NEW CONCORD, Ohio – Freshman kicker Brandon Vollmer (Pickerington/Central) kicked his first career game-winning field goals as he hit a 23-yard field goal with 2:14 remaining in the game to lift the Baldwin Wallace University football team to its first Ohio Athletic Conference road victory with a 23-20 defeat of Muskingum University inside McConagha Stadium.
BW (4-2, 3-2 OAC) improved to 46-13-2 all-time vs. Muskingum (1-6, 0-5 OAC), including winning the 11 of the last 13 meetings.
The Yellow Jacket offense was led by junior quarterback Jake Hudson (East Lake, Fla.) as completed 16 of 20 passes for 285 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Senior All-OAC running back Austin Smith (Broadview Heights/North Royalton) rushed for 32 yards on nine carries. Junior wide receiver Rob Wolfington (Rapids City, Mich./Elk Rapids) led the receiving corps as he caught four passes for a career-high 131 yards with a 61-yard touchdown. Defensively, senior linebacker Sean Nischwitz (Clinton/Green) made a game-high tying nine tackles with one sack.
The Fighting Muskie offensive attack was led by freshman quarterback Brody Hahn as he completed 21 of 37 passes for 216 yards with two touchdowns. Hahn also led the rushing attack with 31 yards on 14 carries. Senior wide out Damon Jones led the air attack as he grabbed seven balls for a game-high 144 yards with one touchdown. Defensively, junior defensive lineman Staci Wilson made a game-high tying nine tackles with one sack.
BW took a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. The Yellow Jackets opened the scoring when Hudson connected with Wolfington on a 61-yard pass play at the 13:15 mark. Vollmer added the extra point. Vollmer hit a career-long 40-yard field goal to close out the scoring at 1:18.
In the second quarter, Muskingum cut the lead down to 10-7 when Hahn connected with junior tight end Granger Long on a three-yard pass play at the 8:44 mark. Freshman kicker Austin Alice added the extra point. BW closed out the first half scoring to take a 13-7 lead into the intermission when Vollmer hit a 22-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining in the quarter.
The Fighting Muskies opened the second half scoring and tied the game at 13-13 when Johnson rushed for the one-yard to the end zone at 4:16 of the third quarter. Alice missed the extra point wide right. The Yellow Jackets wasted no time to regain the lead at 20-13 as Hudson found junior wide receiver Jordan Leverette (Cleveland/John Adams) for a 58-yard scoring play just 18 seconds after the Muskingum touchdown. Vollmer tacked on the extra point at the 3:58 mark.
In the fourth quarter, the Fighting Muskies tied the game again at 20-20 when Hahn hit Jones on a 34-yard pass play at the 14:55 mark. Freshman kicker Colton Kowalak added the point after. BW won the game at 23-20 when Vollmer converted the 23-yard field goal at 2:14. The Yellow Jackets sealed the game when junior defensive back Ty Fields (St. Augustine, Fla.) intercepted Hahn's pass at the BW 12-yard line with nine seconds remaining.
The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, October 21 for their only night game of the season when they travel to Westerville for an OAC game against Otterbein University inside Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m.
The next BW home game is on Saturday, October 28 when they host an OAC game against Capital University on Past Captains Day in the Finnie Stadium at 1:30 p.m.
