Quarterback Levi Moore evades defenders in a win against Millikin University last week (Sydney Strominger | Contributing Photographer)

In the closing minutes of the WashU football team’s matchup against North Park University, sophomore quarterback Levi Moore found himself scrambling. 

The game was tied, and the Bears needed to find some late magic to defeat an upstart Vikings team. Pressured deep into the backfield on a first down try, Moore found senior running back Ken Hamilton open. Hamilton ran 25 yards after the catch for a first down. Two plays later, he ran into the end zone to give WashU the lead with just 48 seconds left. The Bears held that lead, defeating North Park 28-21 on Nov. 9.

In the win, Moore threw for one touchdown and ran for two more. The sophomore has started every game for WashU since an Oct. 19 win against Elmhurst, and he has only looked stronger with more experience. 

“I think we all knew what we had with Levi [Moore], and there were flashes of it in his freshman year and earlier this year,” head coach Aaron Keen said after the Bears’ win over Millikin University last week. “He’s been throwing the ball well all year, so it’s great to see him succeed on a game-day Saturday.” 

WashU has historically dominated North Park, with its only loss to the Vikings occurring in a 2011 non-conference tilt. Still, North Park had a successful season, recording impressive wins against Augustana College and Carroll University. The Vikings, who finished sixth in the conference last season, have been in the fight for the top of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) standings this year. With its win, WashU clinched third place in the CCIW. 

WashU and North Park traded quick drives to start the game. With 8 minutes and 19 seconds left in the first quarter, the Vikings got possession after forcing a WashU punt. North Park completed a quick pass, but junior Caiden Hill forced the Vikings receiver to fumble. WashU recovered the ball, and after five straight run plays, Moore found the end zone for the game’s first score. 

North Park, however, responded on the next drive. The Vikings ran a screen pass, and the North Park receiver evaded the WashU defense for a 64-yard touchdown. Since joining the CCIW in 2018, the Bears beat the Vikings by more than three touchdowns in each matchup. This year, though, the new-look North Park squad held its own against the Bears. 

“In practice this week, we emphasized that North Park was a team that was going to be very excited to play us,” senior cornerback Zach Ginsburg said. “We didn’t want to overlook them, and Coach Keen made sure we practiced as hard as we could all week.” 

Both defenses stood tall for the remainder of the first quarter. To start the second frame, senior receiver Collin Goldberg cracked the Viking defenders on a 39-yard punt return. Moore connected with Goldberg for a 35-yard completion two plays later, and the quarterback ran into the end zone for his second rushing score of the day. Later in the second, North Park evened the score at 14-14 after a seven-minute drive.

The Bears received the second-half kickoff and immediately drove down the field. After a completion on third-and-11 in the red zone was too short for a first down, Keen elected to go for the fourth down conversion. Moore’s pass was incomplete, but a pass interference call on Goldberg gave WashU a new set of downs. Goldberg caught his next target in the end zone, giving the Bears the lead back in the third. 

For most of the fourth quarter, North Park had the ball. The Vikings converted a six-minute drive in the middle of the quarter for a touchdown, tying the game at 21 with just seven minutes left. The Bears and Vikings traded three-and-outs, but WashU was able to break through on their next drive. WashU got the ball with two minutes and 43 seconds left, and Moore immediately connected with Goldberg and graduate student Collin Hoyhtya to set up Hamilton’s big play. North Park was forced to burn its timeouts, and the Bears took the lead on Hamilton’s 12-yard run with 43 seconds left. 

With one last chance to win, North Park drove down the field. The Vikings were able to convert three short out-route passes — getting out of bounds each time — but on a deep try with 16 seconds left, Ginsburg leaped for a game-clinching interception. 

Ginsburg is one of many WashU players who has played on both offense and defense this season. A receiver by trade, the senior from Corte Madera, Calif. has played more cornerback than wideout this season.

“We got a lot of injuries when the season started, so Coach Keen talked to me and a few other guys and said he might need us in some other spots,” Ginsburg said. “I just wanted to help out as much as possible, and that meant probably taking more snaps on defense than offense.” 

With the victory, WashU has likely earned a spot in the Culver’s Isthmus Bowl, a postseason game between the best teams in the CCIW and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) to not make the NCAA tournament. The Bears will play in the Isthmus Bowl as long as No. 23 Wheaton College makes the tournament. On Nov. 23 in Sun Prairie, Wis., WashU will likely face the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, or the University of Wisconsin-Stout. 

The Bears have one more home game remaining, playing host to Augustana College on Nov. 16. WashU lost to Augustana last season for the first time in five matchups against Augustana. Next Saturday, the Bears have the opportunity to get revenge on Augustana and clinch an eight-win season for the ninth time in program history. 

“If the Isthmus Bowl is a possibility, that’s exciting. But it’s Augustana this week,” Ginsburg said. “[Augustana] has given us some good games in the past, so I’m sure they’ll come out with their best effort next week.”