Evan Watson shows off the Baird Brothers Trophy after Wooster's 21-7 win over CWRU in 2006.

Welcome back to the Scot Rewind, where WoosterAthletics.com is taking a look back at a big win, a monster individual performance, or a significant milestone corresponding with each week of the 2020-2021 academic year. This week, we look back at The College of Wooster football team's 21-7 win over Case Western Reserve University on September 23, 2006. With the win, Wooster won the Baird Brothers Trophy for the 10th straight time, and the Scots wrapped up their non-conference schedule unbeaten for the fifth consecutive season. Here's the recap from that signature win.

Wooster rushed for 229 yards, including 109 by Dustin Sheppard in his first appearance of the 2006 season, and its defense limited CWRU to 16 team rushing yards (thanks in part to six sacks) during Saturday's 21-7 win over the Spartans in the annual battle for the Baird Brothers Trophy.

Wooster has now won the Baird Brothers Trophy 10-straight times and the Scots also wrapped up their non-conference schedule unbeaten for the fifth consecutive season.

The game's initial score came as the result of two key special teams plays. First, Wooster's Jordan Ross recovered a muffed punt on the CWRU 20-yard line. The Scots' offense would turn it over on downs at the 2-yard line, however, the defense then held the Spartans to a three-and-out. Next, Matt DeGrand burst through the CWRU line, blocking the punt, and the ball was caught in the air by Aaron Gertz right near the end line for a touchdown. That marked Gertz's second blocked punt for a touchdown of his career.

When the Wooster offense gained possession again late in the first quarter, the Scots strung together a 16-play, 84-yard drive, capped by a six-yard pass from Justin Schafer to Joe Francescangeli in the right flat. The score was keyed by Sheppard, who had three separate 12-yard runs during that possession.

CWRU had a couple of opportunities to get on the scoreboard in the second quarter, but misfired on a 39-yard field goal attempt and then Keith Adams made his second career interception to halt a Spartan drive at the Wooster 7-yard line with 1:06 remaining.

The Scots made it 21-0 on the initial drive of the second half. Schafer found Luke McCann in the right corner of the end zone on third-and-6 from the 15-yard line to finish off a 10-play, 65-yard drive. The key play in that sequence was a tipped pass that turned into a 24-yard reception for wideout Shaun Swearingen, who was making his 2006 debut.

Wooster's defense made that lead hold up. The Spartans did advance the ball deep inside Scot territory three times the rest of the way. Late in the third, they drove to the Wooster 15 before turning it over on downs. Two possessions later, Case got to the 28-yard line, but then the Scots exploded for sacks on three-straight plays by Brandon French, Andre Smith, and Greg Schermbeck, making it fourth-and-40.

The Spartans did crack the scoring column on their next possession, as second-string quarterback Angelo Mirando rushed it in from six yards out to cap a 9-play, 50-yard drive with 3:03 remaining.

Overall, Wooster outgained Case 332-285. In addition to Sheppard's 109 rushing yards, Orlando Jones added 47, Schafer 43, and Francescangeli 27. Schafer completed 12-of-23 passes for 106 yards, with McCan being his top target (5 receptions, 32 yards).

Most of the Spartans yards came through the air, as starting quarterback Dan Whalen was 18-of-35 for 235 yards. Eleven completions went to Joe Brenner for 126 yards.

Schermbeck led the Scots' defense with 10 tackles, including 3.0 for losses of 15 yards.

What is the Baird Brothers Trophy?

The Baird brothers – Bill, an economics professor at Wooster, and Bob, an economics professor at CWRU – originated the trophy in 1984 when Wooster and CWRU first met as members of the NCAC. The winner gets to keep a golden fishing stringer with carved brass fish representing each meeting until the next game. Each added fish is representative of how the game was played, with the score and winner engraved on the side. The original fish is a four-inch blue gill, and other fish on the trophy include a big northern pike, a flounder, a carp, a walleye, a catfish, a rainbow trout, a sturgeon, a sucker, a crappie, a muskie, a sheepshead, a gar, a largemouth bass, and a smallmouth bass. The trophy was noted in a 1995 issue of Sports Illustrated as one of the most unique trophies in college football. The teams have not met on the gridiron since 2012.

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