No. 13 Wooster Upset by Oberlin 14-7

OBERLIN, Ohio — In a true sign that the Oberlin football program has taken dramatic strides in recent years, the Yeomen pull off a major upset, knocking off No. 13 College of Wooster 14-7 Saturday at Oberlin, leaving Oberlin tied for first-place in the North Coast Athletic Conference after two conference games.

Wooster (4-1 / 1-1) was without the nation’s leading rusher, Tony Sutton (Akron, Ohio / Archbishop), who missed the game with a knee injury. His absence was profound, as the Scots, who came into Saturday’s game leading the nation in scoring (53.2 points per game) and averaging 455 yards of offense per game, were held to just seven points and 277 yards of offense against the Yeomen.

Oberlin (2-3 / 2-0) wasted no time showing that it was ready for the Scots, as they took the opening kickoff and went 80 yards on five plays, capping the drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Squatrito to Brandon Neely. The Yeomen missed the extra point.

Wooster tried to respond, moving to the Oberlin 27-yard line on its first possession, but failed to score after Richie McNally (Westerville, Ohio / St. Francis DeSales) missed a 44-yard field goal.

The remainder of the first half saw both defenses dig in and hold the offenses in check. Wooster’s best scoring opportunity came early in the second quarter, when David Puckett (Painesville, Ohio / Thomas W. Harvey) busted loose for a 60-yard run that moved the Scots from their own six-yard line all the way to the Oberlin 34-yard line. But the Scots were unable to cap on the big play, and eventually punted the ball away.

Wooster got the ball to start the second half, and appeared to have found their offense, as it drove 74 yards on nine plays to score its lone touchdown. The big play in the drive was a 39-yard completion from Justin Schafer (Bethesda, Ohio / Union Local) to Tim Slovensky (Parma, Ohio / Parma Senior). Puckett capped it off with a 1-yard touchdown run. With the extra point, the Scots took a 7-6 lead.

With 5:01 left in the third quarter, Oberlin started what proved to be the game-winning drive from its 34-yard line. The Yeomen did all of their damage on the ground, rushing the ball 12 straight times, which was capped by a Travis Oman 1-yard touchdown run. The key moment of the drive was a fourth-and-two play from the Wooster 29-yard line, where Oman gained the first down with a four-yard run.

Wooster had the ball five times in the fourth quarter, but never really threatened to score. The Scots best opportunity came midway through the period, when Wooster got to the Oberlin 38-yard line. But on fourth-and-5, Schafer was picked off by Quammie Samper. The Scots did get the ball back two more times after that, but were pinned deep in their own territory and were never able to mount a drive.

In a major upset, the underdog usually has to play a perfect game, and Saturday, Oberlin appeared to have played it. The Yeomen forced two Wooster turnovers, but did not commit any of their own. They also recorded six sacks, and even had a 79-yard punt from Ryan Drews – the longest punt in NCAC history.

Individually, Squatrito had a big day for Oberlin, leading the team in both rushing and passing. He finished with 115 yards rushing on 12 carries, while throwing for 79 yards and one touchdown. Oman added 86 yards rushing for the Yeomen, who outgained the Scots 232-123 on the ground.

For Wooster, Puckett finished with 124 yards on 23 carries filling in for the injured Sutton. Schafer completed only 13-of-32 passes for 154 yards, while Slovensky finished with 75 yards receiving.

Defensively, Oberlin was led by Greg Jaquay, who had 12 tackles and two sacks. Tim Cline (Gambier, Ohio / Mt. Vernon) paced the Scots with 12 tackles.

Wooster will try to rebound when it hosts Allegheny next Saturday (Oct. 18).