Posted: Oct 27, 2012
BEREA, OHIO – Senior CAPITAL ONE Academic All-District 7 quarterback Ryan O'Rourke (Avon) threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score as the 18th-ranked (American Football Coaches Association poll) Baldwin Wallace University football team defeated Ohio Athletic Conference rival Marietta College, 66-14, today (Saturday, October 27) on Professor Appreciation Day on Tressel Field at The George Finnie Stadium. The victory set up a first place showdown next Saturday, November 3, between BW and No.1-ranked the University of Mount Union at Finnie Stadium at 1:30 p.m.
O'Rourke completed 11-of-14 passes for 210 yards with four TD's and one interception. He also ran for 41 yards in five attempts with a TD before heading to the bench midway through the third stanza.
With its victory, BW is 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the OAC and is tied for second place with Heidelberg. The Yellow Jackets have won three straight games and eight of their last nine dating back to last season. Marietta is now 0-8 overall and 0-7 in the OAC and lost for the ninth straight time dating back to last season. BW led 28-0 after one quarter, 39-7 at halftime and 52-7 after three periods.
In addition to O'Rourke for BW, the running game was led by freshman running back freshman Isaac Reed III (Lehigh Acres, Fla. /Lehigh) rushed for 76 yards on 13 carries with one touchdown. The receiving corps were led by senior tight end Aaron Manders (Toledo/ Cardinal Stritch) with four receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns. The defense was led by nine players all with five tackles.
Offensively for Marietta, QB Tom Fulton completed 19-of-42 passes for 223 yards and two TD's. The running game was led by Tevin Dones with 90 yards on 14 carries. The receiving corps were led by Tannon Roberts with six catches for 90 yards. The defense was led by Jake Hammer and Franklin Holmes with 11 tackles each.
In the first quarter, O'Rourke opened the scoring when he ran eight yards to the end zone and junior placekicker Chris Mohler (Kent/Roosevelt) booted his 26th PAT of the season for a 7-0 lead with 9:56 remaining. The drive was 7-plays and 37 yards and was set up by a 21-yard Pioneer punt. BW increased its lead to 14-0 at the 7:06 mark when sophomore RB Nolan Sordyl (Gurnee, Ill./ Warren Township) to cap a 4-play and 50-yard drive in 1:33. Mohler added his 27th PAT.
On the ensuing kickoff, Marietta fumbled and BW recovered at the Pioneer 3-yard line. On the first play, O'Rourke threw a 30-yard TD pass to Manders and Mohler added his 28th PAT to make it 21-0 with 6:49 left. BW made it 28-0 with 35 seconds left in the first period when junior WR Mike McGervey (Canton/ St. Thomas Aquinas) caught a 7-yard TD pass from O'Rourke and Mohler added the PAT. It capped an 8-play and 70-yard jaunt in 3:49.
In the second quarter, O'Rourke tossed his third TD pass of the game at the 13:05 mark when he threw 6 yards to freshman tight end Daryl Jones (Cleveland/ Villa Angela St. Joseph). Following a bad snap on the PAT, senior WR and holder Pat LaGuardia (Brunswick/Padua Franciscan) threw to Jones for the 2-point conversion to lead 36-0. It capped a 2-play and 31-yard drive.
The Pioneers cut the deficit to 36-7 at the 6:14 mark when Fulton threw a 4-yard TD pass to junior WR Kirby Harris and freshman PK Conor Durina booted the PAT. The drive was 5 plays and 35 yards and set up by an O'Rourke interception. BW increased its lead to 39-7 with 2:42 before halftime when Mohler booted a 29-yard field goal that capped an 8-play and 47-yard drive.
In the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets pushed their lead to 45-7 at 9:30 when O'Rourke and Manders connected for their second scoring play of the game when Manders caught a 23-yard pass from O'Rourke. The extra-point was no good. The drive was five plays and 54 yards in 2:10.
BW tacked on its third rushing touchdown when sophomore running back Sebastian Zuluaga (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast) found pay dirt on a seven- yard run with 1:00 remaining in the third session. Mohler added the extra-point to extend the lead to 52-7 and cap a 6-pplay and 42-yard drive in 3:14.
In the fourth quarter, Marietta scored its second TD of the game when Harris caught a 10-yard pass from Fulton and Durina tacked on the PAT to cut the lead to 52-14 at 13:21. Marietta's drive was 9-plays and 73 yards in 2:31. BW responded with a 2-play and 22-yard scoring jaunt when freshman RB Isaac Reed III (Lehigh Acres, Fla./Lehigh) ran 18 yards to the end zone with 12:21 left and Mohler added the PAT for a 59-14 lead.
The lead grew to 66-14 at the 9:55 mark of the final quarter when junior WR Dan Reed (Knox, Pa./Keystone) blocked a Pioneer punt and junior safety Jake Brandy (Hudson) picked it up and rambled 27 yards to the end zone. Mohler added his seventh PAT of the contest.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.BWyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
