WOOSTER, Ohio -- Powered by a strong offensive performance, the Denison University football team secured a 48-30 victory over the College of Wooster under the lights of John P. Papp Stadium in North Coast Athletic Conference action.
The win is the 10th straight for Denison in the head-to-head series with Wooster. The game was the annual matchup for the Old Red Lantern. Denison leads the all-time series 45-40-7, and the Big Red are 17-11-1 since the Old Red Lantern started being presented to the winning team.
The win gives Denison its best start in NCAC play, 4-0, since the 2016 season. The Big Red move to 4-2 overall. Wooster drops to 0-4 in conference games and 1-5 overall.
The Big Red rolled up a season-high 511 yards of total offense in the victory. Denison boasted a balanced offensive attack, finishing with 283 rushing yards to go along with 236 passing yards.
Fifth-year running back Trey Fabrocini surpassed the 4,000 yard mark for his career. Fabrocini becomes just the second running back in Denison history to reach 4,000 career rushing yards. Fabrocini has 4,121 rushing yards for his career, trailing only Chris Spriggs (1983-86) school record mark of 4,248.
Fabrocini rushed for 138 yards on 22 carries. Nicholas Saccu tallied 76 yards on eight carries.
Tyler Green passed for 236 yards and rushed for 69 yards. Green totaled four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing).
Tommy Asleson hauled in six catches for a career-high 191 receiving yards. Asleson found the end zone twice.
Wooster opened the scoring with a 50-yard touchdown run by Jace Austin on the game's first possession. Denison responded with a nine-play, 72-yard drive that amassed 4:18 of game time. Green connected with Asleson for a 24-yard touchdown pass. The PAT by Daniel Cunningham gave Denison a 7-6 lead at the 9:23 mark.
Later in the first quarter, Cunningham booted a 48-yard field goal with 4:26 to play in the quarter, giving Denison a 10-6 lead after 15 minutes of play.
The Fighting Scots regained the lead on the first play of the second quarter. A 42-yard pass play by Michael Boyle to Brazos Gadler, making the score 13-10 in favor of Wooster.
A pair of touchdowns pushed Denison back in front at halftime. A nine-yard TD pass from Green to Billy Guzzo coupled with a 94-yard kickoff return for a TD by Jaylin Epps at the 5:14 mark eventually made it 24-16 Denison at halftime.
Denison put the game away with a pair of long offensive touchdowns and a pick six in the first six minutes of the third quarter. Green connected for an 86-yard touchdown pass on Denison's first possession of the third quarter.
Less than five minutes later, Green rushed 77 yards for a lengthy touchdown run. On Wooster's ensuing drive, Layton Reesor stepped in front of a Wooster pass and raced 32 yards for a pick six. The trio of touchdowns swelled the Denisonlead to 45-16 at the 9:09 mark of the third.
Cunningham booted a 35-yard field goal in the fourth to conclude the scoring for the Big Red. The 48 points are a season-high for Denison.
Defensively, Nick Pellicciotta led the way with a team-high 13 tackles. Casper Rublowsky finished with seven tackles. Reesor finished with five tackles and his interception for touchdown.
Up Next: Denison returns home to face nationally-ranked DePauw University (5-0 overall, 3-0 NCAC) in a battle of conference unbeatens at Deeds Field – Piper Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Notes: The Old Red Lantern trophy started being awarded to the winner of the game in 1989 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the initial meeting between the two programs. The two teams originally traveled to the games by rail, so the lantern was chosen to represent the series' pastime.