The Cardinals, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter, sent the game into overtime when sophomore wide receiver Steve Carpenter caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Austin Schlosser to tie the game at 34-34 with 1:01 to play in the fourth quarter, then held off a last-second John Carroll rally by recovering a Blue Streak fumble on the Otterbein 13-yard line.

John Carroll scored first in overtime, a 25-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback Devin O’Brien to junior tight end Ben Madden. The Cardinals answered with a 4-yard TD throw from Schlosser to senior wide receiver Trey Fairchild to make it 41-41.

In the second overtime period, junior running back Cody Green rushed for five yards to open the Otterbein series. Back-to-back incomplete passes to Fairchild and graduate wide receiver Steve Kuzyk forced the Cardinals to attempt a field goal from the 37-yard line. Junior place-kicker Aaric Milligan’s attempt had the distance, but was wide right.

Then on John Carroll’s first play in the second overtime, sophomore running back Anthony D’Aurizio ripped off a 24-yard run to the Otterbein 1-yard line. Following a John Carroll rush for no gain, O’Brien, on a quarterback keeper, just made it into the end zone to give his team the 47-41 victory.

The Cardinals, seeking their first Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) victory, played from behind all day long. The Blue Streaks scored the game’s first 17 points to lead, 17-0, with 8 seconds to play in the first period. Otterbein finally got on the board, a 15-yard TD pass from Schlosser to Kuzyk to make it 17-7 with 10:03 remaining in the second period. The Cardinals scored again before the half, an 18-yard touchdown reception from Schlosser to Fairchild, and trailed, 27-13, at the break.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. The fourth quarter belonged to Otterbein. Green got the ball rolling with a 49-yard touchdown run to close the gap to seven points, trailing, 27-20, with 13:09 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Blue Streaks answered, upping their lead to 34-20 on a 1-yard run by junior running back Sean Kuenzig with 7:22 to play.

Otterbein closed out regulation with the final 14 points of the game, Schlosser throwing touchdowns passes of 17 and 36 yards to Kuzyk and Carpenter, respectively.

John Carroll outgained Otterbein in total offense, 597 yards to 442, with 379 yards coming on the ground.

Schlosser turned in a career performance in the loss, completing 20 of 34 pass attempts for 353 yards (career high) and five touchdowns (career high). He threw no interceptions.

Kuzyk and Fairchild combined for 277 receiving yards, each making eight receptions and scoring twice. Kuzyk notched a career-best 145 receiving yards in the game.

Green rushed for over 100 yards for the first time in his career, tallying 109 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries.

Senior linebacker Shane Centers, for the fourth straight game, led the Cardinals in tackles, with 17.

Otterbein drops to 1-3 overall and 0-3 in OAC play while John Carroll improves to 2-2 overall and 2-1 in the OAC. The Cardinals return home to host Baldwin-Wallace Oct. 8. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.