Senior quarterback Stephen Sherman scored from one-yard out to break a tie midway through the fourth quarter as the football team escaped with a 14-13 victory at The College of Wooster on Saturday afternoon at John P. Papp Stadium in Wooster, Ohio.
Washington University's game-winning drive was highlighted by a 38-yard reception by freshman wide receiver Drew Sexton. On 3rd-and-5, Sherman had time in the pocket and connected with Sexton across the middle, which got Washington U. into Wooster territory.
Wooster cut the lead to 14-13 with 3:03 left in the fourth quarter after a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Richard Barnes to Jordan McIntyre, but Ryan Miner's extra point was wide right.
Senior running Jim O'Brien finished the day with 79 yards on 19 carries, moving past Ted Dunn (1952-54) into fourth on the all-time rushing list with 2,119 yards. Sherman completed 11-of-24 passes for 151 yards, while senior wide receiver Tom Gulyas had five receptions for 57 yards. The Bears' offense totaled 250 yards of total offense in the victory.
A first quarter saw the two teams combine for just 86 yards of offense, but Sherman was picked off twice inside the Bears' 35-yard line. Washington U.'s defense kept the Bears in the game by forcing a turnover on downs, and senior John Schneider blocked a 27-yard field goal by Miner.
Wooster (3-3) got on the scoreboard first midway through the second quarter with an 11-play, 51-yard drive, capped by a six-yard touchdown pass from Barnes to Mike Redick.
The Bears answered right back with a nine-play, 81 yard drive of
their own, as Washington U. started inside its own 20 for the
fourth time in the contest. Sherman and Gulyas connected on the
final two plays of the drive, concluded by a 12-yard touchdown
reception with 6:53 left in the second quarter to tie the game.
Gulyas kept the drive alive with a one-handed over the shoulder
catch on 3rd-and-12 to keep the drive alive.
Washington U. limited Wooster to 123 yards of total offense in the first half, and held the Fighting Scots 2-of-8 on third down. Sherman was 6-of-15 for 89 yards and a touchdown in the first half, while O'Brien carried the ball 10 times for 30 yards.
Junior Austin Morman punted five times for a 42.3 average, including a long of 54 and one inside the 20. Senior linebacker Kyle Huber led the defensive unit with a career-high 11 tackles, while freshman defensive back Scott O'Brien added a career-best nine stops. Washington U.'s defensive unit limited Wooster to 320 yards of total offense on the day, and forced three turnovers.
Washington University (4-2) returns home for its final two games of the season 2010 season. Washington U. hosts Oberlin College on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 1 p.m., followed with the University Athletic Association (UAA) opener against Carnegie Mellon University on Saturday, Oct. 30, at Noon.
Bear Notebook: Senior defensive back Brandon Brown recorded the 12th interception of his career, tied for seventh most in school history … Wooster leads the all-time series with Washington University, 2-1 … The road victory was the first of the season for the Bears, and snapped a four-game losing streak dating back to last season … Gulyas moved into ninth on the Washington U. all-time list with 108 career receptions, and 10th with 1,377 receiving yards … Larry Kindbom coached the 275th game of his career on Saturday.