PHOTO GALLERY
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein football team endured a loss to begin the second half of its season Saturday night inside Memorial Stadium, falling 21-7 under the lights against Heidelberg in another Battle for the Rhine River Cup.
The Cardinals, now 1-5 overall, will be back in action next weekend when they travel to New Concord for a matchup with Muskingum at 2 p.m. Heidelberg, meanwhile, improves to 4-2 on the season and retains the Cup for a second-straight year.
Now over a 25-year tradition, the Rhine River Cup began in 1992 when Otterbein and Heidelberg took part in the first-ever collegiate football game played in Germany. That game ended in a 7-7 tie and both sides have been competing for the trophy ever since, with the Cards now holding a 14-12-1 edge after Heidelberg's two most recent triumphs.
The Cardinal offense moved the ball relatively well in the first half, but unfortunately came up empty after a few self-inflicted wounds on each occasion. Freshman
Demetrius Shannon came up with an interception on Heidelberg's first drive, and Otterbein advanced the ball down inside the 10-yard line before an interception near the pylon on third-and-goal.
Otterbein saw another pair of chances in the second quarter but misfired on field-goal attempts of 39 and 35 yards. Heidelberg held a 7-0 lead at intermission as the result of one big play, with quarterback Trace Reynolds rolling out and finding Maceo Matthews on a 54-yard deep ball toward the end of the first half.
The Cards took the second-half kickoff into opponent territory, but the momentum stalled this time after going 12 yards in the wrong direction. Heidelberg took over and doubled-up the lead on a 79-yard drive, as Reynolds once again found Matthews on a 27-yard connection.
Heidelberg led 21-0 following a Cardinal fumble that set up a short field, and Otterbein capped the scoring during its final possession with a short rushing touchdown from backup QB
Bryce Hall. That Cardinal drive went 70 yards in eight plays.
Hall and starter
Steven Irwin combined to complete 20 of 34 passes for 230 yards but also committed three turnovers throughout. They benefited largely from the return of a mostly-healthy
Payton Vanderkooi, as the senior captain hauled in game-highs of seven catches for 117 yards. Sophomore
Jacob Leonardi added five grabs for 60 yards on the outside.
Junior linebacker
Ryan Tuchow was everywhere on the field, maintaining his high motor throughout and finishing with a new career-high 17 tackles. Fellow linebacker
Jacob Tiell was equally productive, making a career-best 14 stops and flying down the field to cover punts.
Reynolds went 18 of 26 for 224 yards behind center for Heidelberg and also scampered 18 times for another 90 on the ground. Jace Grossman added 14 for 95 and Matthews tallied an equal 90 in the air.
Erik Hagedorn had a team-high 11 stops for the Student Princes, while freshman Zach Blackiston was impressive six tackles (2 for loss), two sacks and a fumble recovery.
It was also Hall of Fame Weekend on campus as the Athletic Department welcomed five standout individuals as part of the 2018 class. Harold Anderson (multiple sports - class of 1924), Catherine Brunoehler Van Der Weide (women's golf - class of 2011), Wayne Cummerlander (football - class of 1980), Dr. C. Brent DeVore (President from 1984-2009) and Kirk McDonald (baseball - class of 1985) now bring the HOF to 97 members.
