Julie KendalSports
Editor
The College of Wooster football team closed out the season with yet another huge loss, this time to Ohio Wesleyan University last Saturday. The 36-12 defeat dropped the Scots’ overall season record to 2-8 (1-6 NCAC), and gave OWU the conference title.
Looking like a team vying for a title, the Battling Bishops exploded in the first half of the game. They scored on their first two drives to take a comfortable 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. On a trick play just three snaps into action, Dave Mogilnicki received a lateral pass and sent it 60 yards to Nick Ziegenbusch, who went out of bounds at the 12. A one-yard rushing touchdown by Scott Jenkins two plays later put the Bishops on the board in just over a minute of play action.
Ohio Wesleyan would earn a field goal on the next possession, and score back-to-back touchdowns in the second quarter to boost their lead to 23-0 at the half.
The Scots’ big play of the game came early in the third quarter on 3rd-and-2. Quarterback Richard Barnes ’14 sent a backwards pass to Jordan McIntyre ’13, who sprinted down the sideline for a 62-yard touchdown. It was McIntyre’s seventh touchdown of the season.
Gaining momentum, Barnes led the offense into the red zone later in that quarter. After getting sacked for a ten-yard loss on third down, Barnes’ fourth-down slant pass attempt was intercepted by Getner Fabe, who returned it for 16 yards. The turnover initiated a four-play series for the Battling Bishops, which ended in a 32-yard touchdown.
Wooster answered in the next series with a march downfield, highlighted by a 13-yard pass to Zack Weidrick ’13 and an 18-yard rush by Chase Ullman ’15, however, they could not get in the end zone, and settled for a 32-yard field goal form Tyler Gerwig ’15.
The Scots kept battling offensively, advancing all the way to the two-yard line late in the fourth quarter. On what looked to be a scoring play on 4th down, running back John Battaglia ’14 was stopped at the one to end the series. However, they got points on the next play when the team of Paul Kessler ’13 and Seth Goodwin ’14 forced a safety, bringing the score to 36-13. It was the first safety Wooster scored since 2009.
Barnes completed 21 of 43 passes on the day for 174 yards and was sacked five times.
