It came down to one final effort from Justin Murray and the DePauw football offense.
After a 12-yard rushing touchdown by the freshman quarterback with 37 seconds left in the game, head coach Scott Srnka had to call a two-point conversion attempt down 22-20 to Allegheny College.
Murray rolled out right with Gators defenders in pursuit, he had a man open, but an Allegheny defender tipped his pass to end a back-and-forth game with a loss.
In Meadville, Penn., the Tigers dropped to 1-5 on the season Saturday afternoon and 0-3 in NCAC conference play. Allegheny improved to 4-2 and 3-0 in the NCAC. DePauw took the lead in the third quarter, 14-13, on a TD pass by Murray to fellow-freshman, Connor Jeffers, but the Gators used a nine-point fourth quarter to seal the victory.
"We're knocking at the door," Srnka said after the loss. "We're ready to put our foot in the door and bust it in. We're so close. Two weeks in a row, we very well could have picked up two wins. We're in it until the end and had an opportunity at the end of both ball games."
Srnka referred to last weeks' 26-22 loss to Ohio Wesleyan University, where it came down to a final drive for DePauw - just like Saturday.
The offense for the Tigers was out of sync to start against Allegheny, as the team punted four straight times after failing to convert one first down, it fumbled a punt, then tacked on another two three-and-out drives. After the sixth offensive possession in the second quarter, DePauw had just 12 yards of total offense and was on pace to break the school record of 11 punts in a game.
Despite the lack of any positives on offense, the Tigers defense stopped multiple Allegheny drives and was only down 13-0 with five minutes left to play in the first half.
Murray composed himself and moved the chains for the first time in the game himself on a 19-yard rush into Gators territory to the 48-yard line with five minutes left to play in the first half.
After two passes to Jeffers and junior Kevin Ude, DePauw tallied its second first down and then its third on an 11-yard run by freshman Amen Galley.
A personal foul call on the Gators brought the Tigers up to Allegheny's 6 yard-line, but Murray was sacked for a five-yard loss. He then found senior tight end Bobby Coburn in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown and brought DePauw back, 13-7, capping a 10-play, 71 yard scoring drive.
"We went two minute," Srnka said of his offense finally moving the ball. "The thing about (Allegheny's) defense is they bring pressure in a lot different ways. They mix and match pretty well, and it can be confusing what they do, and by us going fast it limited what they could do, and what they could get in.
"They got tired as a result, and we gained momentum from that and scored."
The Tigers continued their up-tempo style of offense in the third quarter, and on the second offensive drive of the second half, Murray led a six-play, 30-yard drive capped by a TD pass to Jeffers - his first of his collegiate career - and DePauw gained the lead 14-13.
It didn't last long as Allegheny started its first drive of the fourth quarter on the Tigers' eight yard line after a 30-yard punt by freshman Paul Simon and a 24-yard return.
Gators running back Tim Werley ran it in to regain the lead, 19-14.
A field goal with eight minutes left in the game pushed Allegheny's lead, 22-14.
DePauw couldn't score on its next possession, and the Gators couldn't add onto its lead afterward. The Tigers then started its final offensive drive on its own 34-yard line.
After nine plays, Murray faced a second and goal on Allegheny's 12-yard line. With 37 second to go, he rushed in for the touchdown, but couldn't covert a two-point conversion to force overtime.
Srnka said he knows his players are working hard through a difficult season, but saw a big positive in remaining close in the past two losses.
"Our guys are playing with confidence, playing harder, and they're playing faster," he said. "I think that's just a part of the process. Certainly, we want it to happen a lot quicker than it's happening right now, but sometimes it takes a little longer."
Murray was 21-37 in passing for 144 yards. He threw one interception and two touchdowns. Galley led DePauw's rushing attack with 54 yards.
The Tigers next host Kenyon College (3-3, 2-1 NCAC) at Blackstock Stadium on Saturday.