Scoreboard

Week Nine Game Summaries

Ripon 17, Illinois College 12
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – An interception by Travis LeRoy with 1:18 remaining stopped a late Illinois College scoring drive and preserved Ripon College’s 17-12 Midwest Conference victory Saturday.

LeRoy stepped in front of a Derek Leonard pass at the Ripon 25 for the play that sealed the outcome. The win improved the Red Hawks to 7-1 overall (6-1 MWC) while the loss drops Illinois College to 6-2, 5-2.

Trailing by five points, the Blueboys mounted their final drive from the IC 4 with 3:30 remaining. Leonard, who completed 26 of 45 passes for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns, marched the hosts to the IC 42 before LeRoy’s interception.

Ripon halfback Travis DeVoe rushed for 208 yards on 37 carries and scored both of the Red Hawks’ touchdowns. His first touchdown came on a 46-yard pass from quarterback Griff Prochnow that put the visitors ahead 7-6 midway through the opening quarter. DeVoe’s 11-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter staked Ripon to a 17-6 lead.

Illinois College opened the scoring on the game’s first drive when Leonard found Dan Holden on a 31-yard touchdown pass. A 27-yard Lucas Horning field goal helped put Ripon in front 10-6 at the break.

After DeVoe’s second score, the Blueboys closed the margin when Tim Thrasher caught a 3-yard TD pass from Leonard with 7:19 to play.

Ripon piled up 506 yards of offense, with 292 coming on the ground. The Red Hawks limited Illinois College to 310 offensive yards.

Prochnow and Leonard each threw three interceptions in the contest. Illinois College’s Patrick Bowman, the Blueboys’ leading rusher, suffered a season-ending leg injury in the second quarter.

Westminster (Pa.) 24, Gannon 16
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Westminster improved to 7-1 as the Titans defeated state rival Gannon 24-16 in a non-conference contest at Harold Burry Stadium. Westminster has now won six consecutive games, while the Division II Golden Knights have dropped four straight.  Gannon led 16-10 at halftime, but the Titans posted a pair of second-half touchdowns while holding Gannon scoreless to earn the win.

The Golden Knights (2-6) took control of the game early, taking the opening kickoff and marching 74 yards on 12 plays capped by a 1-yard sneak by freshman quarterback Justin Palkovich.  A missed conversion kick left Gannon on top 6-0.  The score broke the streak of 12 consecutive scoreless quarters posted by the Titan defense, dating back to Sept. 30.

Westminster halved the lead with 4:02 to play in the opening period, as junior kicker Jon McCartney booted a career-long 42 yard field goal to cut the Gannon lead to 6-3.  The field goal was McCartney's 10th of the season, setting a new school record for field goals made in a season (breaking the mark of nine set by Rob Dancu in 1991).  Westminster then took its first lead late in the quarter, as senior cornerback Aaron Stamp returned a Golden Knight punt 25 yards to the Gannon 43, then lateraled the ball to fellow senior Adam Jones.  Jones then went the rest of the way for the touchdown and a 10-6 Titan advantage.

Gannon cut the lead to 10-9 early in the second period on a 26-yard field goal by Jarrett Kier, then re-took the lead with 5:20 to play in the half on a 15-yard run by Kevin Cloherty.  The touchdown by Cloherty capped a seven-play, 52-yard drive and gave the Golden Knights a 16-10 advantage heading into intermission.

The Titans went back on top with 5:20 to play in the third quarter, completing a nine-play, 69-yard drive with a 2-yard scoring dive by senior tailback John Ciavarra, his ninth touchdown of the year.  Westminster then added an insurance score on the first play of the fourth period, as senior James Graham connected with senior wide receiver Brian Lipiello from 14 yards out for a 24-16 lead.  It was the sixth touchdown reception of the year for Lipiello.

After going three-and-out on its next two possessions, Gannon did manage a final drive with 1:26 to play, moving the ball to the Westminster 47 in the closing seconds.  However, the Golden Knights finished the game with a sack and three incompletions, the last coming as time expired.

Graham led the Titan offense, going 15-for-25 for 156 yards through the air, with Lipiello hauling in six passes for 85 yards.  Ciavarra was the top ground gainer with 77 yards on 23 carries.  Defensively, Stamp posted a pair of interceptions, giving him six on the season (best in the Presidents' Athletic Conference), while senior defensive linemen Shane Jordan and Charles Szabo each recorded quarterback sacks for the Titans.

Hobart 19, Ithaca 0
GENEVA, N.Y. — Hobart rode a dominating performance by its defense to a 19-0 victory against visiting Ithaca. The win is the first for the Statesmen over the Bombers since 1983, and just the second in the 24-game history between the two regional rivals, while the shutout is the first of Ithaca in its last 79 games.

The Hobart defense was the difference in this game limiting Ithaca (5-3) to just 147 yards of total offense, including a stifling opening 45 minutes. Through the first three quarters, the Bombers had managed just 44 yards on 43 plays. Ithaca rushed for a total of 14 yards due to 16 tackles for a loss by the Statesmen, including six sacks. Sophomore defensive end Matt Daley led the charge with six tackles, including three sacks. His final sack of the afternoon proved to be the biggest, as his hit jarred the ball from the quarterback’s hands. Daley picked up the loose ball and rumbled 24 yards for Hobart’s final touchdown with 1:33 remaining in the third quarter.

Sophomore linebacker Tim Booth registered a team-high nine tackles. Four other Statesmen recorded five tackles, including first-year defensive back Patrick Lester and senior linebacker Mike Amodeo, both of whom added an interception.

Through the air, Ithaca gained just 133 yards, as both Bombers quarterbacks — senior Billy Feldmaier and junior Greg Sheeler — struggled to find open receivers. The Statesmen broke up 14 passes, led by senior defensive back Eric Newsome with four. Ithaca’s quarterbacks finished a combined 11-for-41 with two interceptions.

Offensively, Hobart (6-1) got off to an auspicious start, fumbling on its third play from scrimmage, one of just two Statesmen turnovers in the game (Ithaca turned the ball over five times). Hobart got on the board with its third possession of the game, a textbook march that covered 84 yards in 11 plays (6 rush, 5 pass) and ended with a spectacular fingertip catch by sophomore wide receiver Henry Leeper. The 15-yard pass from senior quarterback Dan Birdsall was Leeper’s second of the season. The extra point was blocked, leaving Hobart a 6-0 lead.

In the second quarter, the Statesmen had opportunities to extend their lead, but had a field goal blocked, missed another wide left, and failed to convert a fake field. Hobart appeared to be headed to the locker room at halftime with a 6-0 lead, but senior running back Tommy Giorgio fumbled in Ithaca territory as the Bombers attempted to run out the clock with 32 seconds remaining in the half.

Birdsall, who finished 13-of-26 for 152 yards, dropped back to pass and was sacked for a 9-yard loss on first down. On second down, he was chased out the pocket and threw the ball away to avoid the sack. The game clock stopped with .3 seconds remaining in the half.

The Hobart coaching staff, not content with a 6-0 lead, opted for a Hail Mary pass. Birdsall’s 39-yard heave was tipped by Leeper into the waiting arms of Newsome, who was called into service offensively for the first time this season. The reception was the first offensive TD of his career (he has three interception returns for touchdowns).

Senior running back Keith Brandon helped the Statesmen dominate time of possession (36:32-23:28) with 97 yards rushing, while senior wide receiver Scott Yoder tied the Hobart record for consecutive games with at least one catch (26) with a diving 2-yard pick up on the first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter.

Defensively for Ithaca, junior Mark McDonough finished with a game-high 18 tackles.

Chicago 12, Washington U. 9
CHICAGO — The University of Chicago, which entered the game ranked first in the NCAA Division III in rushing defense, stopped Washington University on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the game's final minute to preserve a 12-9 win Saturday at Chicago's Stagg Field.  With the victory, the Maroons captured the 2000 University Athletic Association title.

The UAA championship is Chicago's (6-1 overall, 4-0 UAA) second in the past three years.  With the victory, Chicago also regains the Founder's Trophy, which has been awarded to the series winner since 1987.  Washington still holds a 10-4 edge in the cup's history.

Trailing 12-9, Washington (5-4, 3-1) began its final drive on the Chicago 49-yard line with 3:37 left in the game.  A 29-yard completion from Brian Tatom to Cory Snyder and runs of 11 and 7 yards by Tanner Ware moved the ball to the Chicago 2-yard line with just over a minute remaining.  Led by D3football.com Team of the Year middle linebacker Dan Philips, the Maroons then stopped three straight runs to hold on for their fourth consecutive win.

On Washington's previous drive, the Bears lost a chance to tie the game when Jonathan Feig hit the upright on a 31-yard field goal attempt with 4:43 left to play. Feig was 1-for-4 on the day.

Washington scored first on a 40-yard field goal by Feig midway though the second quarter.  Chicago answered with a 29-yard scoring strike from Josh Dunn to Brian Gutbrod with 1:24 left in the first half.  The Maroons missed the extra-point to take a 6-3 halftime edge.

Chicago went ahead 12-3 when Dunn connected with Joe Polaneczky from 18 yards out early in the third quarter.  Chicago failed the two-point conversion.

Washington's Luke McIntosh scored on a 58-yard interception return with 13:00 left in the game, but Chicago's Mike Wisner blocked the PAT to keep the score 12-9.

Chicago held Washington to 18 net rushing yards on 29 carries and 176 total yards on 61 plays.

Moravian 52, Susquehanna 33
SELINSGROVE, Pa. — Tim Barlok ran for 197 yards and four second-half touchdowns, including a school-record 95-yard run late in the fourth quarter, as Moravian scored 46 points in a span of 27 minutes en route to a 52-33 victory over Susquehanna in Middle Atlantic Conference action at Lopardo Stadium.

Charlie Bowden threw for 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Greyhounds (5-3 overall, 3-2 MAC Commonwealth) forced five Susquehanna turnovers in clinching their first non-losing season since 1997. The Crusaders (5-3, 1-3) lost for the third straight week and for the first time in four games at Lopardo Stadium. The 52 points allowed were the most in regulation by a Susquehanna team since a 63-0 loss to Wittenberg in 1967.

Barlok, who had minus-3 yards rushing on eight carries at halftime, scored on runs of 14 and 7 yards in the third quarter and added touchdowns of 24 and 95 in the fourth quarter as he ran for 202 yards on just 14 carries in the second half. He also caught a 9-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to tie a school record with five touchdowns in a game.

The Moravian offensive explosion overshadowed a record-setting day by the Crusader tandem of quarterback Mike Bowman and receiver Mark Bartosic. Bowman finished 28-for-51 for 407 yards and four touchdowns, establishing single-season school records for attempts, completions and yards, while Bartosic made nine catches for 208 yards and three touchdowns to become Susquehanna's single-season leader in receiving yards and touchdowns.

Susquehanna outgained Moravian 484 to 450, but committed five turnovers that led to 24 Greyhound points. Over the last four games, the Crusaders have turned the ball over 19 times and allowed 157 points.

After Barlok caught a 9-yard pass from Bowden late in the first quarter to give Moravian a 6-0 lead, Susquehanna responded on touchdown passes of 47 and 48 yards from Bowman to Bartosic to go ahead 14-6. Jim McIntyre's 25-yard field goal in the final minute of the first half gave Susquehanna a 14-9 advantage at intermission.

In the second half, Barlok scored on runs of 14 and 7 yards and Michael Abbate added a 12-yard touchdown catch as Moravian scored 22 points in five minutes to go ahead 31-14. Jon Dvorshock scored on an 11-yard run to cut the Greyhound lead to 31-20 after three quarters, but Bowden scored on a two-yard run to put Moravian on top 38-20 with 12:23 left.

Bartosic hauled in a 46-yard touchdown pass from Bowman just 50 seconds later — his third of the game and 14th of the season — to pull the Crusaders within 38-27, but Barlok rambled in from 24 yards out to put Moravian on top 45-27 with 10:06 remaining. Tim Ronchi caught Bowman's fourth touchdown pass of the day with 7:57 left to make the score 45-33, but Bowman was picked off by Mike Wukitsch on the next Susquehanna drive at the Moravian 3. Two plays later, Barlok capped the scoring with his 95-yard run down the left sideline.

Lewis & Clark 31, Colorado College 13
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Trent Thompson passed for 297 yards and four touchdowns, leading Lewis & Clark to a 31-13 victory over Colorado College at CC's Washburn Field.

Thompson, who completed 26 of 43 attempts, connected with wide receiver
Jason Hill for three of his scoring tosses as the Pioneers (2-5) won their first road game since 1998.  Hill finished with nine catches in the triumph, including TD receptions of 10, 5 and 31 yards. Thompson also hit Matt Jackson on a 14-yard scoring play in the second quarter that put Lewis & Clark up 19-7.

Sophomore tailback Anthony Azadeh also rushed for 113 yards, including a fourth-quarter touchdown run that completed the scoring.

Colorado College, which dropped to 3-4, got touchdown runs of 1 and 21 yards, respectively, from freshman running backs Patrick Martinez and Jay Macias. Senior quarterback Chris Witt completed 18 of 33 passes for 220 yards, but the Tigers hurt themselves with six turnovers, including three fumbles that led to Pioneer TDs in the opening half. Witt also was sacked four times.

Sophomore lineman Dave Warth paced the visitors' defensive effort with a pair of fumble recoveries and three tackles for losses. Free safety Adam Patenaude had a pair of interceptions.

CC got 11 tackles, including four for losses and its only sack of the day, from senior defensive end Jonathan Dickerson.

FDU-Madison 15, Juniata 13
MADISON, N.J. — The FDU-Madison Devils beat the Juniata Eagles 15-13, marking the Devils first-ever win over the Eagles and their first win of the year.

FDU scored 15 unanswered points to go up 15-5 after Ed Cracchiolo ran for a 2-yard TD and Mike Quigley ran in the two-point conversion on a fake kick. The Devils held the lead despite a a 2-yard receiving TD by Ben Cole followed by a two-point conversion by Juniata with 42 seconds left in the game.

After a scoreless first quarter, Juniata scored twice in the second quarter to go up 5-0 with 2:13 in left in the first half. Dusty Lehr hit a 20-yard field goal to put the Eagles up 3-0 with 9:26 remaining. Then Jeremy Patterson registered a safety by sacking FDU's Brad Bishop in the FDU end zone on a play that started on FDU's 6-yard line.

Mike Kuziemski fought his way into the end zone on a 13-yard TD pass from Bishop to put FDU up 6-5 as time expired in the first half.

Bishop threw for 147 yards and one touchdown on 17-for-37 passing. He was intercepted once. Cracchiolo ran for 90 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries. Quigley was the leading receiver for FDU with 55 yards on seven catches. Kuziemski caught five passes for 40 yards and one TD.

For Juniata, Jamie Campbell complete 24 passes on 52 attempts for 249 yards and one touchdown. He also led the Eagles in rushing with 22 yards. Matt Eisenberg caught five passes for 70 yards. Andy Radomsky picked up 65 yards on five catches.

Tom Pouliot led the Devils in tackles with nine (seven solo). Kevin Williams chipped in seven tackles (six solo) while blocking one punt and one field goal attempt. He made a key stop in the fourth quarter, tackling Juniata's Nate Leach one yard short of a first down with 2:42 left in the game and the Eagles trailing 15-5. Frank Nolasco also made seven tackles (four solo). Jose Sanchez made an interception for FDU.

For Juniata, Dan Brady made 10 tackles (five solo) including three sacks for 15 yards. Josh Seiders also made ten tackles (four solo). Juniata 's defense broke up nine passes on the day.

Today's game was the 10th meeting between these two football teams, and the first victory by FDU. Juniata won the first four meetings, from 1979 through 1982, before the series was suspended. The two teams have met every year since 1995. In 1997, Juniata edged out FDU 34-33 in Huntingdon, Pa.

Washington & Jefferson 58, Thiel 3
GREENVILLE, Pa. — Ryan Silvis caught three touchdown passes and Joey Nichols rushed for three scores to lead No. 17 Washington & Jefferson past Thiel 58-3.

The Tomcats actually scored first, taking advantage of an interception by Greg Hardin and moving the ball to the Presidents' 18-yard line where T.J. Wiley booted a 35-yard field goal just over five minutes into the first quarter.

W&J (7-1, 4-0) answered quickly and often, as sophmore quarterback Brian Dawson found Silvis wide open for 64 yards and the lead for good. Nichols scored his first touchdown of the afternoon, capping the next W&J possession with a 1-yard run with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Thiel couldn't move the ball on the next possession and the Presidents moved right back into position to up the ante.  But a Jason Salman interception in his own end zone kept the score at 14-3 for a while longer.  Dawson and Silvis, the most prolific passing and receiving combination in the 100+ year history of Washington & Jefferson, hooked up again on a nifty 27-yard scoring pass up the right sideline, Silvis tiptoeing over the final 6 yards to stay inbounds.

An interception by Jonathan Herbert set up W&J's final score of the first half, a Nichols 2-yard run, giving the Presidents a 28-3 lead at intermission.

Picking up in the second half right where they left off, W&J scored on five consecutive possessions including Nichols' 6-yard run, an 80-yard pass to Dawson from Chris Locher, a 14-yard run by Chris Mosley, a Luke Ravenstall 20-yard field goal and a 25-yard run by Kevin Snowden.

Nichols finished the day with 17 carries for 132 yards and three scores.  Dawson was 9 of 13 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.  Silvis caught four passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns.

The Presidents won their 15th Presidents Athletic Conference championship in the past 16 years.  Thiel dropped its 7th in a row after starting the season 2-1.

Dawson finished the day 9 of 13 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Central 31, Coe 7
PELLA, Iowa — Coe threw a scare into Central before the Dutch rallied for 25 fourth-quarter points and a 31-7 Iowa Conference victory.

A Dutch fumble on the 15-yard line set up a Coe touchdown early in the second quarter.  Kohawk receiver Kye Bennis caught a 5-yard TD pass from Tim Vinyard and Coe was up 7-3 at intermission.

Passing just twice in the second half, Central cut the gap to 7-6 on a 21-yard Marc Kroloff field goal in the third period, then suddenly broke the game open in the fourth period with three touchdowns in less than five minutes.  Fullback Joe Ritzert's 1-yard run capped an 80-yard drive to give Central the lead.  One minute later, defensive end Justin Snyder scooped up an errant lateral and raced 20 yards for a touchdown.  Just three minutes after that, it was tailback Joey Liekweg scoring on a 2-yard run.  Central added a third Kroloff field goal to make it 31-7.

Coe's league-leading offense was limited to 220 yards.  However, the Kohawks were without starting tailback Fred Jackson, who suffered a broken wrist in practice Thursday.  Central linebacker Jeff Sanger had eight tackles while tackle Ryan Anderson had six stops, including three for loss.  Snyder had a quarterback sack to raise his league-leading total to 13½.

Central got a career-high 129 yards rushing from Liekweg and finished with 369 yards total offense, with a season-high 307 yards on the ground.  The Dutch controlled the ball for 36:45 of the game's 60 minutes.

Quarterback Scott Koerselman completed seven of 20 passes for 62 yards with one touchdown.  He threw just once in the second half, but made some key plays on the ground, rushing six times for 63 yards.  Tailback Aaron Aeschliman rushed 15 times for 61 yards.

Coe is now 6-3 and hosts Buena Vista next week.  Central moves to 8-0 heading into next week's battle for first place with unbeaten Wartburg.

UW-Stevens Point 14, UW-Platteville 7
STEVENS POINT, Wis. -- Scott Krause had a quarterback sneak with 26 seconds left on a third-and-goal play to lift UW-Stevens Point to its first win of the season in a 14-7 victory against UW-Platteville at Goerke Field.

Krause's sneak capped a 13-play, 77-yard drive that began after a fumbled snap on a UW-Platteville field goal attempt with 4:22 left.

Krause hit Todd Goodman for a 16-yard pass and Lance Gast for a 14-yard pass to move into UW-Platteville territory. Then, following an incomplete pass on a third-and-10 play from the Pioneers' 36-yard line with 1:00 left, UW-Platteville was called for a personal foul for hands to the face of the quarterback. The penalty gave the Pointers and first down at the 21-yard line and they scored four plays later.

The victory snapped the Pointers' eight-game losing streak and was their ninth consecutive win over UW-Platteville. The Pointers rushed for 282 yards, including a career-high 98 by Gast. Goodman, a senior, also had a career high with 88 yards.

After a scoreless first half, the Pointers scored first when Paul Schmitt recovered a fumble on the Pioneers' 5-yard line and Goodman scored on the next play with 10:08 left in the third quarter. UW-Platteville tied the game on a 32-yard pass from Dave Rakow to Ryan Oliverson with 6:23 left in the third quarter.

UW-Platteville, which attempted 63 passes last week against UW-Stout, was without quarterback Tom Stetzer and had three different quarterbacks combine for 19-for-38 passing for 203 yards.

Wooster 34, Oberlin 0
OBERLIN, Ohio -- Wooster put an end to its first three-game losing streak since 1994 with a 34-0 win at Dill Field in North Coast Athletic Conference action this afternoon, marking Wooster's fifth shutout in its last 17 games and Oberlin's 37th consecutive loss -- the longest active winless streak in NCAA football.

The Scots (5-3, 4-1), who had lost their previous three outings to teams that owned a combined record of 19-3 heading into Saturday's action, dominated play, outgaining the Yeomen (0-8, 0-5) 394-84 and recording 10 sacks.

In just his second career start at quarterback, sophomore Jeff Spraggins completed 14 of 27 passes for 250 yards and threw four touchdowns, despite sitting out the majority of the second half.

Just 1:20 into the contest, Spraggins connected with sophomore Jeremy Haynes on a 41-yard pass play to put Wooster up 6-0. Freshman offensive lineman Keith Vance, filling in for injured kicker Joe Zombek, missed the point after attempt, however, he went on to convert his two other extra points.

On their second drive of the day, Spraggins led the Scots 61 yards on 11 plays in 4:43, culminating in a 3-yard touchdown run by sophomore Rob Hooper. That score was set up by a 34-yard pass from Spraggins to junior Chris Cabot.

Early in the second quarter, Wooster converted a 4th-and-15 play on Oberlin's 20-yard line into a Spraggins' touchdown pass to junior Darryl Simmons. Hooper, who ended up with a team-high 52 rushing yards on 12 carries, added the two-point conversion on a run, making it a 20-0 game.

The Yeomen fumbled the ball away on the first play of the ensuing drive, and the Scots took advantage, as Spraggins hit sophomore Adam Zann for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 9:11 remaining in the opening stanza.

It remained 27-0 until early in the second half when Spraggins threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Cabot, on a play following an interception by sophomore Nick Hajjar.

Nine different receivers caught passes for Wooster led by Simmons, who had five catches for 73 yards, and Cabot, who made four receptions for 97 yards.

Defensively, Scot senior Seth Duerr, the school's career leader in tackles, surpassed the 400-tackle plateau, as he came up with 13 stops, including seven for losses and two sacks. He now has 405 total tackles for his career. In the secondary, Hajjar picked off two passes, raising his season total to five, while fellow cornerback Seth Mastrine, a senior, had one interception, raising his school-record total to 15 in his career.

Wartburg 30, Simpson 24
WAVERLY, Iowa -- No. 6 Wartburg built a 17-0 lead on Simpson and then hung on for a 30-24 win in front of 2200 fans at Schield Stadium. The victory was the 19th in a row in conference play for the Knights and was the final game in Schield Stadium this season due to renovation work that begins Monday.

The victory sets up a battle for the lead in the Iowa Conference Saturday, Nov. 4 at No. 3 Central. Both teams enter the game at 8-0.

The Knights (8-0) got on the board quickly in the opening quarter. Sophomore quarterback Jake Olsen hit senior wide receiver Ryan Rausch with a 67-yard scoring strike less than five minutes into the game. He followed that up with a nine-yard scoring pass to Rausch five minutes later for a 14-0 lead. Senior placekicker Cody Teslow drilled a 37-yard field goal to give the Knights a 17-0 cushion with 14 minutes to go in the first half.

From that point on, Simpson (5-3) made a big comeback. Collin Freeburg broke loose for a 47-yard touchdown scamper and caught a 22-yard scoring strike from quarterback Brad Zelenovich for two Storm scores in the final 12 minutes of the first half. Senior running back Tyler Molstre broke up Simpson's run with a five-yard scoring play late in the second quarter.

Simpson continued their comeback with a 27-yard field goal by Brett Majors and a 1-yard keeper by Zelenovich to tie the game at 24-24 with eight minutes left. However, Wartburg bounced back with a five-play, 76-yard drive capped off by a 18-yard pass from Olsen to Rausch for a 30-24 lead at the 6:55 mark.

The Storm drove into Wartburg territory twice in the final 6:55. The Knights' defense stiffened on both occasions, limiting Simpson to a punt and senior defensive back Bo Harris knocked away a fourth-down pass inside the Knights' 15-yard line on Simpson's final drive.

Olsen and Rausch led the Wartburg offense. Olsen finished the day 12 of 19 with three touchdowns and 201 yards. Rausch hauled in seven of those aerials for 143 yards, breaking former Wartburg standout Dave Koll's career reception mark in the process. Rausch now has 159 receptions compared to Koll's 155. He heads into the Central game next weekend needing only 25 yards to catch Koll's career yardage mark.

Sophomore Randy Laing, junior Lucas Kotz of and senior Dave Devine led Wartburg's defense. Laing turned in 14 tackles, nine unassisted, while Kotz forced a Storm fumble and was in on 12 tackles and Devine also turned in 12 hits.

Simpson's Zelenovich finished the game 14 of 31 for 188 yards. Running back Troy Clemen ended up with 25 carries for 100 yards.

Amherst 8, Tufts 0
AMHERST, Mass. -- Junior running back Okey Ugwonali rushed for a 151 yards and the game's only touchdown, while Amherst held Tufts to just 189 yards of total offense, as the Jeffs blanked the visiting Jumbos 8-0, improving to 5-1 on the season for the first time since 1997.  Tufts fell to 2-4 with the loss. 

The Jeffs' defense set the tone early on the way to its third shutout of the season.  After both offenses fizzled on their opening possessions, Amherst sophomore punter Geoff Bough pinned Tufts deep in its own territory with a 42-yard boot, downed at the Jumbo two-yard line.  On the next play, senior linebacker Ken Barrington broke through the line and sacked Tufts quarterback Todd Scalia in the end zone for Amherst's second safety in as many weeks and a 2-0 lead for the Jeffs. 

The defense responded again late in the second quarter as Tufts went for it on fourth-and-one from the Amherst 32-yard line.  Scalia lunged for first down yardage on a quarterback draw but was swallowed up by Amherst defensive linemen Ted Hollo and Kevin Bush as the Jumbos lost the ball on downs in their final possession of the first half.

Tufts got tricky after the break.  After Amherst went three-and-out to start the third quarter, the Jumbos found themselves at fourth-and-five from their own 49-yard line, when defensive end Joe McLean took a direct snap off a fake punt and rumbled 30 yards to the Jeffs 21.  Two plays later, Amherst defensive tackle Pat Hayes, filling in for injured teammate Pat McGee, stuffed running back Brian Holmes for a 2-yard loss, setting up a 41-yard field goal attempt by Howie Rock. Rock, kicking into the wind, hooked the kick wide left to hold the Amherst lead at 2-0. 

The Jeffs fumbled the ball away on their last two possessions of the third quarter but forced the Jumbos to punt both times.  Finally, Amherst found the end zone for the first time in two games on an 11-play, 79-yard odyssey, as Ugwonali rushed nine times for 53-yards, capped by a 1-yard scoring scamper with 10:44 remaining.

"That drive was straight pounding," said Ugwonali, the Jeffs leading rusher with 568 yards on the season.  "The win was blowing against us, so I knew we definitely had to run the ball.  We tried to stay away from the toss because of the wind and cold, so we stuck to handoffs and smashmouth football."

The Jeffs attempted a two-point conversion but quarterback Peter Honig was sacked, holding the lead at 8-0. 

Down but not out, Tufts threatened once more, driving the ball deep into Amherst territory late in the fourth quarter, culminating with a fourth-and-one play from the Amherst 5-yard line with 42 seconds remaining. Once again, Hollo stepped up and swatted Holmes in the backfield for a 4-yard loss, icing the victory for the Jeffs as the home crowd celebrated. 

"It was a typical toss play," said Hollo, who finished with six tackles on the afternoon.  "The guy turned it back in and we had the flow going at him. Without McGee, a lot of guys had to step up and make plays.  I just happened to be in the right place at the right time on fourth down." 

Junior linebacker Dan Lalli paced the Jeffs with nine tackles, while classmates Greg Stankewicz and Jay Hutchins added eight and seven takedowns, respectively.  Evan Zupancic and Scott Mittenthal each finished with a game-high 10 tackles for the Jumbos, while Holmes rushed 36 times for a team-high 93 yards.

With the win, Amherst remains tied with Colby College and Middlebury for first place in the NESCAC.