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Case Western Reserve University's defense carried a shutout late into the fourth quarter, and the Spartan offense eclipsed the 400-yard mark, en route to a 30-12 win over Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The win was the third straight for the Spartans, who improved to 5-3 overall on the season, including a 4-3 record in Presidents' Athletic Conference play. Thiel dropped to 0-8 overall with an 0-7 PAC record.
Senior quarterback Drew Saxton completed 24-of-33 passes in the game for 272 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 33 yards on the ground. Entering the game with just two catches for his career as a Spartan, graduate student wide receiver Donny Genetin Jr. broke out with a seven-catch, 84-yard effort, including the first touchdown of his career. First-year wide receiver Noah Coyne added a career-best six catches and 97 yards, while junior wide receiver Lucas DeCaro reeled his team-leading ninth touchdown catch of the campaign. Junior running back Antonio Orsini led the team with 57 yards on the ground and ran for his 10th touchdown of the season, while senior running back Donald Day III contributed a season-high 51 rushing yards.
Making just the second start of his career, sophomore linebacker Ryan Cabrera turned in a career-best performance with nine tackles (six solo) including 2.5 for a loss and a sack. Junior safety D.J. Wolf added an interception, his team leading second of the season.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Spartans broke through early in the second frame, when Saxton connected with Genetin on an eight-yard touchdown pass to put CWRU ahead 7-0 with 12:50 to play in the half. Later in the quarter, Orsini added a seven-yard rushing touchdown to put the Spartans ahead 14-0 with 2:21 remaining before halftime. The Spartans would get the ball back one final time in the half, driving 57 yards in 1:19 and ending the half with a 27-yard field goal by sophomore Jacob Lurie that gave CWRU a 17-0 lead heading into the break.
CWRU held Thiel to just one first down in the first half of the game, while outgaining the Tomcats 246-43 over the first 30 minutes of play.
The Spartans added to their lead on the first drive of the third quarter, going ahead 24-0 on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Saxton to DeCaro with 11:20 left in the period. With 14:09 remaining in the game, junior running back Jack McCrae ran the ball in from five yards out for his first touchdown of the season, capping off a 17-play, 74-yard drive that ate nearly seven minutes off the clock and extended the Spartans' lead to 30-0.
Thiel added a pair of late touchdowns, including one on a hail mary pass on the final play of the game, with the Spartans' starting defense off the field, trimming CWRU's lead to 18 points by the final whistle.
Case Western Reserve will return home next weekend for its final home game of the 2021 campaign. The Spartans will host Grove City College at DiSanto Field on Saturday, November 6, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Prior to the start of the game, CWRU will honor its 16 graduating players with a special 'Senior Day' ceremony.