The football team opened up NCAC play this weekend with a spectacular win over the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops. This marks the first win of the season for the Fighting Scots whose stellar offense lit up the scoreboard with 37 points in the romp this past† Saturday.
The Scots started the game off with a fury of offensive power as they scored on their first six possessions. Even the defense got in on the action as senior linebacker Matt DeGrand í10 returned an interception 82 yards for his first career touchdown. The first quarter was filled with offensive momentum as both the Scots and the Bishops put points on the board early. Kyle Murdock í11 scored Woosterís first six points as he rushed across the goal line, capping a 48-yard drive by the Scots on their first possession. Shortly following the Wooster touchdown Ohio Wesleyan drove 69 yards for a touchdown of their own.
Despite the early tie the Wooster Scots quickly took a 10-point lead with a field goal by Russ Palm í11 and a rushing touchdown by Robert Flagg í12. Right before the half Palm once again aced a kick right between the posts as the Scots completed a stellar 19-play, 93-yard drive. During the drive the Scots showed impressive grit as they were often forced into tough situations, including a fourth and four play that ended in a Scotís first down. Unfortunately the drive had to end with just a field goal after the Scots suffered a 15-yard penalty. Austin Holter í10 led the Scots completing 18 of his 29 passes. He also managed to score a touchdown of his own with a quick 10-yard dash into the end zone.
DeGrand put the final nail in the coffin with his 82-yard interception as the Scots capped off the 37-20 victory over the Bishops. This was the final turning point of the game as the Scotsí defense began to shut off all hope for the Bishops.
Defensively, the Scots were led by† Dan Terhune í12 who led the team with 11 tackles and a recovered fumble on Ohio Wesleyanís 27-yard line. Terhune was named the NCAC defensive player of the week for his defensive efforts against the Bishops.
This win is an excellent boost for the team after the heart breaking 42-39 loss the Scots suffered on Sept. 5 to Waynesburg University. This was the first conference game for the Scots as they look forward to the Homecoming match up this weekend against Denison University. The game will kickoff at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at John P. Papp stadium.
The Denison Big Red are 1-1 on the season, with the loss coming in NCAC play against Wabash College. Denison has had two weeks to prepare for the Scots after a bye week.