It’s not February and this isn’t the NFL, but it’s still the Souper Bowl. On the night of Sept. 29, the Quaker football squad faced off against their biggest rivals, the Greensboro College Pride in the 11th annual Gate City Souper Bowl. Approaching Saturday night, the series was tied 5-5, with the Quakers winning the past two Bowls.

The Souper Bowl, which joins both college communities in an effort to feed the hungry, gets its name from the canned food drive that is held before the game with the Urban Ministry Church and Food Assistance Inc. The cost of admission is waived for those who bring two non-perishable items of food to the game.

Last year’s match came down to the wire and went into double over-time. While Saturday’s game ended during regulation, the level of intensity was equally high.

The referee blew his whistle, and they were off.

The Pride got the ball first and scored a touchdown their opening drive. The power of Quarterback Josh Vogelbach’s arm, coupled with three Pride penalties in the first minute and a half of the Quaker’s initial possession, allowed Vogelbach to connect with wide receiver Joe Joyner for a touchdown. Two and a half minutes into the game, it was 7-7.

Four minutes later, the Pride fumbled at midfield and the Quakers regained possession. After a few short passes, Vogelbach went deep to wide receiver Hagen Miller for another touchdown. Before the Quakers had a chance to celebrate, the extra point kick was blocked and the Pride’s Richard Burton sprinted 79 yards down the field into the Quaker end zone. Quakers 13, Pride 9.

The Pride blitzed Vogelbach for the entire first half, but his performance was unshaken. Despite the constant pressure and help from the offensive line, Vogelbach connected once more with Joyner for a touchdown before the half ended. Although the Pride scored once more, the Quaker defense, which struggled during the past four games, gave up only 16 points in the first half.

During the third, the Quakers were up 27-16. The Guilford offense quickly drove down the field and Vogelbach connected with Joyner for his third scoring reception of the game. Feeling the pressure of the Quaker defense, the Pride failed to score on their next drive.

Guilford then capitalized on the Pride’s tiring defensive line during their next possession, as senior Zach Bobak ran for a one-yard touchdown near the end of the quarter. The extra point was good. Quakers 41, Pride 16. Four minutes before the final quarter began, the Pride’s Torey Lowe rushed to the end zone once again, making it 41-23.

The Quakers didn’t score in the final quarter of the game, but the Pride did. Twice. All of a sudden, with less than six minutes to play, the Pride trailed by less than one possession.

During the final minutes of play, Vogelbach continued to complete his passes and the defense wouldn’t allow the Pride to put another point on the scoreboard. At the end of the game, the Quakers came out on top, and beat the Pride for the third year in a row, 41-35.

Winning any game is a team effort, and all players and coaches deserve recognition. But at the end of this year’s Gate City Souper Bowl, Josh Vogelbach is the MVP for the second time in three years. He had 48 completions for 432 yards and threw five touchdown passes.

At the end of the night, the Quakers led the Gate City Souper Bowl series 6-5 and their season record stands at 4-1. This marks their best start since 1997.