Washington U. Falls at Rhodes 20-17 in Overtime

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Memphis, Tenn., September 8, 2012 — Junior Lukas Stockhausen booted a 37-yard field in overtime as Rhodes College posted a 20-17 come-from-behind victory over the Washington University in St. Louis football team on Saturday afternoon at Fargason Field in Memphis, Tenn.

Washington U.'s defense forced a three-and-out on Rhodes' possession in overtime before Stockhausen kicked the game-winner. The Bears drive started on the 25-yard line in overtime, and picked up one yard on a run by senior Chris Castelluccio. A holding call pushed the Bears back to the Rhodes 34-yard line, and then a 26-yard personal foul was called on the ensuing play putting WUSTL out of field goal range. Senior quarterback Dan Burkett tossed a pair of incompletions to end the game.

Washington University's offense struggled for the second-straight game picking up just 214 yards of total offense (104 passing, 110 passing). Burkett was 10-of-25 for 104 yards and was sacked three times. Castelluccio was the lone bright spot on offense, rushing 23 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bears took advantage of a fumble by Rhodes College on its own 30-yard line late in the first quarter to score its first touchdown of the 2012 season. Castelluccio picked up 15 yards on three carries during the drive, including a one-yard plunge with 1:04 to play to make it 7-0. The touchdown for Castelluccio was the first since his sophomore year.

Rhodes, who was playing its season opener, found the end zone with 7:00 remaining before half following an 11-play, 98-yard drive. Kevin Vieira capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run.

An interception by junior defensive back Andrew Skalman on the Rhodes 34-yard line set up a field goal just before halftime for Washington U. senior Eric Chalifour split the up rights with a 22-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to make it 10-7 at the intermission. The key play of the drive was a 20-yard completion from Burkett to sophomore wide receiver Conor Sapp on 3rd-and-16.

Stockhausen converted a 32-yard field goal with 7:09 left in the third quarter to knot the score at 10-10, but Washington U. answered right back with an 11-play, 75 yard drive. Castelluccio capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run to give the Bears the lead back at 17-10.

Washington U.'s defense stopped the Lynx early in the fourth quarter after having the ball first and goal at the one. A tackle for loss by senior William Small on first down pushed the ball back to the two, and then a fumble on second down was recovered by Rhodes on the nine-yard line. Blake Box completed a five-yard pass to Dane Wilson to move the ball to the WUSTL four-yard line, but on 4th-and-goal, Washington U. stopped Jack Lartigue a yard short of the end zone to keep the score at 17-10.

The Bears held onto a seven-point lead until late in the fourth, when Dane Wilson scored from one yard out to make it a one-point game. Stockhausen added the extra point to tie the game for the third time at 17-17.

Rhodes racked up 356 yards of total offense, and had a 32:01-27:59 advantage in time of possession. Washington U. was called for seven penalties for 84 yards in the loss. Wilson ran for 141 yards on 30 carries and a TD in the win, as the Bears allowed a 100-yard rusher for the second-straight game.

Sophomore linebacker Fade Oluokun made a career-high 16 tackles in the loss, while sophomore defensive lineman Tommy O'Hern added a career-best 10 stops. Small also had a career game with nine tackles and a sack of three yards in the loss for Washington U.

Washington University (0-2) begins a two-game homestand against Coe College on Saturday, Sept. 15. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Francis Field.

Bear Notebook: This marked the first overtime game for Washington U. since a 20-13 victory over Carnegie Mellon on Oct. 30, 2010 … WUSTL and Rhodes met for the 49th time in school history and for the 25th-straight season … Rhodes leads the all-time series between the two teams 25-23-1 … Washington U. has lost its last four games in Memphis by a combined 29 points, including three losses by five or less points …  The Bears are 0-2 for the first time since 1989.