Sacks Result in Third-Quarter Safety for Wooster

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster football team's third-quarter spark was not enough, as Ohio Wesleyan University played spoiler, 34-22, on Homecoming for Alumni and Families Weekend.

Wooster (1-6, 0-5 North Coast Athletic Conference) senior Brazos Gadler returned the opening kickoff 67 yards to Ohio Wesleyan's (3-4, 2-3 NCAC) 16-yard line. However, Wooster was unable to get any traction offensively, and a 25-yard field goal sailed wide of the left upright.

Wooster's defense held strong, forcing five straight punts to start the game. None of the Battling Bishops' first five possessions covered more than 41 yards. That changed come possession six, and it was a Wooster miscue that was the difference. Junior Wyatt Harris' well-timed blitz resulted in a 10-yard sack on Ohio Wesleyan's Colin Pearson, setting the Bishops up with a second-and-20 play from out of field goal range. Wooster was flagged for pass interference on the third-and-20 snap, giving OWU a fresh set of downs at the 19-yard line. Two plays later, the Battling Bishops were in the end zone for the game's first score, with that coming on a 9-yard Pearson-to-C.T. Taylor touchdown pass.

The Fighting Scots' 48-yard field goal try at the end of the first half was blocked, and the Bishop' Grant Johnson picked up the ball and ran it back 67 yards for a touchdown. Wooster's Harris had a block of his own on Ohio Wesleyan's extra point try to keep the halftime deficit at 13-0.

Ohio Wesleyan was up 27-0 midway through the third quarter, but an excessive celebration penalty forced the Battling Bishops to kick off from the 20-yard line. Gadler received a lateral from sophomore David Parker and gave the Scots field position at the Battling Bishops' 38-yard line. A 22-yard reception by Gadler and an 11-yard chain-moving run from sophomore Jace Austin had Wooster positioned at the 5-yard line. Austin eventually scored from a yard out putting the Scots on the board with 6:02 remaining in the third.

Later in the third, senior Sebestyen Balassy's punt pinned Ohio Wesleyan at its own 5-yard line. The Scots kept the Battling Bishops from gaining any traction. Senior Jacob Dugas sacked Pearson for a loss of four yards, moving the ball back to the five. Then sophomore Isaac LaFay was in the process of wrapping Pearson up in the end zone, but the Bishops' quarterback was flagged for intentional grounding, thus giving the Scots a safety.

A 51-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Michael Boyle to Gadler followed two plays into Wooster's offensive drive, and Balassy's extra point had the Scots within 27-15 with 45 seconds remaining in the third.

Both teams scored a fourth-quarter touchdown. Wooster's was on a 5-yard Boyle-to-Balassy slant with 1:16 remaining. Boyle scrambled for gains of 20 and 8 yards on the drive. A Boyle dump down to junior running back Jarvis Mims Jr. went for 11 yards on a third-and-2 snap and set the Scots' up at the Bishops' 5-yard line.

Boyle completed 20-of-36 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Gadler was a frequent target, catching seven passes for 115 yards. He became the sixth player in program history to surpass 2,000 career receiving yards on Saturday. Boyle was Wooster's leading rusher, scrambling seven times for 50 yards.

Defensively, Harris was a formidable force, finishing with eight tackles, two sacks, and the blocked extra point. Senior Neil Clayton ended with seven tackles, including four for loss, which helped limit the Battling Bishops to just 75 yards rushing.

Pearson went 20-of-34 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Nathan Severs scored twice on the ground, but was held to an average of three yards per carry on 22 attempts. Seth Anderson had 10 tackles to lead the Battling Bishops' defense, while Bryar Ramey was credited with 1.5 sacks.

Wooster had 390 yards of offense to Ohio Wesleyan's 357, in a game where the time of possession was different by just four seconds. The teams combined to go 9-of-28 on third down.

Next, Wooster plays at Oberlin College (0-6, 0-4 NCAC) at noon on Saturday, October 26.