PHOTO GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – In an unfortunate bit of déjà vu, the Otterbein football team endured a another heartbreaking defeat against cross-town rival Capital on Saturday afternoon inside a rainy Memorial Stadium.

The Crusaders, somehow prevailing by a final score of 23-19, get their first win of the season and improve to 1-7 overall. The Cardinals now also sit 1-7 overall after falling in the final seconds for a second-straight week.

Otterbein took an early 6-0 lead, as linebacker Jacob Tiell blocked a punt and big nose guard Nigel Chatman ran it down to recover. The Cards scored moments later when Steven Irwin found tight end Tyler Ronk with a nice touch pass over the top on 4th-and-1 from the five-yard line. The PAT was blocked and returned 98 yards the other way by Capital, leaving the score 6-2.

Both sides committed a few turnovers as the first-half progressed, leading to scoring opportunities by the opposition. Capital got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter after Otterbein muffed a punt, striking on the first play with a 22-yard trick pass from Dar Stanford to Wyatt Pertuset.

The Crusaders then seemed primed for more points after forcing a sack and fumble recovery, which injured Irwin, and taking over at the 11-yard line. However, Cardinal safety Niall Lewison came up big with a one-handed interception at the goal line.

Otterbein took the ball and embarked 99 yards down the field, taking advantage of a few Capital penalties and getting a 34-yard strike from Bryce Hall to slot man Dylan Tuggle down near the red zone. Hall eventually punched in a short rushing TD up the gut to give the Cards a 13-9 lead entering halftime.

Otterbein couldn't get much going offensively in the third quarter, as Capital found the only score of the period when Pertuset hauled in a 22-yard pass from Thomas Wibbeler.

The Crusaders clung to that 16-13 margin until 5:04 remaining in the fourth quarter when Otterbein running back Dakota Smith ripped off a 45-yard touchdown to erupt the home stands and sideline. In another unfortunate miscue, the ensuing PAT deflected off the right upright and kept the Cardinal lead at 19-16.

Otterbein was ultimately one stop away from winning the game on two separate occasions during Capital's next drive, but Wibbeler converted a pair of 4th-and-4's around the midfield area to prolong the drive. Eventually, he found Stanford from 31 yards with 55 seconds remaining to complete a 12-play, 81-yard sequence that lasted 4:02 of game time.

Capital mishit the next kickoff, which was nicely corralled by Zach Smith at midfield and giving the Cardinals plenty of time. Hall quickly completed three passes, the latter going 34 yards to Reed Tucker down to the two-yard line. Otterbein then threw an incomplete pass on first down followed by a jet sweep to speedster George Redding in motion, who was tackled by the shoe string and had his knee hit the turf with the ball at the half-yard line.

Otterbein called its last timeout with 9.8 seconds on the game clock, setting up a third down just inches from the end zone. Hall came from the shotgun to under center, and attempted a quick QB sneak before fumbling the ball at his feet. He was able to quickly recover, but the final seconds ticked away and the clock expired.

The Cards also endured a similar ending in a wild and wacky 2016 home game against Capital, where they fumbled in the closing seconds while setting up position for a winning field goal.

Otterbein had a season-high in total offense and outgained Capital 349-287 on the afternoon. The Crusaders went just 2 of 15 on third down but 4 of 5 on fourth-down opportunities.

Smith rushed 23 times for a career-high 155 yards from the Cardinal backfield while Tuggle had four catches for 68 yards. Hall went 9 of 21 passing for 125 yards after taking over for Irwin. Linebacker Ryan Tuchow led the defense with 12 stops, including three for a loss, while Lewison and Jake Harper each had eight. The Cards posted six sacks, two coming by way of the promising youngster Chatman.

Wibbeler went 21 of 40 for 239 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and Stanford finished with nine grabs for 98. Michael Lauofo paced the Crusader defense with 11 stops.

Otterbein will stay at home next week to host Marietta for Senior Day at 1:30 p.m. The Pioneers (6-2, 5-2 OAC) will be coming off a tough 30-28 loss against Baldwin Wallace.