By Ryan Briggs
Grove City Sports Information Director
Saturday represented the 940th anniversary of one of history's all-time biggest road wins: The Battle of Hastings. On Oct. 14, 1066, the Normans, under the guidance of head coach Duke William of Normandy, captured control of England with a sudden-death victory over King Harold (Godwinson) II's host Anglo-Saxon squad.
No doubt inspired by that historic road victory, 13 Great Lakes Region teams earned wins away from home Saturday. The road team won all five OAC games Saturday, while Carnegie Mellon improved to 6-0 with a 20-10 win over host Case Western in the annual Academic Bowl.
Capital dealt Ohio Northern's playoff hopes a crippling blow by rallying for a 17-10 win in Ada. The Crusaders improved to 6-0 while ONU received its second straight loss.
Wittenberg emerged as one of the few teams in the region to win at home, surviving a last-second field goal attempt in a 19-17 home win over Wabash in Springfield, Ohio. The Tigers now share the NCAC lead with Oberlin, a 41-31 winner at Earlham.
In Michigan, Olivet maintained a share of the MIAA lead with a 20-17 win at Albion.
Some home teams had success as well. Washington and Jefferson had prominent alumni return for the coin toss of the Presidents' homecoming game. Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl is wearing street clothes on the left, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the right. Washington and Jefferson athletics |
No road woes
Capital trailed 10-7 entering the fourth quarter at Ohio Northern on Saturday. But just as they did the week before at John Carroll, the Crusaders charged back in the final 15 minutes.
Derrick Alexander hauled in a 69-yard touchdown catch from Rocky Pentello with 9:11 left in the game, breaking a 10-10 tie. Ohio Northern limited Capital to a season-low 289 offensive yards but could not earn the Homecoming win.
At 6-0, Capital matches the best start in program history. It is also Capital's 12th consecutive regular season win. At this point the Crusaders are in good shape for at least a Pool C berth. Of course, there is still a month of OAC play left and a lot can change in that span.
Ohio Northern will have to win out and probably get help to snag a Pool C bid. Most would agree that ONU is one of the 32 best teams in the country, if not one of the top 20 or 25. But playoff selection doesn't work that way.The OAC could possibly get three teams in. That is most likely, however, in a scenario in which three teams end up at 9-1. Unfortunately for the Polar Bears, they can only get to 8-2.
Capital's schedule doesn't do it any favors. The Crusaders also play at Mount Union, on Oct. 28.
Super six
Carnegie Mellon improved to 6-0 with a 20-10 win at Case Western (3-3) in both teams' UAA opener. It is CMU's second straight win in the Academic Bowl.
Fullback Travis Sivek ran for 103 yards for CMU while split end Mark Davis caught three passes for 123 yards. CMU's drive towards an elusive Pool B bid will continue Saturday against Chicago, which whipped CMU in 2005, 35-6, in Chicago.
Finding a Way to Win
Olivet managed just 10 first downs and 190 yards at Albion on Saturday. Yet the Comets relied upon special teams and defense to earn a 20-17 win over the host Britons at Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium.
Marc Miller's two-yard blocked punt return gave Olivet an early 7-0 lead. Meanwhile, the Olivet defense limited Albion to only eight first downs and 151 yards. Olivet also forced four turnovers, including a Miller interception.
Olivet remains in a tie with Hope for first place in the MIAA at 3-0.
At Witt's end
Wittenberg dimmed Wabash's hopes of repeating as NCAC champion Saturday as the Tigers held on for a 19-17 home win over Wabash in Springfield. Wittenberg took its two-point lead with 61 seconds left on Andy Vanover's 13-yard touchdown run.
Wabash moved 53 yards in seven plays on its final drive but a potential game-winning 28-yard field goal by Chad Finley went wide right. Finley's 31-yard field goal in the first quarter gave Wabash a 10-0 lead. The Little Giants carried that 10-0 lead into the second half before Wittenberg came back.
Wittenberg chewed up 222 rushing yards, including a 35-carry, 156-yard effort by Tristan Murray. Tony Hall's 2-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter tied the game at 10-10.
Mike Russell hauled in eight passes for 149 yards for Wabash. He caught a 32-yard pass on Wabash's final drive that put the ball in Tiger territory.
Wittenberg has now won four in a row after opening with losses to Capital and I-AA Dayton.
Time Machine
Oberlin matched its best start since 1963 as the 4-2 Yeomen earned a 41-31 win at Earlham Saturday in Richmond, Ind. R.V. Carroll clinched the win for Oberlin with an 80-yard touchdown run with three and a half minutes left. Carroll ran for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns while quarterback Greg Mangan completed 18 of 22 tosses for 258 yards.
"(Saturday's) game was a just a great team win," Oberlin coach Jeff Ramsey said. "We helped ourselves offensively in the second half and put together a great game."
Oberlin now owns a share of first in the NCAC with a 3-0 record. It is Oberlin's best conference start since 2003, when the Yeomen finished 4-2 in the conference.
Cup runneth over
Two trophy games were decided Saturday. Otterbein retained the Rhine River Cup with a 34-6 win at Heidelberg while Thiel won the Mercer County Cup with a 20-0 triumph at Grove City.
Otterbein quarterback Paul Stelzer tied a career high with five touchdown passes. A junior, Stelzer completed 20 of 28 passes for 271 yards. Junior Josh Bope hauled in three touchdowns as part of an eight-reception, 164-yard effort. Otterbein now leads the Rhine River Cup 9-5-1.
The series began in 1992 with a 7-7 tie in Frankfurt, Germany.
Thiel limited Grove City to minus-4 yards rushing in a 20-0 win at Robert E. Thorn Field. Thiel tailback Dan Hess ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns for the Tomcats. Thiel owned a 2-to-1 edge in time of possession.
Junior linebacker Bill Waugh had 17 total tackles and two sacks for the Wolverines, who own a 14-9 edge in the Mercer County Cup series.
60 minutes
Mount Union extended its road winning streak to 60 games with a 65-9 victory at Wilmington on Saturday. The Purple Raiders' passing attack shifted into top gear, accumulating a season-high 427 yards. Starting quarterback Mike Jorris threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns while Greg Mitchell came out of the bullpen to throw two scores on 12-of-14 accuracy.
Safety Matt Kostelnik blocked another punt for the Purple Raiders, his second block in as many weeks. Kostelnik also returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown. It's his third touchdown return of the year.
Iron Mike
Ohio Wesleyan coach Mike Hollway became OWU's all-time wins leader Saturday as the Battling Bishops rolled past host Denison, 35-10. Hollway is now 122-74-1 in 20 years at OWU.
Each team entered Saturday's clash in Granville searching for its first win of 2006. Ohio Wesleyan had lost three games on the final play of the game this season. However, the Bishops eliminated any possibility of a fourth occurrence as Kyle Adams' two first-half touchdowns gave OWU a commanding 21-3 lead.
Double trouble
Two Waynesburg running backs went over the 150-yard mark Saturday in the Yellow Jackets' 41-15 home win over Bethany. Tailback Eric Daniels ran for 161 yards while fellow tailback Ryan Abels had 157 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
As a team, the Jackets ran for 354 yards en route to their third consecutive PAC victory. Waynesburg currently owns a half-game lead in the conference after a 0-3 start to the regular season.
Around the MIAA
Adrian quarterback Andy Denryter threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores in the Bulldogs' 42-10 victory over Tri-State at Performance Stadium. Matt Spangler and Joel Howland each had a pair of sacks for Adrian (3-3, 2-1 MIAA) ... Hope improved to 3-0 in the MIAA with a 45-7 home win over Kalamazoo. Hope limited the visitors to minus-2 rushing yards. For the Dutchmen, David Booko ran for 171 yards and three touchdowns ... Alma stayed within one game of first in the league with a 42-0 win at Wisconsin Lutheran. Alma out-gained WLC, 417-129.
Around the NCAC
It's a good thing Allegheny College installed an artificial surface at Robertson Field prior to the 2006 season. Saturday, the new field took a beating as the Gators pulled out a 49-38 win over visiting Kenyon. Allegheny running back Mario Tarquinio ran for a personal-best 252 yards on 38 carries. Meanwhile, Kenyon set school records with 580 total yards and 385 rushing yards ... Wooster stayed in contention for the NCAC title with a 52-0 whitewash of Hiram. It is Wooster's second straight shutout. Wooster had not shut out consecutive opponents since Tom Hollman's 1980 squad blanked Oberlin (55-0), Mount Union (20-0) and Ohio Wesleyan (45-0) to open the season.
Around the OAC
While Capital, Mount Union and Ohio Northern have garnered a lot of deserved attention, another old friend is lurking in the shadows at 5-1: Baldwin-Wallace. B-W tuned up for this week's home date with Mount Union by rolling to a 30-3 win at Muskingum Saturday. The B-W defense helped key the Jackets' fourth straight win by limiting the Muskies to 105 total yards ... Quarterback Mark Petruziello returned from injury to help lead John Carroll to a 20-7 win at Marietta. Petruziello completed 12 of 21 attempts. JCU, which is 18-0-1 all-time against the Pioneers, intercepted two passes in Blue Streak territory to help secure the win.
Around the PAC
Thomas More improved to 4-2 with a 13-7 non-conference win at Frostburg State. Chris Willis' 59-yard punt return for touchdown gave TMC the lead for good in the second quarter. Willis also intercepted a pass for Mike Hallett's charges ... Washington & Jefferson celebrated Homecoming at historic Cameron Stadium with a 50-7 win over Westminster. Quarterback Bobby Swallow ran for two touchdowns and threw for a third for the Presidents, winners of five straight. Swallow finished 16 of 19 for 212 yards.
Games of the Week
Mount Union at Baldwin-Wallace, 1:30 p.m.: Mount Union looks for its 61st consecutive road win Saturday. This could very well be Mount Union's toughest test to date -- a road game against a resurgent Baldwin-Wallace team.
Waynesburg at Thiel, 1:30 p.m.: Waynesburg puts its perfect PAC record on the line at defending league champion Thiel in Greenville, Pa., on Saturday. Waynesburg's potent rushing attack boasted two 150-yard rushers in a 41-15 win over Bethany. Meanwhile, Thiel limited ground-oriented Grove City to minus-4 yards last week. A classic strength-versus-strength matchup.
Allegheny at Wooster, 1:00 p.m.: Essentially an elimination game between two solid NCAC teams who each have one league loss. The winner will remain in contention for the conference title while the loser will be all but eliminated. The road team has won six of the last eight games in this hotly contested series.
Wabash at Oberlin, 1:00 p.m.: One week after a tough 19-17 loss at Wittenberg, Wabash must visit the NCAC's other undefeated co-leader, Oberlin. Two questions linger over this matchup: "How will Wabash bounce back from last week's loss?" and "How will Oberlin handle the spotlight?" It has been a while since Dill Field hosted a game of such magnitude.
Adrian at Hope, 1:30 p.m.: Preseason MIAA favorite Adrian faces league co-leader Hope in Holland, Mich. Saturday. Hope has won three straight and could essentially bury the Bulldogs in the league race. However, Adrian could create a real logjam with a victory.
