Posted: Oct 05, 2013
WESTERVILLE– The Baldwin Wallace University, football team lost to host Otterbein University, 19-7, tonight in an Ohio Athletic Conference game on Ballenger Field in Memorial Stadium.
The game was tied 0-0 after one quarter, Otterbein led 13-7 at halftime and 19-7 after three periods. The Cardinals outgained the Yellow Jackets, 391-301, including 265-138 on the ground.
With its win, Otterbein is 2-2 overall and 2-1 in the OAC and now trails BW 36-9-1 in the all-time series which dates back to 1925. With its loss, the Yellow Jackets drop to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the OAC.
BW was led on offense by junior quarterback Michael Slack (Casselberry, Fla./Pine Castle Christian Academy) who completed 16-of-23 passes for 114 yards and led the ground game with 65 yards in 11 attempts and a touchdown. The top receiver was senior two-time All-OAC wide receiver Josiah Holt (Elyria/Grafton Midview) who had nine receptions for 66 yards. This was Holt's first game of the season after missing the first three contests with an injury. The defense was led by junior linebacker Dan O'Brien (Warren/Howland) and senior LB David Flegal (Akron/Revere) with 10 tackles apiece.
Offensively for the Cardinals, senior QB Ben Sizemore completed 12-of-17 passes for 126 yards and a TD, and he also ran for a score. His top receiver was senior WR Steven Carpenter with six catches for 85 yards. The running game was led by sophomore RB Drew Ervin who ran for a career-high 234 yards in 26 attempts and a TD. The Otterbein defense was led by a trio of players who each had eight tackles.
The Cardinals opened scoring at the 12:35 mark in the second quarter when Sizemore ran five yards to the endzone on an option play, but the point-after-touchdown (PAT) kick failed and Otterbein led, 6-0. The TD run capped a 3-play and 80-yard drive in 1:25 and was highlighted by a 69-yard jaunt by Ervin.
The Yellow Jackets came right back to take a 7-6 lead when Slack sped 21 yards to paydirt after being flushed from the pocket while trying to pass, and senior All-OAC placekicker Chris Mohler (Kent/Roosevelt) connected on his 11th straight PAT this season. The TD run capped an 8-play and 65-yard drive in 3:14.
Otterbein took a 13-7 lead with 1:21 left before halftime when Ervin went 76 yards on a second down-and-20 following a QB sack. Junior PK Alana Gaither's PAT kick capped an 8-play and 89-yard drive in 3:52. The Cardinal possession followed a BW fumble deep in Otterbein territory.
The Otterbein lead grew to 19-7 with 1:01 left in the third quarter when Sizemore threw two yards to junior LB Chester Denton but the two-point conversion pass failed. The scoring toss capped a 12-play and 89-yard drive in 6:47 that failed a botched snap on a BW field goal attempt.
Next Saturday, BW hosts OAC-rival Ohio Northern University on Homecoming on Tressel Field inside The George Finnie Stadium in Berea at 2:00 p.m.. Yellow Jacket fans can hear all of the action on campus radio station WBWC, 88.3 FM, and via the web at www.wbwc.com. You also can watch a live video and audio feed on www.bwyellowjackets.com. Also, between the first and second quarter, the University will recognize members of the school's 1978 NCAA Division III National Championship team who have returned to campus to celebrate the 35th anniversary of that occasion.
Prior to the game and at 11:00 a.m. on Oct. 12, the University will dedicate the new Packard Athletic Center, now known as The PAC, in honor of legendary BW Football Coach and Professor Bob Packard. The facility opened this summer and is the new home of both the Yellow Jacket football and men's and women's lacrosse teams. For a complete listing of Homecoming events on campus, please visit the Alumni & Parents web site at http://www.bwcommunity.net/homecoming/schedule.
FOR MORE SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 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
