Otterbein Concludes 2011 Campaign with Victory over Wilmington
Andrew Woodley -- Otterbein Sports Information
WESTERVILLE, OHIO – The Otterbein Cardinals closed out the 2011 campaign with a convincing 40-14 victory over Wilmington on Senior Day, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
With the win, the Cardinals finish the regular season 3-7 overall, 2-7 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). The loss drops Wilmington to 0-9 in the OAC, 0-10 overall.
Otterbein struck first on their second possession of the game. Senior quarterback Austin Schlosser connected with senior tight end Gabe Shively for a 12-yard touchdown to put Otterbein up 7-0 with 5:52 left in the first quarter.
After a quick three-and-out by Wilmington, Schlosser connected on a 30-yard pass to senior wide receiver Trey Fairchild which put Otterbein inside the Quaker 10-yard line. Schlosser would eventually take the ball in from two yards out to give the Cards a 13-0 lead with 2:49 left in the first quarter.
Wilmington responded with a touchdown of their own to make the score 13-7. However the Quakers did not pull any closer.
Junior running back Cody Green scored from four and three yards out, and fellow junior running back Brit Musal added a touchdown from one yard out to give Otterbein a 33-7 lead with 3:12 remaining in the third quarter.
Following a Quaker touchdown, the Cardinals would finish off the scoring with an 8-yard touchdown run by junior running back Brock Burzanko with 3:53 left in the game.
Schlosser concluded his Cardinal career completing 11-of-14 attempts for 170 yards and one touchdown. He also added six carries for 12 yards and a touchdown.
Fairchild capped off one of the best single-season's in school history with five catches for 114 yards. Fairchild, who finished the 2011 campaign just 70 receiving yards behind the Otterbein single-season record, finished the season with 66 receptions for 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns.
Green finished the game with 15 carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Musal and Burzanko each scored a touchdown and rushed for 35 and 27 yards, respectively.
Senior defensive end Will Brown led the defensive effort with a sack to go with his team-high seven tackles.
The Cardinals honored 21 senior football players before the game. The group concluded their Otterbein careers with a cumulative record of 26-15 (.634) over the past four years, including a 22-14 (.611) record in the OAC.
