Tyson Vogel

A College of Wooster touchdown late in the second quarter made it a one-score deficit (21-13), however, DePauw University came right back and scored on the final play of the half to take a 28-13 lead, then rode that momentum to a 49-20 North Coast Athletic Conference victory in its 2015 home opener on Saturday at Blackstock Stadium in Greencastle, Ind.

Wooster (1-2, 1-1 NCAC) put together back-to-back long touchdown drives – an 8-play, 80-yarder and a 13-play, 75-yard possession – in the second quarter and seemed to be the team that would go into halftime with an energy boost as it was within eight points of DePauw (2-0, 1-0 NCAC) with :54 before the break.

The Tigers, though, had other ideas. They took over on their own 25 and started the drive with three consecutive passes that resulted in first downs, thus stopping the clock until the chains were set. Eventually, it was 2nd-and-10 at the Fighting Scots' 24-yard line with :08 on the clock, when quarterback Matt Hunt made the play of the game, avoiding a sack, then scrambling and weaving his way through the middle of the field for a touchdown run and 15-point cushion.

On the initial possession of the third quarter, Wooster turned the ball over, and two plays later, Hunt connected with wide receiver Jake Hagan from 29 yards out to extend DePauw's advantage. That duo hooked up again on a deep route down the right sideline for a 62-yard touchdown the next time the Tigers gained possession, and suddenly it was 42-13.

The Scots followed with a couple of offensive drives deep into DePauw territory, but they came up empty each time. First, they were unable to convert a fourth down from the 21-yard line and the second ended on a missed field goal.

In the fourth quarter, the teams exchanged a pair of touchdowns.

Wooster started slow, as poor field position led to a pair of short touchdown drives of 42 and 31 yards for the Tigers.

The Scots' comeback bid began when freshman running back Antonio Bailey found a hole on the right and got through the DePauw defense for a 49-yard touchdown rush down the sideline.

After the Tigers answered with another score to make it 21-6, Wooster converted a 4th-and-1 in its own territory en route to the 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Quarterback David Smith capped it with a 15-yard throw to Tyson Vogel, but they apparently left too much time on the clock for Hunt, who changed the game's outlook on the last play of the half.

Both offenses operated at a high level throughout, combining for 57 first downs (30-27 in favor of DePauw) and 920 yards of total offense (529-391 DePauw).

The loss overshadowed a record-setting performance by Vogel. He hauled in 15 passes to break an 18-year-old Wooster mark for receptions in a game, held by Brandon Good (13 at Allegheny College, 1997). Vogel turned those into 104 yards and the one score.

Smith completed 23-of-34 for 170 yards before leaving in the third quarter, while Russell Boston paced the Scots' rushing attack with 64 yards on 18 carries.

Hunt spread the ball out to nine different DePauw receivers while going 18-of-25 for 264 yards and four touchdowns, plus he added 61 stripes and two scores when running the ball.

Wooster will be back home next Saturday, as it welcomes Denison University (2-0, 1-0 NCAC) for a 1 p.m. kickoff.