Knott's 77-yard TD Leads Washington U. to 14-7 Win at Carnegie Mellon
Pittsburgh, Pa., October 29, 2011 – Senior wide receiver Easton Knott's 77-yard touchdown reception helped lead the Washington University in St. Louis football team to a 14-7 victory at Carnegie Mellon University in the University Athletics Association (UAA) opener on Saturday afternoon at Gesling Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Knott's reception from junior quarterback Dan Burkett broke a 7-7 tie midway through the third quarter and propelled Washington U. to its third-straight victory.
Junior running back Chris Castelluccio ran for a career-best 126 yards on 25 carries, as Washington U. was limited to 284 yards of total offense. Junior quarterback Dan Burkett was 9-of-21 for 162 yards and two touchdowns as he topped 1,000 yards (1,132) for the season.
Washington U.'s defense limited Division III's 15th-best rushing attack to a season-low 134 yards on 44 carries. Carnegie Mellon entered the contest averaging 258 yards per game on the ground. Sophomore Tate Byers (11 tackles, forced fumble), sophomore Scott O'Brien (10 tackles, two tackles for loss) and senior Kyle Larkin (10 tackles) also recorded double figure tackles for the Bears. Freshman Ryan Bednar added five tackles and his second career interception.
Carnegie Mellon had the lone score of the first quarter, a one-yard touchdown run by Chris Garcia, as the Tartans held onto a 7-0 lead. With snow continuing to fall, the Bears' offense had problems moving the football against the CMU defense.
Just before halftime, Burkett ignited a nine-play, 80-yard drive, which resulted in a touchdown. Senior Austin Morman hauled in a 23-yard reception from Burkett on 1st-and-10, which got the ball down to the CMU eight-yard line. A holding call by the Bears pushed the line of scrimmage back to the 18-yard line, and then Burkett found senior Drew Sexton in the end zone to make it 7-7.
Carnegie Mellon (4-4, 0-1 UAA) had a 180-130 advantage in total offense in the first half, but was penalized six times for 45 yards. Castelluccio had nine carries for 64 yards in the first half, including a career-long 37-yard run. CMU quarterback Rob Kalkstein completed 10-of-10 passes for 101 yards.
Washington University (5-3, 1-0 UAA) continues conference play at home against Case Western Reserve University on Saturday, Nov. 5. Kickoff is set for Noon (CT) in St. Louis, Mo. Case Western Reserve (7-1) won it fifth-straight game in a 6-0 win over the University of Chicago on Saturday.
Bear Notebook: Carnegie Mellon leads the all-time series, 15-14, though the Bears have won 10 of the last 12 meetings … CMU head coach Rich Lackner is seventh (173-84-2) in NCAA Division III in victories by active coaches, while WUSTL head coach Larry Kindbom is 10th (170-116-1) … Senior Joe Rhein made his 38th-straight start at center … Washington U. was picked second in the UAA Preseason Conference Coaches' Poll, while Carnegie Mellon was fourth … The Bears won in Pittsburgh for the first time since Oct. 22, 2005 … Washington U. is 16-6 all-time in UAA openers under Kindbom.
