Wooster Pulls Away from Oberlin for 31-14 Win in Home Opener

Jeremy Petit made this interception in the end zone to help keep Oberlin off the scoreboard during the first quarter.

WOOSTER, Ohio – A 276-yard advantage in total offense (476-229) combined with three takeaways and zero giveaways allowed The College of Wooster to steadily pull away from Oberlin College en route to a 31-14 victory in a North Coast Athletic Conference match-up during the Fighting Scots' home opener at Andrew Turf Field at John P. Papp Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Despite the statistical domination by Wooster (1-2, 1-1 NCAC), it only held a seven-point margin of 21-14 entering the fourth quarter. That period began with a Scots' possession and they moved the ball 56 yards over 12 plays down to the six-yard line, but had to settle for a 23-yard field goal.

Oberlin (1-1, 0-1 NCAC) proceeded to move into Wooster territory, but fumbled in the backfield on a 4th-and-1 play, turning it over on downs with 6:19 left. The Scots then were able to work the clock down, effectively sealing the win with four first downs, and Richard Barnes added a three-yard touchdown rush with :39 remaining to account for the final points.

The teams were scoreless through one quarter of play, thanks to interceptions by the Wooster defense on the Yeomen's initial three series. Girard Ogletree-Crawford, Jeremy Petit, and Quinton Howard each picked off a pass, with Petit's coming in the end zone.

The Scots' offense found its rhythm during the second quarter, gaining 198 yards. However, they only had seven points – a nifty 20-yard touchdown run through the middle by Robert Flagg – to show for it, as two missed field goals resulted in a 7-0 halftime score.

Wooster started the second half with the ball and quickly churned out a seven-play, 63-yard drive, capped by a highlight-reel Jordan McIntyre 35-yard touchdown pass from Barnes. McIntyre hauled in a short pass to the left side and looked like he was bottled up by the defense for a minimal gain, but broke a tackle, in which an Oberlin helmet went flying off, then bounced to the outside where he sprinted into the end zone for a 14-0 lead.

The Yeomen, keyed by a Drew Mixter 49-yard kickoff return, responded with its initial score. On 3rd-and-goal from the 16, Josh Mandel found Ryan Harvey in the end zone to pull the visitors within seven.

On the very next play from scrimmage, the Scots were celebrating a touchdown of their own as Flagg found a big hole on the right side and then sprinted through it for a 58-yard scoring run.

The Yeomen answered again, this time putting together a nine-play, 62-yard drive, with the Mandel-to-Harvey connection working again. First, they hooked up for a 23-yard gain on 4th-and-11 from the  Wooster 38, and two plays later, they formed a 15-yard touchdown pass play to cut the score to 21-14.

It was all Scots during the fourth quarter, though, as they finished with a 22-11 edge in first downs, in addition to their significant yardage advantage.

Individually, Flagg led the way with a career-high 150 rushing yards and Barnes was solid once again, completing 17-of-26 for 224 yards and contributing another 72 stripes on the ground. His top targets were Mike Redick and Cameron Daniels, as they had five catches apiece and a combined 100 yards – 52 for Redick and 48 for Daniels.

For Oberlin, Mandel was 13-for-23 with 160 yards, 90 of which came during Harvey's five receptions.

Next Saturday, Wooster will be part of the first-ever night game at Ohio Wesleyan University (0-3). Kickoff at Selby Field is set for 7 p.m.