By Ryan Briggs
Grove City SID
The Great Lakes Region broke the seal on another season of conference play Saturday afternoon as both the Ohio Athletic Conference and Presidents' Athletic Conference began their respective league schedules Saturday.
Meanwhile, the region's two UAA schools both improved to 3-0. Case Western Reserve and Carnegie Mellon are the Great Lakes Region's only two 3-0 squads.
Break up the Bison
It's still early, but first-year Bethany head coach Tim Weaver definitely has the inside track for the PAC's Coach of the Year award. The Bison improved to 2-1 Saturday with a dramatic 34-28 win at Ohio Wesleyan.
Bethany, which had not won back-to-back games since 2002, rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit to shock the Battling Bishops on the final play from scrimmage. Bethany trailed 28-26 but quarterback Brent Owens fired a 9-yard touchdown pass to Matt Cruse with one second left in the game, giving Bethany the win. It was Bethany's second touchdown in a 45-second span.
Brett Clough plowed in from the 2 with 46 seconds left, pulling the Bison to within 28-26. However, the two-point conversion failed and it appeared that OWU would escape. Bethany recovered the subsequent onside kick, though, and finished off the comeback victory.
T.J. Parker hauled in 12 passes for 156 yards for Bethany while Owens completed 18 of 27 attempts for 188 yards.
Owen Case recorded three sacks for Ohio Wesleyan and also returned a fumble 29 yards for a touchdown. However, Ohio Wesleyan fell to 0-3 with its second consecutive loss on the final play of the game. The previous week, the Bishops lost at Catholic 34-33 in overtime.
Etta Express: Fall edition
Marietta won its first-ever overtime game Saturday night, pulling out a 37-31 win over Baldwin-Wallace in both teams' OAC lidlifter at Don Drumm Stadium. Senior tight end John Bokat caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Jason Vrable in overtime to give the Pioneers a 37-31 lead. It was Bokat's only catch of the game.
Then, Alan Tracewell sealed the win by intercepting B-W quarterback Mickey Mental at the Marietta 7.
Vrable threw for a career-high 405 yards and four touchdowns to help spark the Marietta offense. Defensively, the Pioneers held Baldwin-Wallace to just 32 yards rushing on 35 attempts.
Mental did throw for 330 yards and two touchdowns. His 3-yard run with 5:09 left in the first quarter gave the Yellow Jackets a 17-0 lead.
Setting the Tone(r)
Allegheny defensive back Andy Toner intercepted three passes Saturday as the Gators opened Frank Fuhrer Field (formerly known as Robertson Field) with a 52-7 win over Hiram. Toner tied a school record with the three picks.
Meanwhile, running back Mario Tarquinio ran for 213 yards and two scores on 25 attempts. Still, Allegheny led just 10-0 at halftime before slamming Hiram with a 35-point third quarter.
Quarterback Jimmy Savage, who threw for a career-high 302 yards, fired three touchdown passes in the quarter. Toner's 30-yard interception return for touchdown capped the outburst with 16 ticks left in the period. Allegheny finished the day with 300 rushing yards and 302 yards through the air.
Tartan time
Carnegie Mellon improved to 3-0 by hanging a 33-6 decision on visiting Westminster Saturday at Gesling Stadium. CMU's defense scored twice in the Tartans' 26-point second quarter.
Inside linebacker Jamie Ploetzner tackled Nick McKolosky in the end zone on the first play of the second quarter, helping ignite the Tartans' onslaught. Quarterback Kevin Mulkern threw touchdown passes to Derek Wisnieski and Jonathan Kline while All-American safety Aaron Lewis returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown.
The Tartans accumulated 451 yards of offense in the win.
Lock, stock and barrel
Alma's "Scotgun" offense returned to form Saturday as the Scots pulled out a 33-30 overtime home win against UW-Eau Claire. Quarterback Josh Brehm raced into the end zone from the 4, giving Alma its first win of the year.
Brehm helped lift Alma to the victory with his legs and his arm. He threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns while completing 36 of 57 attempts. Brehm also ran for two touchdowns. He even punted once, a 41-yard boot.
It's a strong win for Alma and for the MIAA in general. The MIAA has struggled some in non-conference play early this year, so Alma's win is also beneficial for the league profile.
Road warriors
Albion rallied from a 20-10 hole in the fourth quarter to shock Thiel, 24-20, at Alumni Stadium in Greenville, Pa., giving the MIAA a second signature win Saturday.
Albion trailed by 10 with 13:28 left but recovered a fumbled punt at the Thiel 5. One play later, Adam House raced into the end zone, slashing the lead to 20-17. Following a Thiel punt that pinned them on their own 14, the Britons moved 86 yards in eight plays to paydirt.
Jake Wilson pitched an 8-yard touchdown pass to Zach Benko, giving Albion (2-1) the lead. Interceptions by Jeff Stowers and Derek Tracy helped seal Albion's win.
Case closed
Case Western Reserve moved to 3-0 with a 43-13 win against Kenyon in Cleveland on Saturday. Dan Whalen threw for two touchdowns and ran for a pair of scores to help ignite the CWRU offense. Case also converted nine of 15 third-down attempts.
Case Western led 22-0 at halftime and extended the lead to 36-0 early in the fourth quarter. The Spartans have recorded three safeties over the past two weeks. All have been set up by Brian Calderone punts downed inside the 1-yard line.
By land and by air
Mount Union found four ways to score Saturday night in a 71-14 win at Otterbein in the OAC lidlifter for each team.
Strong safety Matt Kostelnik recovered a bad punt snap in the end zone with 6:37 left in the first quarter, giving Mount Union a 14-0 lead. Ten seconds later, Kostelnik intercepted a pass and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, quarterback Mike Jorris threw touchdown passes of 21 and 82 yards to receiver Pierre Garcon. He also threw a 67-yarder to Justin Wray, helping Mount Union assume a 34-7 lead with 13 minutes left in the first half. At that point, the Purple Raiders had executed a grand total of five offensive plays.
For the game, the Purple Raiders averaged 12.5 yards per play, accumulating 663 total yards. Jorris chalked up 317 yards and five touchdowns on just 12 completions while running back Nate Kmic ran for 135 yards on 11 totes.
Josh Bope led Otterbein with six receptions for 116 yards.
Building blocks
Capital blocked a pair of Wilmington punts in the first quarter Saturday as the Crusaders rolled to a 43-0 victory in both teams' OAC opener.
Shaun Hausler recorded the first block, setting up Rocky Pentello's 4-yard touchdown pass to Graham Holmberg. Later in the quarter, Zac McKenzie swatted a Quaker punt, giving Capital possession on the 6. Two plays later, Jeremy Mulkey plowed in from the 1, extending Capital's lead to 14-0.
Mulkey finished with a pair of touchdown runs while Pentello threw for 228 yards and three scores. Kicker Matt Spitz added three field goals. Capital now owns the OAC's longest in-league win streak, eight games.
Lightning strikes twice
For the second time in as many games, Thomas More quarterback Trevor Stellman fired a game-winning 16-yard touchdown pass to Chase Weber. After hooking up in a season-opening 25-23 win against Hanover Sept. 2, that combination struck again Saturday as the Saints nipped Grove City 21-20 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
Stellman found Weber in the corner of the end zone with 2:21 left. Brian Sheeley's extra point provided the final margin. Grove City had rallied from an early 14-0 hole to take a 20-14 lead in the fourth quarter on Andrew DiDonato's 6-yard touchdown run.
For Grove City, sophomore quarterback-split end Stephen Mercer caught five passes for 71 yards and one touchdown. Mercer also ran for a touchdown and threw a two-point conversion pass to tight end Dan Jeltes.
Around the MIAA
Adrian earned its first victory at the new Performance Stadium Saturday, toppling Bluffton, 17-6. The Bulldog defense held Bluffton to just eight first downs, 153 total yards and no offensive points. ... Thomas Pratt ran for 107 yards and one touchdown while Lonnie Jones scored twice on the ground in Olivet's 33-14 win over Manchester on Thursday night. Pratt's 72-yard sprint with 8:23 left helped seal the victory. ... Ryan Malone intercepted two Defiance passes but the Yellow Jackets were still able to hold off visiting Tri-State, 17-10. Tri-State took a 10-7 lead midway through the third quarter on Luke Hickok's 2-yard touchdown run. ... Four second-half turnovers doomed Hope in a 23-14 loss at DePauw Saturday. Matt Rugenstein led the Dutchmen's defense with four and a half sacks and seven and a half tackles for loss. ... Mike Leifeld hauled in 10 passes for 93 yards but Kalamazoo dropped a 17-14 decision to Austin. ... Matt Kehl ran for 65 yards and also caught seven passes for Wisconsin Lutheran against Concordia (Wis.) but WLC fell to 0-3 with a 39-0 loss.
Around the NCAC
Wabash earned its first win of the season, holding on for a 38-31 win against Millikin. Quarterback Dustin Huff threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Little Giant attack. ... Earlham improved to 2-1 with a 32-24 win over Anderson as record-setting quarterback Justin Rummell threw four more touchdown passes. Through three games this year, Rummell is 81-of-128 (63%) for 1,145 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has been intercepted once.
Around the OAC
John Carroll avoided its first four-game losing streak in 20 years by rolling to a 42-7 win over Heidelberg. Joseph Konrad hauled in three touchdown passes in the win. The Blue Streak defense limited the Student Princes to minus-25 yards rushing. ... Muskingum threw a scare into host Ohio Northern before the Polar Bears eventually pulled away to a 36-7 win in both squads' conference opener. ONU led 13-7 at the half and 19-7 after three quarters. Kicker Jake Heaphy accounted for 13 points with three field goals and four extra points. Muskingum's lone touchdown came on a 60-yard reception by Jack Murray.
Around the PAC
Washington & Jefferson improved to 2-1 with a 35-0 whitewash of host Hanover Saturday. Quarterback Bobby Swallow completed 18 of 20 passes for 210 yards and four touchdowns. Tom McCafferty caught two touchdowns for W&J. ... Waynesburg dropped to 0-3 with a 20-10 loss to Shenandoah. Waynesburg led 10-0 but that lead evaporated in the second half as the Yellow Jackets committed four turnovers. Waynesburg held Shenandoah to four first downs and 119 total yards.
Games of the Week
Ohio Northern at John Carroll, 2:00 p.m.: Last year, Ohio Northern rolled into University Heights with a 3-0 record. Yet, the Polar Bears limped back to Ada after absorbing a 50-25 loss. This year, the Polar Bears are 2-0 going into this meeting, which is once again at Don Shula Stadium.
Thiel at Thomas More, 1:30 p.m.: Defending PAC champion Thiel opens conference play after a pair of tough non-league losses over the past fortnight. Thomas More is 2-0 after winning a pair of cliffhangers. Thomas More already has one league win under its belt; a TMC win Saturday would really put Thiel behind the proverbial 8-ball.
Ohio Wesleyan at Wabash, 1:00 p.m.: North Coast Athletic Conference play opens Saturday as two of the league's preseason favorites square off. Wabash won at OWU last year en route to the conference title. The Battling Bishops are currently 0-3 and need a win.
Alma at Wittenberg, 1:00 p.m.: Alma looks to carry momentum from an overtime win against UW-Eau Claire into this final tune-up for MIAA play. Wittenberg is looking to avoid its second straight 0-3 start.
