DePauw took on Oberlin this past Saturday, racking up another win and improving to 6-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference and 7-2 overall.
The Tigers were behind after the game’s first two plays of scrimmage, but came back to win it 50-17.
Oberlin quarterback Chris Herman met Justin Cruz with a pass on the game’s first play for a 70-yard completion. Following this, Kahlil Rivers ran a five-yard touchdown to move the score to 7-0 only 31 seconds into the game.
The Tigers responded three minutes later with a touchdown scored by senior quarterback Matt Hunt on a three-yard run, right after he threw for 25 yards and rushed for 21.
Following this, Hunt found his brother, sophomore wide receiver Andy Hunt, to complete a 23-yard scoring pass. Senior linebacker Thomas Gray intercepted an Oberlin pass and gained 44 yards in the return process. Matt Hunt capitalized on this, finding senior wide receiver Ian Good on a 15-yard scoring pass. The Tigers propelled the lead to 20-7 with 4:30 remaining in the first quarter.
During the second play of Oberlin’s next possession, sophomore cornerback Brooks Hepp intercepted an attempted pass, allowing the Tigers to gain possession at the Oberlin 35-yard line. With this, Hepp secured his sixth interception of the season. Seven plays later, senior kicker Marko Adams drove a 32-yard field goal to push DePauw’s lead to 23-7.
Not long into the second quarter, Adams booted a 24-yard field goal to further the lead to 26-7. However, Oberlin quarterback Zach Taylor drove 88 yards through the middle to score on third-and-four, trimming the lead to 26-14 with 10 minutes left in the half. A failed punt by DePauw allowed Oberlin to gain possession at the DePauw 17-yard line, but the Tigers defense stood their ground. The Yeomen’s Michael Leschyshyn hit a 29-yard field goal to cut the lead to 26-17.
Following this, the Hunt brothers worked together for a 13-yard score, advancing the lead to 33-17 with six minutes remaining in the half. Leschyshyn failed to hit a 40-yard field goal, but the half ended before DePauw was able to score.
Just over a minute into the second half, senior running back Jason Kirchhoff drove 28-yards to make it 40-17. Additionally, Matt Hunt found junior wide receiver Nolan Ayres to complete a 30-yard pass play, making it 47-17. A third field goal hammered by Adams with 4:44 left, improved the Tigers to 50 total points. Adams collected his 14th field goal of the season with that kick, breaking the DePauw single-season record.
The Tigers met a school record by reaching 33 first downs, while breaking another when they ran 102 offensive plays. DePauw carried a 591-371 edge in total offense yards, including 258-184 on the ground.
Senior defensive lineman Pete Nelson expressed his confidence for the Monon Bell Game this coming weekend. “Being a senior, I have seen three groups of seniors not win a bell in their career,” said Nelson. “This week, DePauw can expect the bell to be brought back to Greencastle.”
Junior offensive lineman Andrew Saunders elaborates on the Tiger’s plan to succeed in this coming weekend. “The plan now is to stay focused and keep the intensity high so we can get one more good week of practice in,” Saunders said. “Everybody has been working hard all season, and I think it’s important to mention the leadership we have received from the seniors this year. They've been a great group of guys who have done a lot for this program in their time here. They have led by example and put in the work to bring the team to this point, so I think we're all going to be ready to send them out with a big win and get that bell back!”
Senior Tommy Gray also talks about the game against Wabash this Saturday. “Up next is the Bell Game; the best time of the year!” said Gray. “Both sides of the ball will watch plenty of film on Wabash, and come into Saturday fully ready to go.”
The Tigers close regular season play on Saturday as they travel to Wabash. The 123rd Monon Bell game plans to kickoff at 1:09 p.m. in Crawfordsville.