Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 31, 2015 – No. 23-ranked ranked Case Western Reserve University scored 28 points off six Washington University in St. Louis interceptions as the Spartans posted a 34-16 win Saturday at DiSanto Field in Cleveland.
Case won its seventh-straight game to improve to 7-1, while WashU had its three-game win streak snapped and dropped to 5-3.
Junior quarterback J.J. Tomlin was 31-of-59 for 354 yards, and was picked off a career-high six times and sacked twice. The 59 passes attempted by Tomlin was a school record. Tomlin also set the WashU single-season passing yardage (2,560) and completions (223) record, and moved into second place in school history in passing yards (4,464).
WashU's defense was on the field for 38:45, allowing 465 yards of total offense in 97 plays. The Bears have been on the field for 700 plays in eight games this season (87.5 average), tops in NCAA Division III.
Senior linebacker Matt Goad was all over the field for WashU on defense, recording a career-high 11 tackles, two quarterback hurries, 1.5 tackles for loss and a 0.5 sack. Junior defensive lineman Jared Lake added a career-high nine tackles, as WashU forced three turnovers.
Case jumped out to a 14-0 advantage early in the second quarter, scoring all 14 points off turnovers after two interceptions by Tomlin. Senior kicker Alex Hallwachs booted a 46-yard field goal with 11:40 left in the second quarter to get WashU on the board.
The WashU defense forced its second turnover of the quarter, as senior defensive back Dylan Petre picked off Case quarterback Rob Cuda. The interception was the first of the season for Cuda. Petre's interception led to a two-yard TD pass from Tomlin to junior wide receiver Hank Childs, who got one foot inbounds on the reception to trim the lead to 14-10.
After WashU's defense forced another punt, Hallwachs nailed a 30-yard field goal to trim the lead to 14-13 with 3:17 left before half.
The defense continued to shut the door on the Case offense, and sniffed out a fake punt on the Spartan 48-yard line early in the third quarter. WashU drove all the way down inside the the 10-yard line, but sophomore wide receiver Harding Fears fumbled in the end zone after colliding with senior tight end Max Elliott at the goal line.
Case scored its third TD of the game off a WashU turnover as Bryan Erb hauled in a four-yard TD pass from Cuda to put Case up 21-13 with 6:05 left in the third.
WashU answered right back with Hallwachs' third field goal of the game, a 23-yarder, to trim the Case lead to 21-16. Junior wide receiver Kevin Hammarlund had the big play of the drive, a 66-yard reception from Tomlin.
WashU's defense forced a missed field goal and a fumble by Case to give the Bears offensive a chance in the fourth quarter. WashU was stopped on a fake punt with 8:22 to play, and then Case added a four-yard TD run by Anthony Myles to make it 28-16. Tomlin was picked off twice in the final 4:25 to end the threat.
Hammarlund had seven catches for a career-high 175 yards, and moved into fifth place in school history in receptions (119) and eighth in receiving yards (1,563). Elliott finished the day with a career-high nine catches for 97 yards.
Hallwachs tied a school record going 3-for-3 in field goals, and upped his school record total to 41.
WashU plays its final road game of the 2015 season at Hendrix College (5-2, 4-1 SAA) on Saturday, Nov. 7. Game time is set for 1 p.m. in Conway, Ark.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: WashU leads the all-time series with Case, 20-10, and the Spartans snapped a three-game losing streak to the Bears … Childs had six catches to move into 10th place in school history with 110 receptions … WashU is 1-8 in road games the past two seasons … The Bears are 0-2 this season against ranked teams.