Kenyon Upsets Nationally-Ranked Scots 24-21

Andrew O'Connell

WOOSTER, Ohio – Kenyon College scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to stun nationally-ranked College of Wooster (No. 24 D3football.com, No. 15 American Football Coaches’ Association) 24-21 during North Coast Athletic Conference action at a cool, wet John P. Papp Stadium.

Wooster sees its 14-game regular season winning streak snapped, which, entering Saturday’s action, was the sixth-longest active streak in NCAA Div. III.

After Kenyon’s Alby Coombs bullied his way up the middle for a three-yard touchdown rush, completing a seven-play, 46-yard drive and giving the Lords their first lead since it was 3-0, the Scots (4-1, 1-1 NCAC) had two opportunities to tie or retake the lead during the final 6:29 of regulation.

First, Wooster took the ensuing kickoff and Bobby Reiff (Bay Village, Ohio / Bay), making his first career start at quarterback, completed four-straight passes for a total of 44 yards to help move the ball to the Kenyon 10-yard line. The drive stalled there, though, and a 27-yard field goal attempt went wide right.

With 3:30 left and the Scots with all three of their timeouts, the Lords (2-3, 2-0 NCAC) were still able to work the clock a little bit, thanks to a first down conversion on 3rd-and-11. Wooster stopped them on the next set of downs, and after a 14-yard punt, took over at its own 45-yard line with :59 remaining.

On the very next play, Aaron Gertz (Bay Village, Ohio / Bay) beat his man down the right sideline, stretched out in an attempt to haul in Reiff’s throw, and appeared to have it momentarily, but was unable to maintain control. On a 3rd-and-10 play, the duo did connect for 12 yards, which was followed by an eight-yard defensive pass interference penalty, making it 1st-and-10 at the Kenyon 35. Reiff again found Gertz, this time for five yards, but was forced to spike the ball with time winding down. Another incompletion followed, which led to a 4th-and-5 from the Lords’ 30 with just :12 left. The Scots elected to attempt a 46-yard field goal in the tough conditions, but it was well short.

Kenyon set the tone early, taking the opening kickoff and getting four first downs before stalling and settling for a John Currier 28-yard field goal.

Wooster’s first possession was a three-and-out, but then it got a big lift from Andrew O’Connell (Granger, Ind. / Penn). After a Lords’ three-and-out, he received a punt on the left side of the field, avoided a pair of Kenyon defenders, then ran back all the way towards the right sideline, where he slipped out of a couple more would-be tacklers and then sprinted his way to a 76-yard touchdown. What made it all the more remarkable was that it was the freshman’s first collegiate touch.

The Scots built on that momentum, as Reiff scored on a five-yard keeper to the right side right before the end of the first quarter to make it 14-3.

Wooster missed out on a chance to increase that lead midway through the second quarter. The Scots drove the ball inside the 10-yard line, but were forced into a 28-yard field goal attempt. A bad snap in the slippery conditions forced the holder into a desperation pass, which was intercepted.

On the ensuing possession, a Wooster pass interference penalty on 3rd-and-21 kept the drive alive, and then Coombs ran 70 yards up the middle for a touchdown to make it 14-10, and it stayed that way going into the third quarter.

The Scots again took a two-score lead (21-10), when freshman Dustin Sheppard (Newark, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) took the handoff and made a couple shifty moves to score from 18 yards out and complete a 10-play, 78-yard drive. Sheppard was just shy of his first 100-yard game with 92 on 15 rushes.

Kenyon took advantage of good field position to score its two fourth-quarter touchdowns. First, it went 50 yards in eight plays, capped by a Phelipe Johnson three-yard reception from Rafael Sanchez. Later, Wooster’s third turnover of the afternoon, this time via a bad snap from center, set up the winning drive.

Coombs paved the way for the Lords’ upset win, as he rushed for 167 yards on 30 carries and added another 43 receiving yards.

Reiff performed well, completing 18-of-33 passes for 176 yards, in addition to 35 rushing stripes, while Sanchez ended up 12-of-25 through the air for 149 yards as well as 40 on the ground.

The Scots will look to bounce back next Saturday when they host Wabash College (5-0, 3-0 NCAC).