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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University football team stayed in the hunt for a winning season, overcoming crosstown rival Capital University, 19-14, in a hard-fought Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) game Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
With two games remaining in the season, the win kept the goal of back-to-back winning seasons alive. The battle came down to the final minute when the Cardinals (4-4, 4-3 OAC) stuffed a fourth-and-1 attempt by the Crusaders (1-7, 1-6 OAC) at the Otterbein 35-yard line with 51 seconds remaining to preserve the win.
"The win is huge," said Otterbein head coach Tim Doup. "Especially when it's against Cap, it's always a little bit more gratifying. We still have two games to play to get to our first goal and it is attainable—that's to have a winning record."
Neither team wasted time getting on the scoreboard. Capital senior running back Alex Coleman took the first play from scrimmage 65 yards to put the Crusaders up 7-0 with 14:45 left in the first quarter.
The Cardinals answered right back. Senior quarterback Ben Sizemore connected with senior wide receiver Steve Carpenter on a 21-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-4 to even the score at 7-7 with 9:39 left in the first quarter.
The offenses would quickly stall until midway through the second quarter when junior safety Ty Compton recovered a Capital fumble at the Crusader 24-yard line. On the very next play Sizemore connected with Carpenter once again for a 24-yard touchdown pass to put the Cardinals up 13-7 with 6:26 left in the half after a failed PAT.
"Steve is going to play big in big games and he did the same thing today," said Doup. "He's a go-to guy and he did a great job."
The defenses continued to prove their worth through halftime and into the third quarter as both teams traded drives to start the second half. The Otterbein offense then began a time-consuming, 14-play drive with 7:45 left in the third quarter. The drive concluded with junior Alana Gaither hitting an 18-yard field goal, to make the score 16-7 with 14:08 left in the game.
Keeping with the theme, Capital responded yet again, going 68 yards in nine plays. Freshman running back Brent Walton scored on a 6-yard run with 9:36 remaining.
The Cardinal offense picked right back up where it left off, driving 70 yards in 13 plays before Gaither would hit a 22-yard field goal to go up 19-14 with 3:26 left.
After the Crusaders made it to the Otterbein 35-yard line with one minute remaining, the Cardinal defense held strong to secure the win.
Sizemore finished with 315 yards and two touchdowns, completing 25 of 35 passes. Carpenter accounted for 134 yards through the air on nine catches. On the defensive side of the ball, senior defensive lineman Zack Grieves led the team with nine tackles and a sack.
While the Cardinals won with their passing attack, the Crusaders used their rushing attack. Coleman rushed for 185 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown while Walton rushed for 88 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown. Defensively, freshman linebacker Jordan Blair led the team with ten tackles.
The Cardinals had only 44 yards rushing, while the Crusaders had only 32 yards passing for the day.
Otterbein is scheduled to host Marietta College Nov. 9 on Senior Day. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m.
