Ground Attack Leads Wooster Past CWRU 27-22

Rob Hooper breaks past a defender and scores on a four-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Spraggins late in the fourth quarter to clinch the win.

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WOOSTER, Ohio — A punishing running attack, led by Tony Sutton (Akron, Ohio / Archbishop Hoban), who rushed for the second-most yards by a Wooster player in John P. Papp Stadium history, propelled the Scots past Case Western Reserve 27-22 to improve its record to 3-0 on the season.

A week after earning North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors for amassing 298 all-purpose yards against Bethany, Sutton put on another historic performance, rushing 30 times for 264 yards – the third-highest total in school history. He led the Wooster ground game that amassed 338 yards for the game, including another 96 yards by Scott Jones (Uhrichsville, Ohio / Tuscarawas Central Catholic).

Statistically, the two teams were the near opposite of each other. The Spartans threw for 365 yards but gained only 80 yards on the ground with a 2.7 yard-per-carry average, while Wooster managed only 37 yards passing on six completions.

In the first half, it appeared that the game would be a shootout, as each team went up and down the field. Wooster took the opening kickoff and moved all the way to the CWRU 14-yard line before settling for a 42-yard field goal by Ritchie McNally (Westerville, Ohio / St. Francis DeSales). The Spartans responded by going 72 yards on just six plays, with quarterback Eli Grant scoring on a one-yard run. The big play of the drive was a 60-yard screen pass to Brandon McDowell that took the ball all the way to the Wooster five-yard line.

Wooster wasted very little time on its next drive, going 68 yards on seven plays, capping the drive with a four-yard touchdown run by Jones. Jones and Sutton combined to carry the ball six times for 57 yards on the drive.

The two teams traded fumbles on subsequent possessions before the Spartans mounted a 12-play, 85-yard drive that resulted in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Grant to McDowell that gave CWRU a 13-10 lead.

Again, Wooster responded, as Sutton broke free for a 35-yard touchdown run with 12:37 to play in the first half to finish off a 68-yard scoring drive.

The Spartans closed out the first-half scoring with a 27-yard field goal by Ian Jaquette to make the score 17-16 Wooster at halftime.

Tony Sutton streaks towards the end zone on his 35-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

The second half was a different story offensively, as both defenses slowed down the other team's attack. The Scots' defense, as it has done often this season, stiffened when CWRU threatened to score. Three times the Spartans were inside the Wooster 35-yard line in the second half and didn't score. The most important defensive stand may have been on the first drive of the third quarter, when CWRU went 70 yards on 11 plays, but after failing to punch the ball in after getting first-and-goal at the seven-yard line, Jaquette's 23-yard field-goal attempt hit the left upright and missed.

After a couple of failed drives, Wooster took advantage of a poor punt that gave it the ball at the Spartan 38-yard line. The Scots moved inside the 10-yard line, but were unable to score a touchdown, and had to settle for a 22-yard field goal that gave them a 20-16 lead.

CWRU attempted to retake the lead early in the fourth quarter, but turned the ball over on downs at the Wooster nine-yard line after two incomplete passes.

The Scots finally put the game out of reach when they drove 71 yards in 11 plays, capping the drive with a four-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Spraggins (Garfield Heights / Garfield Heights) to Rob Hooper (Mt. Vernon, Ohio / Mt. Vernon) with just 2:36 remaining. Sutton single-handedly moved Wooster down the field, as he accounted for 67 yards of offense on the drive.

The Spartans scored a touchdown with 21 seconds remaining, but were unable to recover the onsides kick.

Sutton was not the only running back with a big offensive performance, as McDowell gained 108 yards rushing and another 149 yards receiving. Grant completed 22-of-44 passes for 365 yards, but was sacked four times.

Heading the Scot defensive effort was Drew Fay (Walnut Creek, Calif. / Northgate), who had two sacks and seven total tackles, while Kevin Rooker (Uniontown, Pa. / Laurel Highlands) led all Wooster tacklers with 12.

Wooster opens conference play next Saturday, Oct. 5, when it travels to Delaware, Ohio, to face Ohio Wesleyan, who entered this weekend as the No. 13 ranked team in Division III.