GAMBIER, Ohio – Senior quarterback Mateo Renteria was magnificent with 464 yards of total offense and six touchdowns before a wild ending stole the spotlight of The College of Wooster football team's 42-41 win over Kenyon College on Saturday afternoon at McBride Field.
Kenyon's (2-4, 1-3 North Coast Athletic Conference) significant up-tempo offense had success throughout the afternoon, especially when faced with an 80-yard must-score-touchdown drive without timeouts and just 2:16 to work with. Four plays of at least 16 yards took care of that, the last of which was a 27-yard Ryan O'Leary-to-Zachary Kim touchdown pass with :17 on the clock.
Trailing 42-41, Kenyon was planning on going for two, only to get derailed. A delay of game penalty, followed by a second enforced infraction, backed the Owls up to the Scots' (3-3, 2-3 NCAC) 22-yard line, resulting in a 40-yard extra-point try for the tie. Rocco Danese pushed his attempt wide left, then was unable to convert on the onside kick, which was covered up by Wooster at Kenyon's 32-yard line.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, sophomore Brazos Gadler wrestled the pigskin away from Kenyon safety Daniel Guzevich on a jump ball in the end zone for the go-ahead score, which came with 5:26 remaining. Senior Lake Barrett's sixth extra-point kick of the day upped the lead to 42-35.
Kenyon's answer-back drive reached Wooster's 37-yard line before O'Leary overshot Finn Murray on a fourth-and-3 pass. The turnover on downs marked the second stalled out drive in Wooster territory of the fourth quarter. Two drives earlier, junior Domenic DeMuth pried the ball out of O'Leary's hands when the Owls' signal-caller attempted a sneak on a fourth-and-1 snap from just past midfield, and he emerged from the pile with the fumble recovery.
Offensively, Wooster was flawless over the first 23:28 of the contest with five touchdowns, 343 yards on just 24 plays, and a 14.3 per-snap yardage average. Renteria was locked in, completing 9-of-11 passes for 226 yards and four touchdowns, yet it was his scrambling that ignited the furious start. The senior took off on a third-and-9 play when nothing was open downfield, and scampered all the way to the end zone from 42 yards out. Gadler's diving catch in the back of the end zone from 35 yards away made it 13-7 at the first period's 5:57 mark, and the sophomore emerged wide open on a 62-yard touchdown strike in the final 30 seconds of the opening stanza. Next, sophomore Andrew Hammer caught a ball at Wooster's 38-yard line that turned into an 80-yard touchdown pass, thanks to pure speed and several touchdown-springing blocks up field. An 8-yard shovel pass to senior Cole Hissong, after the tight end hid behind the line, capped the early-game scoring frenzy, with Wooster leading 35-7 at the second period's 6:32 mark.
Kenyon stayed in the game, pulling within 35-21 at halftime, then utilizing the opening drive of the third quarter to make it a one-score game. Kim, who had 17 catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns, logged his second scoring one of the day three ticks into the fourth period, and Danese's extra-point kick tied the score at 35.
Renteria, who surpassed 9,000 career passing yards and reached 70 passing touchdowns, completed 23-of-33 passes for 377 yards and five scores. On the ground, he toted the ball 11 times for 87 net yards and a score. Notable, the five passing touchdowns are tied for the second-most in program history, and he is now the third Wooster quarterback with multiple games with at least five passing touchdowns. The 464 yards of total offense are the third-most in program history, and Renteria now has two of the top-three single-game totals.
Gadler went for a career-high 154 receiving yards and three touchdowns, needing just six catches to get there. Hissong finished with six receptions for 68 yards and the score, while first-year Jarvis Mims Jr. had 94 yards of total offense on 16 plays.
Senior Matt Ulishney reached 75 tackles on the year with a co-game-leading 14. He also picked off O'Leary in the second half. Sophomore Greysen Meyer followed with eight tackles, while four Scots were credited with seven apiece.
O'Leary completed 31-of-47 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns. Jack Provenza averaged 7.9 yards over 14 carries, and Joe Gorte backed Kim up in the receiving department with 81 yards on seven receptions.
Mychael Leno matched Ulishney with 14 tackles, Isaiah Mann and Jack Baulig logged sacks, and Darryl Shands had two of Kenyon's three pass breakups.
The teams combined for 1,067 yards of total offense, with both squads finishing north of 500. Kenyon's penalties were a big factor in the game, with the Owls getting tagged for 155 yards on 14 flags.
Next, Wooster returns home to take on Hilbert College (0-4) on Saturday, October 22 at 1 p.m. Prior to the game, the Scots will recognize their 24 seniors.