By Ryan Briggs
Grove City SID
For the second consecutive week, blowouts ruled throughout the Great Lakes Region. Wabash opened the North Coast Athletic Conference schedule with a 46-0 pasting of Earlham. Wooster stayed unbeaten with a 49-7 win over Case Western Reserve while Capital lowered the boom on Heidelberg 38-0.
In the Presidents' Athletic Conference, Washington and Jefferson set a Division III record with 49 points in the first quarter en route to a 76-28 dismantling of Emory and Henry.
Washington and Jefferson led 35-0 just six minutes into the game as Aaron Krepps and R.J. Zitzelsberger each scored twice in that span. Krepps' first score came on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Chris Edwards. Two minutes later, Krepps returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown.
Edwards fired an 80-yard touchdown strike to Jon Miller while Zitzelsberger ran 16 yards for one score and caught a 14-yard touchdown from Edwards. Edwards finished the game 7-for-8 for 241 yards and four touchdowns. The Presidents led 69-7 at the half.
"It was pretty surprising," second-year head coach Mike Sirianni told the Washington Observer-Reporter. "I never expected this."
It is Washington and Jefferson's highest point total since the Presidents nipped Dickinson, 105-0, 90 years ago.
Anything you can do, I can do better
Washington and Jefferson scored 21 points in a 60-second span of the first quarter. Baldwin-Wallace only needed 43 seconds to hang 21 points on the board at Wilmington on Saturday, sparking the Yellow Jackets' 31-7 victory in OAC action.
Baldwin-Wallace broke a scoreless tie with 7:14 left in the first quarter as Mike DiAngelo pitched a 39-yard touchdown pass to Dave Ehrman. Wilmington fumbled on its next play from scrimmage, giving B-W the football at the Quaker 26. The Yellow Jackets reached into the latter portion of the playbook on the first and only play of the ensuing drive as Tom Murphy tossed a touchdown pass to Scott Kovelan on a reverse pass, extending the lead to 14-0.
Again, Wilmington turned the ball over on its first scrimmage play as Jake Knipp intercepted a Cam Marsh pass at the Quaker 40 and returned it to the end zone for a 21-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets added 10 more first-half points and held a 31-0 lead at the break. Ten Baldwin-Wallace receivers caught at least one pass.
Grand slam
Mount Union has scored four defensive touchdowns over the last two weeks. Saturday night, Mike Gibbons returned a fumble 16 yards for a score and Anthony Frate returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown in the Purple Raiders' 41-10 win at Otterbein.
Otterbein held Mount Union quarterback Zac Bruney to just 10 of 22 passing and limited the Purple Raider offense to 366 yards. Still, Mount Union earned its 97th straight regular season win and 87th straight victory over an OAC foe. You will be hard-pressed to find a better 1-2 team than Otterbein. The Cardinals gave Capital all they wanted before falling 24-17 in the OAC opener.
Schrock solid
Hope senior wide receiver Jake Schrock hauled in four touchdown catches (24, 36, 38 and 58 yards) in the Dutchmen's 45-28 home loss to Wheaton. He finished the day with five catches for 170 yards.
"Solid" is not an adjective one would use to describe Hope's defensive effort on Saturday, however. Wheaton tore through the Hope defense for 680 total yards, 35 first downs, 39-plus minutes of possession and 99 total plays.
Vitamin K
Kalamazoo broke into the win column for the first time this year, clobbering Kenyon on Friday night at Mount Vernon (Ohio) High School, 48-17. Quarterback Tim Kaselitz threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns while completing 20 of 29 attempts. Kalamazoo broke the game open early in the second half as Charlie Burnham returned the second half kickoff 88 yards for a score, extending the visitors' lead to 34-10.
Kenyon gained 399 yards of offense, led by Alby Coombs' 115 rushing yards and 226 passing yards from Nick Stalick.
Pick three
Thiel free safety Kennard Davis intercepted three passes Saturday as the Tomcats took the early lead in the Presidents' Athletic Conference with a 28-14 win at Bethany on Saturday.
Offensively, Thiel running back Steve Minton became the first Tomcat back to rush for over 100 yards in consecutive games since Curtis Jones in 1995. Minton ran for 182 yards on 27 carries in helping the Tomcats win at Bethany for the first time since 1990. Meanwhile, receiver Brandon Chambers had nine catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns.
Break up the Big Red
After sustaining a 64-0 loss to Waynesburg in the season opener, it looked as if 2004 might be a very long season for Denison. But the Big Red has made a 180-degree turn since then. Saturday, the Big Red went to Gettysburg and picked up a 35-23 victory. Quarterback Larry Cappetto threw for 315 yards and four touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Zach Brent caught 11 passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns.
Denison is 2-1 for the first time in a dozen years. Extending the winning streak to three will be tough, though, as the Big Red opens conference play against Wittenberg.
Not quite seventh heaven
Seven players have scored touchdowns for Oberlin this year. No doubt about it, balance is great. Unfortunately, no Oberlin player has more than one touchdown this year as seven Yeomen share the team lead in scoring with six points. Oberlin fell at home to Rose-Hulman 40-14 on Saturday.
Better get there early
Wabash has not allowed a point in the second, third or fourth quarter this season. The Little Giants have yielded 10 first-quarter points in three games. Defensively, Wabash is allowing just 39.7 yards per game rushing and 1.4 yards per attempt. Conversely, the Little Giant offense averages 175 yards per game on the ground.
As has been proven many times before, teams that can run the ball and stop the run have a good chance to still be practicing around Thanksgiving.
OK Oing
John Carroll running back Brandon Oing ran for a career-high 186 yards and scored twice as the Blue Streaks snapped a three-game skid with a 20-3 win over previously unbeaten Marietta on Saturday night at Don Shula Stadium. It was the first on-campus night game in John Carroll history.
Oing helped a balanced John Carroll offense outgain Marietta, 413-82. John Carroll owned a ridiculous 42-18 edge in time of possession in improving to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the OAC. Marietta is now 2-1, 1-1 in the conference.
Around the MIAA
Adrian smacked Bluffton 30-3 in the Bulldogs' final non-conference game. ... Adrian outgained the Beavers 487-109 and scored the final 27 points of the game. ... Like Adrian, Olivet improved to 3-0 with a 49-13 win against Manchester. ... Olivet led 42-13 at the half. ... Albion raised its record to 2-1 by pulling out a 31-26 win over Millikin. The Britons trailed 13-0 in the first quarter but rallied for the win. Dustin Louwaert became the first Briton back to rush for over 100 yards since 2002. ... Tri-State scored a season-high 35 points but the Thunder fell to Franklin, 49-35. ... The Thunder allowed 567 yards of offense and makes its MIAA debut against Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday.
Around the NCAC
Wooster won its 10th consecutive non-conference game by downing Case Western Reserve 49-7. ... Punt returner Keith Adams returned nine punts for a Wooster-record 194 yards. ... Jered Glover caught three touchdown passes to help Wittenberg get past Huntingdon, 45-27. ... Glover caught six passes for 119 yards. ... Safety Adam Hewitt picked off a pair of passes for the Tigers. ... Allegheny begins defense of their NCAC title against Wooster.
Around the OAC
Capital rolled up 504 yards in downing Heidelberg 38-0. ... Ohio Northern dedicated Dial-Roberson Stadium on Saturday prior to the Polar Bears' 31-11 win against Muskingum. ... Ohio Northern has not trailed at Dial-Roberson this season.
Around the PAC
Westminster improved to 2-2 with a come-from-behind 23-13 victory at Thomas More on Saturday. ... Scott Froelich ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns. ... Things must be tough at Thomas More -- Westminster was instructed to bring its own string for the Titans' press box and sideline passes. ... Waynesburg fell from the ranks of the unbeaten and out of this week's Top 25 with a 34-31 loss at Hanover. ... Grove City dropped to 2-2 with a 27-3 loss at Muhlenberg. All-America candidate Mike Choby had 15 tackles for the Wolverines.
Games to watch
No. 1 Mount Union at No. 4 Capital, 1:30 p.m.: The Purple Raiders have emerged through three weeks unscathed. Will Capital prove to be a major obstacle or just another OAC speed bump? The winner has the inside track towards the conference title.
Washington and Jefferson at Thiel, 1:30 p.m.: Thiel has the early lead in the PAC after its 28-14 win at Bethany Saturday. Washington and Jefferson is the conference's lone undefeated team. The Tomcats have come close against Washington and Jefferson each of the past two years but have not beaten the Red and Black since 1981.
Alma at Olivet, 1 p.m.: A definite contrast in style will be on display at the Cutler Athletic Complex. Alma's "Scotgun" offense is averaging 39 points and 344 passing yards per game. Olivet is averaging 538 yards rushing per game and 63 points per game. Alma has thrown 132 passes this year; the Comets have put it in the air 20 times.
Allegheny at Wooster, 1 p.m.: Allegheny begins defense of its NCAC crown against one of the preseason favorites, Wooster. The Gators also have trips to Ohio Wesleyan, Wabash and Wittenberg waiting on the schedule. Wooster is seeking its first outright NCAC title.
