CASE 20, OHIO WESLEYAN 17...
CLEVELAND, OH (November 10, 2007) - The Case Western Reserve University football team has done the improbable. After only one winning season in the last 15 years, the Spartans put a perfect season in the books this afternoon as they defeated Ohio Wesleyan University 20-17 at home to finish the regular season 10-0.
With the win, Case Western Reserve likely secured its first trip to the NCAA playoffs and set a record for the most wins (9-0 in 1984) in a single season in school history. The NCAA Division III Football Committee will announce the 32-team field for the 2007 Championship playoffs at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. The selection show will air on ESPNU.
Tom Brew (Mentor, OH) ended his regular season career in fitting fashion. The senior linebacker ran down a scrambling Ohio Wesleyan quarterback with no time on the clock and made the game-ending tackle. Brew had a team-high 14 tackles and recovered a fumble on the day.
“It was fitting that our defense was on the field at the end of the game,” said Head Coach Greg Debeljak. “They played well all season and we were depleted on offense today. We went into the game thinking they were going to have to win the game for us and they basically did.”
The Spartans were missing starting quarterback sophomore Dan Whalen (Willoughby, OH) and starting wide receiver sophomore Tim Cowdrick (Mentor, OH). Whalen leads the team in passing (147-of-236, 1,781 yards, 19 TDs) and Cowdrick is tops in receiving (58 catches, 850 yards, 4 TDS). Both were injured last Saturday.
Sam Coffey (Middletown, OH-pictured) already proved to have ice in his veins earlier this season when he drilled a game-winning field goal to give the Spartans a 20-17 overtime victory over rival Carnegie Mellon, and the freshman kicker confirmed this once again, as he drilled a 23-yarder with 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter to put Case Western Reserve up for good.
The two teams went scoreless through the first quarter and most of the second, until running back Greg Meyer (Clearwater, FL) scored on a 15-yard touchdown run to give the Spartans a 7-0 advantage. Meyer had 14 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown. However, the Battling Bishops would answer right back, as quarterback Mike Fisher would connect with junior wide receiver Zach Dennis on a 50-yard pass with six seconds remaining to limit the Spartans’ lead to 7-6 at the half. Dennis finished with a game-high four catches for 112 yards and one touchdown.
Senior linebacker Mike Tuertscher (Cincinnati, OH) scored his first career touchdown, as he recovered a botched snap by the Battling Bishops to give Case Western Reserve a 14-6 advantage at the 4:59 mark in the third quarter. The Spartans forced two turnovers on the afternoon and entered the game ranked seventh in NCAA Division III in turnover margin.
After a Ohio Wesleyan field goal with 14:20 left in the game, Coffey drilled a career-long 42-yarder less than four minutes later to give the Spartans a 17-9 lead. Coffey has made 10-of-15 field goals on the season and has a team-best 77 points on the year. The Battling Bishops battled back late in the fourth, as Fisher led his team on a six play, 83-yard drive to tie the game at 17-17. Fisher connected with junior tight end Corey Turner on a 50-yard pass and finished the drive by running it in one yard for the touchdown. Ohio Wesleyan made good on a two-point conversion. Fisher finished 12-of-25 for 213 yards and one touchdown.
Senior quarterback Angelo Mirando (Jefferson, OH) got the start behind center this afternoon, and finished the game completing 7-of-18 passes for 53 yards and one interception, while rushing 10 times for 20 yards.
“Our offense did a great job the last couple drives and put some points up,” Debeljak continued. “It was not easy, but the kids hung in their and made plays when they had to.”
Box Score
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