By Ryan Briggs
Grove City SID
"Some dance to remember. Some dance to forget."
-- Hotel California, Eagles (1977)
The majority of the Great Lakes Region's teams opened the 2005 season in Week 1. For some, it was a week to remember. For others, it was "one" to forget.
Nowhere is that premise more evident than in last week's projected Game of the Week, the much-anticipated Capital at Wittenberg tilt in Springfield, Ohio. Wittenberg, a preseason favorite in the North Coast Athletic Conference, suffered its first shutout loss in 13 years as Capital hung a 54-0 whitewash on the Tigers under the lights.
Capital quarterback Rocky Pentello completed 24 of 29 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns. As a team, the Crusaders piled up 519 yards of offense. Capital stormed out to a 41-0 lead by halftime and never looked back en route to the victory.
Kyle Hausler increased his career interception total to 18 while Pentello went over the 6,000-yard mark for his career.
For Wittenberg, the 54-0 defeat is bad enough. Not only did Wittenberg's at-large playoff hopes (if they don't win the NCAC) take a big hit, the Tigers will be without senior quarterback Ryan Holmes for a significant amount of time due to a first-half injury.
Holmes' injury and Capital's big early lead helped limit the effectiveness of Wittenberg running back Tristan Murray, who ran for 83 yards on 20 carries.
It gets no easier for Wittenberg, either. The Tigers will visit I-AA non-scholarship Dayton Saturday, then visit Alma Sept. 17.
Big Red Big Comeback
In 2004, Denison lost at Waynesburg in the season opener 73-0. This year, Denison's scoreless streak against the Yellow Jackets continued into the third quarter of this year's tussle in Granville, Ohio, as Waynesburg owned a 17-0 lead.
However, Denison rallied this time, earning a 21-17 win and spoiling Rick Shepas' debut as Waynesburg head coach.
Quarterback Larry Cappetto put Denison on the board with a 39-yard touchdown run with four minutes left in the third period. Early in the fourth, Cappetto tossed a 16-yard pass to Zack Brent, cutting the lead to 17-14. Moments later, Andrew Terlecky intercepted a pass and returned it 31 yards for the eventual game-winning touchdown.
"A come-from-behind victory against a great team like that says a lot about the kids and their character," Denison coach Nick Fletcher said.
It is Waynesburg's first Opening Day loss since 2000. It is Denison's first Week One win since beating Carnegie Mellon, 21-20, seven years ago.
Waynesburg accumulated 26 first downs and owned an 11-minute edge in time of possession. Each team committed five turnovers. Waynesburg did miss three field goals, also.
Bulldog Mentality
Adrian opened 2005 in memorable fashion Saturday, crushing visiting Heidelberg 61-14. The Bulldogs piled up 582 yards of offense, including 330 through the air.
Chris Clay ran for 114 yards and three touchdowns on just seven carries while quarterback Randy Hutchison threw for 270 yards and two scores. He also ran for a third touchdown.
Even the Adrian defense got into the scoring act as standout linebacker Taz Wallace intercepted a pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.
No room for diplomacy in Bethany
Who is the hottest team in the PAC? Bethany! After closing 2004 with a win over Defiance, the Bison opened 2005 with a 34-21 upset of visiting Franklin and Marshall Saturday.
Bethany harassed the Diplomats into six turnovers Saturday, including five interceptions. Dan Scriver picked off two passes while three different Bison players threw touchdown passes. Starting quarterback Brian Wineberg went 7 of 11 for 139 yards and a score while No. 2 quarterback Brent Owens also threw a touchdown pass.
Even wide receiver Milton Joyner got into the act, throwing a 72-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Parker. Joyner's passer rating is a robust 1034.80.
�Hos' The Boss
Ohio Northern punt returner Wes Hostetler accumulated 243 yards and a pair of touchdowns Saturday as the Polar Bears rolled Westminster, 48-3, at Harold Burry Stadium.
Hostetler returned a Titan punt 83 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, then capped ONU's scoring in the third period with a 79-yard punt return for touchdown.
Meanwhile, the Polar Bear defense held the Titans to 149 yards of offense and sacked Westminster quarterbacks six times. Defensive end Jason Trusnik recorded 2.5 sacks, giving him 29 for his career. That ties the ONU career record.
"We are very pleased, this was a good start," second-year ONU head coach Dean Paul said. "There were a lot of unknowns entering this game and I thought we performed well."
Pulling One From the Fire
Baldwin-Wallace forced overtime with a late touchdown, then scored in the extra session to top visiting Allegheny, 23-17, Saturday night at George Finnie Stadium.
Mike DiAngelo fired a 22-yard touchdown pass to Tom Murphy with 71 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 17-17. In overtime, B-W took the lead on Brandon Hedges' 8-yard touchdown run.
The Yellow Jackets then sealed the win as Jake Knipp intercepted a Jimmy Savage pass in the end zone.
Baldwin-Wallace's Ryan Lewis sacked Savage four times on the night, including once in overtime. Both teams struggled on third down. Allegheny made four of 16 opportunities while Baldwin-Wallace made just two of 13.
An Allegheny victory would have been a big feather in the NCAC's cap but Baldwin-Wallace emerged as one of six OAC schools to win non-conference games Saturday.
Sometimes it just doesn't quite add up
For some teams Saturday, the box score doesn't quite indicate a team's success in terms of wins and losses. Here are a few examples:
Case Western Reserve: Case Western had just eight first downs and was outgained 314-195. But Case still pulled out a 30-27 win at Oberlin Saturday. Neither team committed a turnover.
Otterbein: The Cardinals ran for just 15 yards against Defiance Saturday night at Westerville North High School but Otterbein pulled out a 14-0 win in its home opener. Otterbein's defense held Defiance to just 122 total yards and nine first downs.
Grove City: Grove City featured two 100-yard rushers in the same game for the first time in five years but dropped a 24-21 verdict at Manchester Saturday. Matt Weil ran for a career-high 131 yards while Adam Wargo added a career-high 106 yards but the Spartans snapped their 11-game losing streak.
Wilmington: The Quakers limited defending HCAC champion Mount St. Joseph to just 111 total yards, minus-21 rushing yards and forced two safeties. Yet, Wilmington still came out on the short end, 21-18, in a clash of southwest Ohio schools.
Around the MIAA
Tri-State opened 2005 by sustaining a 42-0 loss to consensus Top-10 selection Washington and Jefferson ... Albion and Wisconsin Lutheran opened their seasons against I-AA non-scholarship teams -- with varying results ... Albion topped Butler, 28-23, despite being on the short end of a 37:40-22:20 time of possession differential ... Steve Wasil threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns ... Wisconsin Lutheran yielded 296 yards rushing to Valparaiso in dropping a 17-3 verdict.
Around the NCAC
Ohio Wesleyan carried over the momentum of last year's strong finish into a 30-14 season-opening win over Franklin Saturday ... Quarterback Ryan Sir Louis ran for two touchdowns and also completed 13 of 18 passes for 165 yards ... Earlham quarterback Justin Rummell threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns but Earlham dropped a 48-41 decision at home to Rose-Hulman ... Earlham rallied from a 41-21 deficit to tie the game at 41-all before Rose-Hulman scored ... Hiram fell at Carnegie Mellon, 45-0, as the Tartans rolled out to a 28-0 lead just 14 minutes into the game.
Around the OAC
Mount Union won its 105th straight regular-season game Saturday, topping Washington University 33-7. Purple Raider quarterbacks Mike Jorris and Randy Mason combined to complete 31 of 40 attempts for 297 yards and three touchdowns.
Marietta spoiled Don Montgomery's debut as Emory and Henry head coach Saturday as the Pioneers picked up a 25-7 home win. Marietta limited E&H to minus-6 yards rushing in the victory ... Muskingum fell at home against defending NCAC champion Wooster, 13-10, as the Muskies unveiled their new ProGrass playing surface.
Around the PAC
Thomas More's first season in the PAC started slowly as the Saints fell to Hanover, 12-7 ... Washington and Jefferson rolled past Tri-State, 42-0, as All-American Aaron Krepps scored three first-half touchdowns ... Linebacker Mike Sklarsky had 2.5 of the Prexies's seven sacks ... The PAC unveiled a new website, www.pacathletics.org, last week.
Game of the Week
Hope at John Carroll: Two of the region's elite programs square off Saturday afternoon in University Heights. Hope captured last year's meeting, 21-20, and this one could very well turn out to be just as thrilling. It is both teams' season opener.
Other Games of Note
Hanover at Washington and Jefferson: Midwest power Hanover visits historic Cameron Stadium Saturday to take on No. 7 Washington and Jefferson. The Presidents routed another Indiana team, Tri-State, last week while Hanover trimmed a PAC foe, Thomas More, 12-7.
Franklin at Olivet: Another interregional battle as these two teams square off for the first time since their 63-62 slugfest last season, won by Olivet.
Thomas More at Bethany -- Conference play begins Saturday in the Region as PAC newcomer visits Bethany. Can the Bison extend their win streak to three or will the Saints take the early lead in the PAC?
