WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster honored its 16 seniors pre-game, put 11 of them on the field for the opening kickoff, and with several of them playing key roles, celebrated a 21-7 win over Kenyon College in North Coast Athletic Conference action at John P. Papp Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Wooster (4-5, 4-4 NCAC) came up with a pair of takeaways within the opening six minutes, first senior Brandon James pouncing on a fumble that had been forced by Stephen McKinney and then senior Shawn Bowman recovering a muffed punt by Kenyon (1-8, 1-7 NCAC).

Two plays after the Bowman recovery, Gary Muntean found Darrian Owens open over the middle for a 30-yard touchdown 5:45 into the action.

The Fighting Scots looked like they were going to add to their 7-0 lead when Tyler Smith, keyed by an Owens' block, got free for a 34-yard catch-and-run down to the 10-yard line, however, the Lords jumped on a fumbled snap to end that possession.

Early in the second quarter, Muntean hit Owens in stride down the right sideline, resulting in a 49-yard gain down to the two. On the ensuing snap, Muntean connected with senior Justin Rice in the left flat for a touchdown and 14-0 advantage.

Senior Brandon James (No. 23), Stephen McKinney (No. 99), and Riley Markko (No. 54) combined for a tackle of Kenyon's Brandon January during the Scots' 21-7 victory.

Two series later, Wooster was knocking on the door again, as a 31-yard Sean Hackel run positioned the offense inside the red zone. Kenyon turned the Scots away, though, via Curt Williams' interception in the end zone, and it remained a 14-point margin through halftime.

Midway through the third quarter, Wooster committed yet another turnover in the red zone, this time a fumble on a quarterback keeper that Quashae Hendryx recovered.

The Lords turned that into their best offensive drive of the day – a 13-play, 85-yard touchdown march. Blake Calcei scored on a three-yard run up the middle on 2nd-and-goal, and that made it a one-score game with 1:22 to play in the third.

The Scots answered just five plays later when Owens caught a deep pass down the middle, shook off one would-be-tackler around the 10-yard line, and took it in for a 49-yard touchdown to push the lead back to 14 points. With that score, Owens surpassed Richie McNally's 2004 mark for most receiving touchdowns in a season with his 12th.

Wooster's defense clinched the victory during the fourth quarter. After a James interception was wiped away due to a penalty, senior Mitchell Czerniak and Troy Brown combined for a hard hit on the Kenyon tight end, and Czerniak also recovered the loose ball to halt one drive. And later, the Scots had their third and fourth sacks of the game on back-to-back plays by senior Ian Crawford and Patrick Johnson.

Overall, Wooster outgained the Lords 329-277, with Owens accounting for 178 receiving on just five catches.

Muntean got his second-straight start at quarterback and was an efficient 13-of-19 for 267 yards, and senior Sean Hackel rushed the ball 21 times for 75 yards.

The Lords' offense was highlighted by Brandon January's 114 rushing yards on 20 attempts.

Defensively, Czerniak stood out once again for the Scots with a game-high 12 tackles, while Kenyon's Alexander McQuiston tallied 11 stops, 4.0 of which went for losses.

Wooster will close the season next Saturday at Ohio Wesleyan University (5-4, 4-4 NCAC), with a chance to finish in the top-five of the conference for the 19th time in the last 20 seasons.