Otterbein 20, John Carroll 17

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OHIO-- — Otterbein’s record-setting ninth win of the season went down to the wire as the Cardinals turned back John Carroll, 20-17, in single overtime Saturday afternoon in University Heights.

Senior place-kicker B.J. Wanninger kicked a 23-yard field goal in the first overtime period and the Cardinal defense held. On John Carroll’s ensuing possession, Eric Burnsides stripped junior quarterback Jeff Javorek of the ball and senior defensive end Mike King recovered the loose football to seal the deal and a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship.

The 32-team field for the NCAA championship will be announced Sunday between 3 and 3:30 p.m., Eastern Time, by ESPNews, which can be found on some cable systems, DirectTV at channel 207, and Dish Network at channel 142.

With the win, Otterbein improved to 9-1 overall and concluded the regular season in second place in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) at 8-1. Nine wins is an Otterbein single-season record. John Carroll dropped to 5-5 overall, finishing in a three-way tie for fifth place in the OAC at 4-5.

“We knew we were going to have to earn this win against John Carroll,” said Otterbein head coach Joe Loth, who is in his sixth season at his alma mater. “I was extremely proud of our guys, on both sides of the ball. We battled to the end and we pulled off a crucial victory.”

The 14th-ranked Cardinals took a 17-7 lead into the fourth quarter on a pair of scoring strikes of seven and two yards from junior-eligible quarterback Jack Rafferty to senior wide receiver Dan Gendron, both coming in the second quarter. Wanninger added a 25-yard field goal with 2:02 to play in the third quarter.

John Carroll scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. Senior place-kicker Josiah Kedzior hit a 23-yard field goal and Javorek scored on a 4-yard run with 3:43 to play in the game.

Otterbein finished the day with 313 yards of total offense. Rafferty, despite the rain and sleet, completed 17 of 30 pass attempts for 199 yards and two touchdowns in the win. He also rushed for 35 yards on 15 carries.

Sophomore running back Colton Coy rushed for 68 yards on 18 carries as John Carroll held the Cardinals to 114 rushing yards. Otterbein entered the game averaging almost 209 yards an outing.

Junior wide receiver Ryan Rowley made five receptions for 74 yards. Gendron finished with 44 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions.

Sophomore defensive safety Justin Hochstetler, 12 tackles, and senior defensive safety Charlie Rowley, 10 tackles, led the Cardinals in tackles. King made eight stops, including two for a loss of 11 yards, along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Press release submitted by on Nov 15, 2008 at 07:37 PM Eastern