CASE 35, WASHINGTON 27...
CLEVELAND, OH (November 3, 2007) - The No. 21 ranked Case Western Reserve University football team won its first outright University Athletic Association (UAA) championship (championship picture) and tied a school-best record this afternoon with a 35-27 victory against Washington University (MO) at Case Field.
“I reminded the kids in my pre-game speech of what I told them this summer, that they could be the best Case Western Reserve team in years,” Debeljak said. “I then explained to them that I set the bar too low. They have a chance to be the best Case Western Reserve team in history.”
The Spartans (3-0 UAA), who were UAA co-champions back in 1996, remain undefeated on the year at 9-0 [9-0 in 1984] and will host Ohio Wesleyan University (4-5) in their season finale Saturday (Nov. 10) at 1:00 p.m.
“This week’s game against Ohio Wesleyan is a playoff game as far as I’m concerned - we lose we’re out,” Debeljak explained. “We need to take all the guess work out. If we win the game we are in.”
 The Bears (6-3, 1-2 UAA) jumped out to an early lead when Matt Glenn ran for an 11-yard score, the first points of the game. However, senior linebacker Tom Brew (Mentor, OH) would block Washington’s PAT to limit the Bears’ lead to 6-0.
Sophomore quarterback Dan Whalen (Willoughby, OH-pictured) would answer back, as he launched a 50-yard pass downfield to his former high school teammate, freshman wide receiver Shaun Nicely (Willoughby, OH) to give the Spartans the 7-6 advantage. Whalen and Nicely would connect again just before the end of the first quarter on a 33-yard pass to bring the game to a 14-14 tie, after Glenn would score his second TD of the game and Washington was successful on a two-point conversion.
Whalen completed 13-of-19 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, while Nicely caught seven passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore running back Corey Checkan (Georgetown, PA) gave the Spartans a 21-14 halftime lead with a one-yard TD run with under a minute to play in the second quarter. It was Checkan’s 10th rushing TD of the season.
Washington came back at the start of the second half to bring the game to a 21-21 stand-still, as Glenn scored his third touchdown of the game on a one yard run. Glenn finished the game with 48 yards rushing on 13 carries, while Jim O’Brien rushed 17 times for 97 yards.
However, the Spartans would ice the game after that, when Whalen and Nicely connected for their third touchdown of the afternoon to give Case Western Reserve the 28-27 advantage. Junior defensive end Brian Calderone (Broadview Hts., OH) would get in on the action, as he recovered a Kyle Gray fumble for a 32-yard touchdown to give the Spartans the 35-27 victory in front of a packed crowd at Case Field.
The Spartans forced three Washington turnovers on the afternoon, one of them an interception in the second quarter by junior defensive back Luiz Goncalves (Franklin, PA). Goncalves leads the team with five interceptions on the year and is fourth in the UAA.
“I told them [team] the game was going to come down to turnovers,” Debeljak said. “And that is where the game was won and lost. It wasn’t our greatest production day offensively, but we made the plays when we had to.”
Whalen finished the game 20-of-29 with 205 yards and three touchdowns, while Nicely finished with a career-high 12 receptions for 166 yards and three touchdowns. The Spartans totaled 297 yards of total offense, while the Bears accounted for 405 yards.
Box Score
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