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ADA, Ohio—The Otterbein University football team closed out the 2013 season with a 42-21 loss at Ohio Northern University Saturday afternoon in Ada.

The team finished the season at 5-5 overall and in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Ohio Athletic Conference at 5-4. Northern improved to 6-4 overall and 5-4 in league play.

Otterbein, hoping to send its 16 seniors out on a high note, lost some of its rhythm on offense after senior quarterback Ben Sizemore had to leave the game with 1:41 remaining in the first quarter.

The Polar Bears opened the scoring on their second possession of the game, a five-play, 44-yard drive which resulted in a 23-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Patrick Angle to junior tight end Justin McCray.

The Cardinals, after three straight possessions ending in punts, got on the board when senior cornerback Alex Cameron intercepted an Angle pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown to even the score at 7-7 with 2:41 to play in the first quarter.

On the ensuing Otterbein kickoff, Ohio Northern fumbled and junior Cole Benner recovered the ball on the Polar Bear 25-yard line. The Cardinals, however, could not move the ball, losing the services of Sizemore in the process. The senior quarterback was injured when sacked on the Northern 31-yard line.

On the next series, Ohio Northern covered 69 yards in four plays, scoring on a 14-yard pass from Angle to sophomore wide receiver Devon Price to make it 14-7 with 19 seconds to go in the first period.

Then things got interesting for Otterbein. The Cardinals went to the wildcat offense on its next possession and mounted a 12-play, 75-yard drive which resulted in a 4-yard touchdown catch by freshman tight end Bryson Wray from junior quarterback Ryan Thombs to tie the score at 14 with 8:51 to play in the first half. In that series, though, Cole Benner took the direct snap five times and rushed for 51 yards.

From there, it was all Ohio Northern. The Polar Bears scored touchdowns on four of its next six possessions and led, 42-14, with 11:11 to play in the game. Sophomore running back Justine Magazine scored on runs of one, nine, and two yards.

Sophomore tight end Chad McCray closed out the scoring for the Cardinals, catching a 3-yard pass from senior quarterback Thomas Linder for a touchdown with 1:10 remaining in the game.

Linder ended up with Otterbein's best performance at quarterback Saturday, completing 8 of 12 pass attempts for 60 yards and one touchdown. Benner led the Cardinals on the ground, rushing for 54 yards on eight carries.

Freshman inside linebacker Austin Jones and senior defensive end Zack Grieves each made 13 tackles in the loss. Junior cornerback Ty Compton also had an interception, picking off an Angle pass in the Ohio Northern end zone just before intermission.

The Otterbein senior class finishes with a 22-18 career record.