Otterbein Uses Strong 2nd Half Surge in 49-14 Win
WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein broke open a close game with 35 points in the second half to cruise past Muskingum, 49-14, Saturday afternoon at homecoming in Memorial Stadium.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak as the Cardinals improved to 4-3 overall and evened its Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) record at 3-3. Muskingum dropped to 3-4 overall and 2-4 in the OAC.
Senior running back Colton Coy, who rushed for a career-high 179 yards today, punched in what proved to be the game-winner, a 2-yard run to give Otterbein a 14-7 lead with 23 seconds to play in the first half. The Cardinals would go on to score on five of its six second-half possessions to beat the Fighting Muskies for the seventh straight season.
Otterbein scored first, recovering a Muskingum fumble and going 40 yards for a 6-yard touchdown run from junior quarterback Austin Schlosser to make it 7-0 with 7:01 to play in the first quarter. Otterbein junior middle linebacker Shane Centers, who led both teams with nine tackles, was credited with the fumble recovery.
Muskingum, on its next possession, covered 60 yards in four minutes to tie the score at 7-7 on a 1-yard run by junior running back Demetrius Bailey with 3:02 left in the first quarter.
The second half belonged all to Otterbein. The Cardinals rolled up 253 yards of offense while holding Muskingum to 120 yards in the second period.
Schlosser, who completed 78 percent of his pass attempts with no interceptions in the win, threw second-half scoring strikes of 5 yards to junior wide receiver Fortinal Faustin and 13 yards to sophomore fullback Sean Haines. Coy scored on runs of 1 and 7 yards, and sophomore running back Cody Green capped the Otterbein scoring with a 3-yard run with 52 seconds to play in the game.
Schlosser finished the day with 211 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-23 passing. It was his fifth 200-yard passing game of the season. He also carried the ball 15 times for 29 yards.
Otterbein junior wide receiver Trey Fairchild led both teams with a career-high nine receptions for 110 yards.
Coy averaged 5.3 yards a carry on his way to a career-high 179 yards. He carried the ball a season-high 34 times. He has five 100-yard games this season.
The Cardinal defense kept Muskingum senior quarterback Jake Burns in check, intercepting him three times in the game. Senior cornerback Anthony Korpieski picked two to bring his season total to five. Junior rover back Dominic Jones got the other. Burns completed 12 of 27 pass attempts for 176 yards and gained just five yards on 10 carries.
Otterbein remains at home next Saturday, hosting OAC leader Mount Union. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
