Junior Makael Carter celebrates a first down. Carter recorded 81 yards and caught a touchdown in the win. (Jessi Szafoni | Contributing Photographer)

When former head coach Larry Kindbom was at the helm of WashU football, he instituted a “shutout board” in the locker room. The concept is simple: Every time the Bears win without giving up a point, the game gets written on the board. 

The shutout board dates back to the days when current head coach Aaron Keen was the Bears’ starting quarterback. On Saturday, Sept. 6, Keen led his team to a shutout win for the second time as head coach, adding his name to the board with a 49-0 win over Rhodes College.

“We take a lot of pride in getting a shutout, because it’s a team deal,” Keen said. “I’m really happy for all of our players that we got the reward of a shutout, and now we get to add another one to the board.” 

The Bears came out firing. Junior quarterback Levi Moore drove the WashU offense downfield on the opening drive, after the defense forced a Rhodes punt. After a long drive, senior running back Fred Ware found the end zone for the first WashU score of the season. WashU forced a three-and-out on the Lynx’s next drive, and Moore cashed in with his own rushing touchdown on the ensuing Bears possession.

Two snaps later, junior linebacker Joy Chane intercepted an errant Rhodes pass, giving WashU immediate possession. On the next play, Moore unleashed a deep ball to junior receiver Makael Carter, giving WashU the ball at the 3-yard line. Moore capitalized on the opportunity for his second rushing touchdown of the game. In his first season as the Bears’ starting quarterback, Moore showed off his talents both on the ground and in the air, throwing for 117 yards and rushing for 65.

“I thought [Moore] played outstanding football from the jump, and he executed really well, early in the game,” Keen said. “Our opponents have to defend him and do things a little bit differently, and that makes the rest of our offense a lot better.”

By the end of the first quarter, WashU boasted a three-score lead. On the first play of the second quarter, senior defensive back Ryan Schmadtke recorded an interception, and Moore connected with Carter to bring the score to 28-0 on the next Bears drive. Moore and Ware both recorded rushing touchdowns of their own in the second frame, and at the half, WashU had doubled their lead.

“We have a lot of read-option plays that either me or Levi [Moore] can swing,” Ware said. “With those plays, the two of us can always contribute.”

After the half, Keen gave his starters the rest of the night off to give his second and third-string players an opportunity. On the first drive of the second half, sophomore quarterback Alexander Singh connected with first-year receiver Avery Lazard for a touchdown. While it was the last score of the game for either side, Keen credited his younger players for adding their mark to the dominating victory. 

“It’s a really great opportunity for our younger guys to run our offense, and they’re going to grow a lot from it,” he said. 

A student crowd of over 1,200 cheers on WashU football during their season-opening victory. (Ella Giere | Photo Editor)

WashU football had not played a night game under the Francis Olympic Field lights since the 2021 season. WashU also boasted the largest attendance for a game outside of Parent and Family Weekend since the 2019 season. The crowd of over 2,000 included 1,200 students, many of whom were drawn to the game by dueling promotions by Student Union, the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC), and the Office of Student Affairs. The large student presence at the game added a home-field advantage that helped the Bears win in such commanding fashion.

“It was amazing,” Ware said of the crowd. “It was awesome seeing all the students in the crowd. It’s really energizing to see all of our fans here.”

Football goes into an early bye week before traveling to Carroll University on Sept. 20. Their next home game, on Sept. 27, will be against Division III’s defending national champions, North Central College. While it’s still early in the season, Keen hopes that the Bears can carry the energy and momentum from the shutout win into the next few weeks.

“The biggest improvement you make as a football team is from week one to week two. We’re fortunate, because we have a bye week here, so it’s really week one to week three,” Keen said. “So we’ll have practices where we’ll get better in all phases of the game, and that time is going to be really valuable.”