By Ryan Briggs
Grove City SID
I would like to apologize to all of the loyal readers out there for the tardiness of this week's column. It's been a busy week in the field of sports information, so unfortunately, I have been sidetracked.
The first weekend of competition throughout the Great Lakes Region came and went Saturday. No real surprises jumped up, although a few finals scores turned out to be a little more lopsided that one might have anticipated.
Washington & Jefferson fell at home against South Region foe Salisbury, 32-14, while Wittenberg absorbed a 57-7 lashing at the hands of Capital in an NCAC-OAC clash.
Allegheny opened 2006 the same way it finished 2005: with an impressive win. The Gators rolled past Westminster, 35-10. Action throughout the MIAA was rather sparse but Albion earned an impressive 31-10 win over Division I-AA non-scholarship Butler.
Meanwhile, both of the region's UAA members earned wins over NCAC foes.
Capital punishment
One year after dealing Wittenberg a 54-0 loss on its home field, Capital nearly replicated that effort by rolling to a 57-7 win over the Tigers on Saturday afternoon in Bexley.
Capital stormed out to a 43-0 halftime lead, scoring those 43 points in less than 21 minutes. Running back Jeremy Mulkey ran for a career-high four touchdowns while senior quarterback Rocky Pentello (yes, he's still at Capital) completed 25 of 32 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns.
Capital led 57-0 before Wittenberg broke up the shutout with four minutes left. The Crusaders limited Wittenberg to just 99 total yards of offense.
Eight is Enough
Allegheny won a season opener for the first time since 1997 Saturday, rolling past Westminster, 35-10, at sloppy Memorial Field in New Wilmington, Pa.
Allegheny harassed the youthful Westminster offense into six turnovers, including four fumbles. Westminster started freshman Kevin Franz at quarterback and Nick McKolosky at halfback. Franz threw for 163 yards while McKolosky ran for 61 yards on 15 attempts.
Devin Cruea led the Allegheny defense with three fumble recoveries. Offensively, Allegheny amassed 443 total yards and owned a nine-minute edge in time of possession.
Allegheny started 2005 0-6 before closing with three wins in the final four weeks. That momentum has obviously carried over into 2006.
Virginia is for victories
Two OAC teams traveled to the Commonwealth of Virginia Saturday for inter-regional season openers. Mount Union rolled to a 64-7 win over Danville-based Averett while Marietta secured a 28-20 win at Emory & Henry in Emory, Va.
Once again, Mount Union's offense operated efficiently, amassing 603 total yards. Senior quarterback Mike Jorris was nearly perfect, completing 16 of 18 passes for 276 yards. Five of his 16 completions went for touchdowns.
Wide receiver Pierre Garcon, who made an immediate impact in his first year at Mount Union last year, hauled in seven passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
"We have a veteran squad coming back offensively," Jorris said. "The coaches prepared us well, and with the playmakers we have, we were able to get a good flow going and execute."
The victory is Mount Union's 57th straight win on the road. It is also head coach Larry Kehres' 232nd career win.
Meanwhile, first-year Marietta head coach Curt Wiese earned his first win as a head coach as the Pioneers rallied from a 14-13 halftime deficit at Emory & Henry.
Quarterback Jason Vrable threw for 374 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the Marietta offense. Jason Curry hauled in seven passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. However, it was Sean Callahan's blocked punt at the E&H 29 that helped Marietta take control in the third quarter. Two plays after Callahan's block, Joe Webb scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to give Marietta a 19-14 lead.
Fighting Scots' fast start
Wooster roared to a 24-0 halftime lead against visiting John Carroll before holding on for a 30-22 win over the Blue Streaks in an NCAC-OAC clash at John P. Papp Stadium Saturday.
Quarterback Justin Schafer fired a pair of touchdown passes in the first half while Jordan Ferns returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to help spark the Scots. Ferns also caught a nine-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter from Schafer.
Quarterback Mark Petruziello rallied John Carroll in the second half, throwing for 124 yards and three touchdowns over the final 30 minutes.
For Wooster, it is the Scots' ninth opening-day win in 10 years. John Carroll has dropped two straight openers after having won 13 consecutive lidlifters from 1991-2003.
More grit than glitter
Thiel sent a message to future PAC rival Geneva Saturday night by pulling out a 7-0 win over the host Golden Tornadoes at Reeves Stadium in Beaver Falls, Pa. Steve Minton's 1-yard touchdown plunge with 57 seconds left in the first half accounted for all of the scoring.
Thiel limited Geneva, a top-20 NAIA team, to just 54 rushing yards on 26 attempts. Thiel quarterback Billy Blankenship completed 18 of 27 attempts for 170 yards in his first collegiate start. The Tomcats also owned a 14-minute edge in time of possession.
Despite a road win, Thiel slipped out of this week's Top 25.
Catch-22
Salisbury scored 22 unanswered points in the second half en route to its 32-14 win over Washington & Jefferson at historic Cameron Stadium Saturday afternoon. Salisbury gashed the Presidents for 352 rushing yards. Meanwhile, W&J managed just 22 rushing yards. Quarterback Bobby Swallow made his first career start for the Presidents and threw for 157 yards.
UAA-plus
Both Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve opened their seasons with wins Saturday. CMU slogged past host Hiram, 27-6, as junior fullback Travis Sivek ran for 104 yards and a touchdown. Halfback Robert Gimson sealed the Tartans' win with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Case trailed Oberlin 23-12 with seven minutes left in regulation. However, the Spartans scored twice to force overtime, then won on Dan Whalen's 1-yard touchdown run. With Case trailing 23-12, Whalen tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Joe Brenner. Whalen then found Brenner for the two-point conversion, closing the gap to 23-20 with 6:35 left.
Case then forced overtime on Brian Calderone's 26-yard field goal with just 21 seconds left. R.V. Carroll led Oberlin with 152 rushing yards on 18 carries, including an 86-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
What's the score?
Denison played at Randolph-Macon Saturday. Sure, it was one of nearly 100 games involving Division III teams played that day. But it was probably the only game played without a scoreboard.
Tropical storm Ernesto knocked out power throughout campus. But even the lack of power could not cover up the fact that RMC scored with five seconds left and pulled out a 20-14 win.
Denison quarterback Brian Herbe threw for 200 yards in his first collegiate start.
Around the MIAA
Albion whipped I-AA non-scholarship Butler at Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium Saturday, 31-10, as quarterback Jake Wilson threw for 273 yards on 20 of 29 marksmanship. Josh Silvernail hauled in six Wilson aerials for 114 yards. ... Tri-State led Hoosier State rival Manchester at halftime, 10-7, but the Thunder eventually fell to Manchester, 26-22. ... Wisconsin Lutheran opened 2006 with a 54-0 loss to visiting Valparaiso. ... Valpo outgained Wisconsin Lutheran, 503-70, and forced 11 punts.
Around the NCAC
Earlham quarterback Justin Rummell went over the 7,000-yard mark for his career in the Quakers' 24-17 loss to Rose-Hulman on Saturday night. He threw for 352 yards and now has 7,036 career yards. ... Ohio Wesleyan opened 2006 with a 38-23 loss at Franklin. Halfback Nick Rice caught a 75-yard touchdown pass and also ran for a touchdown for the Battling Bishops. ... Kenyon accumulated 563 yards of offense in a 57-31 win at Grinnell Saturday. Quarterback Rafael Sanchez accounted for 299 yards of total offense and four touchdowns while halfback Alby Coombs ran for 152 yards. The Lords finished with 27 first downs and averaged over eight yards per play.
Around the OAC
Muskingum opened 2006 with a 45-20 home win over Bethany Saturday night. Quarterback Andre Nash threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores. ... Otterbein scored twice in the final nine minutes to upend Defiance, 25-13. ... Junior Scott DeLong, who pulled in seven catches, caught a 13-yard touchdown toss from Paul Stelzer that put the Cardinals ahead to stay. ... Wilmington forced three first-half turnovers but could not take advantage of the gifts in a 21-0 loss to Mount St. Joseph.
Around the PAC
Wesley limited Waynesburg to minus-13 yards rushing Saturday as Wesley earned a 41-14 home win over the Yellow Jackets. Waynesburg turned the ball over four times and trailed 34-0 after three quarters. ... The Tim Weaver Era at Bethany opened with some fireworks, but the Bison lost at Muskingum on Saturday night, 45-20. Taylor McNeil accumulated 241 all-purpose yards, including a 60-yard touchdown pass from Brent Owens. ... Thomas More quarterback Trevor Stellman fired a 16-yard touchdown pass to Chase Weber on fourth-and-goal with 36 seconds left, giving the Saints a thrilling 25-23 win over Hanover. Stellman was making his first collegiate start.
Games of the Week
Heidelberg at Oberlin, 1:00 p.m.: The Student Princes will look to break a 26-game losing streak Saturday in their season opener against Oberlin. Oberlin, which had a 44-game slide in the 1990s, lost a heartbreaker at Case Western Reserve last week.
Baldwin-Wallace at Augustana, 1:00 p.m.: Baldwin-Wallace looks to bounce back from a 4-6 season in 2005. A trip to Augustana is not a traditional prescription for teams looking to rebound from a down season. Still, this is a very intriguing North Region clash and will be a barometer for B-W's progress.
Allegheny at Washington & Jefferson, 6:30 p.m.: W&J looks to reverse a two-game slide against longtime rival Allegheny. This is the final meeting between these teams for a while. Allegheny will enter into the NCAC-UAA schedule agreement next year while W&J will add new PAC members Saint Vincent and Geneva to the schedule in 2007.
Carnegie Mellon at Grove City, 1:30 p.m.: Grove City will re-dedicate Robert E. Thorn Field prior to Saturday's kickoff. These two longtime rivals always battle tooth-and-nail in low-scoring clashes. A tip of the cap to Keith McMillan for including this tilt in his "Around the Nation" column.
