To quote Dennis Green, ìWe let íem off the hook!”
The Fighting Scots football team blew a 21-7 lead against conference rival Allegheny College to fall 24-21 this past Saturday.† The match-up featured two teams who were in control of their destiny for a postseason birth, with either squad needing to win out in order to claim a piece of the North Coast Athletic Conference crown.† This loss mathematically eliminates the Scots from the NCAC title, and the playoffs, continuing a streak since Wooster went undefeated in the 2004 season.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Gators struck first, scoring on a T.J. Salopek run three minutes into the quarter.† The Scots fired back, with Cameron Daniels í12 scoring on a 51-yard pass from Austin Holter í10.
With two minutes left in the half, Taylor Trout í12 intercepted a Gator pass, which led to a 63-yard touchdown reception for Jordan McIntyre í13 three plays later.† This was McIntyreís third touchdown of his rookie season.
Trout wasnít finished, and scored with six seconds left in the half on a 55-yard punt return, giving the Scots a comfortable 21-7 lead at half time.† The punt return was the first of Troutís career, and just the second of the season for Wooster.
The third quarter was very similar to the second, with the exception of an Allegheny field goal with six minutes left in the quarter to bring the game to 21-10.† Between the first and third quarters, this field goal accounted for the only drive that did not end in a punt for the Gators.
The beginning of the fourth quarter was very telling of how the Scots were going to play out the rest of the game, with Russ Palm í11 missing a 44-yard field goal, which would have put the Scots up by two touchdowns.† This attempt was eight yards longer than his season best.
On the very next possession the Gators came out firing, with Salopek completing a 48-yard bomb to Jake Vite to bring Allegheny to the Wooster three-yard line.† Two plays later Salopek would once again hook up with Vite for the score.† After the extra point, the Scotsí lead had shrunk to 21-17.
On the following Wooster possession, Robert Flagg í12 fumbled the ball for the only turnover of the game at the Scots 48-yard line.† Salopek then earned his keep by completing all four of his passes for 40 yards, with two runs for the remaining eight tagged on at the end of the drive for the touchdown, giving the Gators the lead 24-21.† Salopek finished the game completing 27 of 43 passes for 312 yards, with one passing touchdown and two rushing.
With just under five minutes remaining, the Scots had one last shot to put the game out of reach.† Over the next three and a half minutes, the Scots converted three first downs, including a fourth-and-six, until they were held up at the 21-yard line with one minute remaining on the clock.† Palm attempted another field goal, this time from 38 yards, which ended up hooking to the right, sealing the victory for the Gators.
The Scots look to finish out the last two games of the season on a high note, with the last regular season game of the season coming this Saturday at John P. Papp Stadium against Oberlin College.