interested in at the end of the game were the lighted digits on the scoreboard signaling the Falcons second victory: Notre Dame 16, Central State 13.