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WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Otterbein University football team opened its Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) schedule with a bang Saturday night, scoring early and often en route to a 52-7 victory at Wilmington College.

Otterbein, now 1-1 on the young season, built a 35-0 lead by intermission and never looked back to win its OAC opener for a fifth-straight season. The triumph also marks a 10th-straight win in the series for Otterbein.

The Cardinals took the momentum early after forcing a turnover, using an interception from safety Steven Carpenter to set up a two-yard touchdown pass, from Logan Stepp to Julian Lowe, out of a jet-sweep sequence.

Otterbein began building on the lead as the first quarter progressed, taking advantage of a few short fields and scoring on a 13-yard TD connection from Stepp to classmate Hunter Joseph, followed by Stepp punching in a two-yard score himself.

Otterbein continued extending the lead before halftime, with sophomore running back Justin Stoner scoring his first-career touchdown, from two yards out, early in the second quarter, followed by junior Payton Vanderkooi hauling in his first-career score on a short pass into the flat. The latter scoring sequence was set up by an interception from linebacker Joe Batey.

The Cards opened the second half with a 34-yard touchdown, courtesy of running back Shaq Alexander ,to finish off a six-play, 75-yard drive that lasted just 2:35. Otterbein added to the lead with a 54-yard touchdown run from back-up quarterback Steven Irwin later in the third.

Otterbein finished with a 526-214 advantage in total yards, getting four total touchdowns from Stepp and limiting the hosts to just 13 yards rushing. Stoner just missed the 100-yard mark on the ground with 15 carries for 99 yards, while Irwin (92) and Alexander (86) also flirted with the century mark.

Lowe and Joseph tallied 61 and 57 yards through the air, respectively, while four different Cardinals tallied four tackles to lead a balacned defensive effort. Otterbein had nine tackles for a loss.

Otterbein will be back in action next Saturday afternoon, hosting Ohio Northern University in the first game at Memorial Stadium this fall. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.