Football cruises to 45-0 win over Austin in SCAC opener
The Centre College football team scored 14 points on its first two possessions and didn't look back going on to a 45-0 shutout victory over Austin College in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) opener for both teams Saturday, Sept. 24 in Danville, Ky.
With the win, the Colonels remain unbeaten and improve to 3-0 and 1-0 in the SCAC, while the Kangaroos remain winless and fall to 0-4 and 0-1 in league play.
Senior quarterback Tyler Osterman (Monroe, Ohio) and senior tight end John Coomer (Somerset, Ky.) connected for two scoring strikes on Centre's first two drives - one from eight yards out and the second from five yards away - to give the Colonels an early 14-0 lead.
Junior running back Monte Scotton (Cleveland, Tenn.) scored on a one-yard plunge early in the second quarter to give Centre a 21-0 lead.
The Colonels added a 51-yard field goal off the leg of junior kicker Jordan Gay (Danville, Ky.) with two seconds left in the first half and Centre led 24-0 at the break.
The second half was much like the first. Senior running back Jonathan Pinque (Athens, Ala.) scored on a one-yard run in the third quarter. Scotton added a 20-yard touchdown rush later in the quarter, and sophomore running back Harry Meisner (Wyoming, Ohio) scored his first career touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 17-yard scamper for the 45-0 final tally.
Centre out-gained the Kangaroos 407-179, including a 205-49 advantage in rushing yards. The Colonels also forced five Austin turnovers (three interceptions and two fumbles) and limited the Kangaroos to only 5-19 on third down conversions.
Osterman finished the day 15 of 21 for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Scotton gained 70 yards on 13 carries (5.4 avg.) with two scores on the ground and also caught three passes for 40 yards in the win.
Senior safety Ryan Gallas (Prospect, Ky.) led the Centre defense with 10 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass break-up. Along with the turnovers, the Colonels also posted nine tackles for loss with senior linebacker Jared Ferguson (Monroe, Ohio) tallying 2.5 and senior defensive back Kent Crick (Evansville, Ind.) adding 2.0, two pass break-ups and an interception.
Centre will next travel to Greencastle, Ind. to play the DePauw University Tigers, Saturday, Oct. 1. Kick-off for the non-conference game is set for 1 p.m.
