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DELAWARE, Ohio – The Otterbein football team traveled to nearby Ohio Wesleyan and admirably took the field for its season opener Saturday afternoon, just 24 hours after learning that sophomore defensive lineman and vocal leader Nigel Chatman had been killed in a tragic car accident. The Cards unfortunately settled on the low end of a 22-10 final score.

At the request of the Chatman family and unanimous decision from players, the Cardinals laced up inside Selby Stadium to honor their fallen teammate. Chatman, a standout all-conference nose guard from Reynoldsburg, was remembered pregame through a handful of powerful moments.

The Cards walked onto the field behind head coach Tim Doup to a standing ovation from both sides, followed by team captains carrying Chatman's No. 97 jersey out to the coin toss. Otterbein then took the field with just 10 players on its first defensive play, laying the jersey down in Chatman's nose guard spot before all players took a knee.

"It was a very emotional day," Doup said afterward to local media. "I thought Tom Watts and everyone at Ohio Wesleyan was first class in accommodating us. Watching Nigel's jersey being placed there on the ground during that first play was a lot to take in. After that, we tried our best to settle in and just play football in his honor."

The defense opened strong behind Chatman's inspiration, forcing OWU to punt on its first three possessions. Otterbein held a small 3-0 lead as a result after a 33-yard field goal from David Hoyle to culminate a 12-play, 63-yard drive. Ohio Wesleyan settled in to find momentum throughout the second quarter, tying the game at 3-3 before a pair of touchdowns and another short FG gave the Battling Bishops a 19-3 lead by intermission.

OWU delivered a 93-yard drive for its first touchdown, then took advantage of a short field after the ball slipped out of Otterbein quarterback Bryce Hall's hands and right to a linebacker for an easy interception. Hall eventually pushed Cody Streit out of bounds at the two-yard line before the home team punched it on the next play.

Otterbein took the second-half kickoff and marched down the field by going 65 yards in 13 plays, capped with a misdirection pitch from Hall to running back Matt Webb on a fake jet sweep. Webb had room around the right side to slip inside the pylon. The Cards then elected to take the extra point and make the deficit 19-10, instead of attempting a two-point conversion for a potential one-score game.

The defense stood strong to keep the margin at nine points, forcing OWU into three punts and a turnover on downs from that point. However, Otterbein couldn't generate any more points as a missed chip-shot field goal and interception allowed the host Bishops to remain ahead.

Ohio Wesleyan's only points in the second half came on another short field, converting a 28-yard FG following the takeaway pick. Otterbein held a decisive 379-286 edge in total offense but three takeaways for OWU proved crucial. The Cards had also more time of possessions and more first downs.

Hall went 19 of 35 for 222 yards, Webb tallied 83 total yards (rushing/receiving) and Reed Tucker had 68 through the air on two long grabs. A total of 10 different receivers had at least one catch for the Cards.

Safety Niall Lewison was everywhere for the defense to match a career-high 15 tackles, and also blocking an extra point, while linebacker Jacob Tiell added 11 of his own. Senior David Kukucka delivered a pair of sacks.

"Nigel was the most enthusiastic kid I have ever met," said Lewison, who spent 15 minutes postgame answering all questions from reporters. "I wish we could have done better for him today, but this isn't just one game for Nigel. It's the rest of our season and the rest of our lives. I would go 0-10 this year to bring him back."

All five of Ohio Wesleyan's scoring drives took less than four minutes, with three of those sequences being under 70 seconds. Quarterback Zane Ries, new to OWU after transferring from Ashland, was 22 of 31 for 211 yards through the air. He also scampered for another 31 on the ground with a TD.

Otterbein will now have a full week to mourn Chatman before another game on the schedule, hosting  Baldwin Wallace next Saturday for its home opener at Memorial Stadium. It will also be Hall of Fame day, with kickoff set for 2 p.m.