November 12, 2011
24th-Ranked B-W Beats Rival JCU, 45-37, in Berea to Retake Cuyahoga Gold Bowl Trophy and Series Lead
Box
Score | Updated
Season Statistics
BEREA, OHIO--The game featured 67 points and 843 yards of
total offense.With its win, B-W improves to 8-2 overall and
finishes second during the OAC regular season with a 7-2 record.
More importantly, the win puts B-W, ranked sixth in this week's
NCAA Division III North Region poll, in position for a possible
berth in next week's NCAA Division III National Playoffs. The berth
would be its first since 2003.
In addition, the victory returns the Cuyahoga Gold Bowl Trophy
to B-W and Berea for the first time since 2008 and gives the Yellow
Jackets a 24-23-4 all-time series lead and a 12-11 advantage in the
Cuyahoga Gold Bowl Trophy series. JCU ends its season at 5-5
overall and 5-4 in the OAC.
B-W led 14-6 after one quarter, 24-15 at halftime and 31-22 after three periods.
B-W led 14-6 after one quarter, 24-15 at halftime and 31-22 after three periods.
B-W jumped out to a 7-0 lead at the 14:41 mark of the first
quarter. Following a 90-yard opening kickoff return by sophomore
Kevin Johnson (Maple Heights/ Cleveland St.
Ignatius), Yellow Jacket junior running back Tyler
Lohr (Kent/ Roosevelt) scored on the first play from
scrimmage on a 10-yard run and then sophomore placekicker
Chris Mohler (Kent/ Roosevelt) tacked on the
PAT.
Following a pair of changes of possession, JCU struck back
with a 50-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Devin O'Brien to
junior wide receiver Lane Robilotto at the 7:50 mark to cut the
lead to 7-6. The ball was first juggled by a B-W defender and then
grabbed out of the air by Robilotto who then sped the final 25
yards to the endzone. The JCU PAT kick was wide right.
B-W gained a 14-6 lead with 15 seconds left in the first
period when freshman RB Nolan Sordyl (Gurnee, Ill./ Warren
Township) bulled in from two yards out and then
Mohler tacked on the PAT. The score capped a
15-play and 80-yard drive in 7:35.
JCU answered back and cut the lead to 14-9 at the 6:49 mark
when freshman PK Kresimir Ivkovic booted a 21-yard field goal to
cap a 13-play and 79-yard drive.
Following a B-W turnover at the JCU 38-yard line, O'Brien sped
60 yards on the first play and then sophomore RB Anthony D'Aurizio
scored from two yards out on the next play to give JCU a 15-14 lead
with 4:33 left in the first half. The PAT kick was blocked.
B-W regained the lead at 21-14 with 1:07 left before halftime
when sophomore flanker Josiah Holt (Elyria/ Grafton
Midview) scored on a 5-yard run to cap a 6-play and
53-yard drive in 3:20. Mohler tacked on the
PAT.
Then, following senior cornerback Matt Bowen's
(Tiffin/ Columbian) fourth interception of the season, B-W
drove 38 yards in six plays and Mohler nailed a
24-yard field goal on the final play of the half for a 24-15 Yellow
Jacket advantage.
JCU opened the third quarter by taking 9:34 off the clock and
the Blue Streaks drove 87 yards in 15 plays to score and cut B-W's
lead to 24-22 when O'Brien threw a 14-yard scoring pass to junior
tight end Casey Rouch with 5:20 left in the quarter. Ivkovic's PAT
kick was good. The big play in the drive was a personal foul on B-W
after Yellow Jacket junior CB Brandon Russo (Olmsted
Falls) had intercepted an O'Brien pass in the endzone.
O'Brien's scoring toss to Rouch came three plays later.
B-W came right back to take a 31-22 lead when it drove 58
yards and scored when junior "wildcat" QB Andrew Dziak
(Maple Heights/ Parma Padua Fransiscan) scored on a 5-yard
run and Mohler added his fourth PAT kick of the
afternoon. The drive covered four plays in 1:37.
Undaunted, the Blue Streaks came right back to score at the
13:32 mark of the fourth stanza when O'Brien snuck in from one yard
away and Ivkovic tacked on the PAT to make the score 31-29. The
drive was 9-plays and 80 yards and took 5:02 off the clock.
B-W regained its nine-point lead at 38-29 with 5:26 remaining
when Sordyl scored his second TD of the afternoon
and the third of the season when he ran one yard to paydirt to cap
a 14-play and 82-yard drive in 7:57. Mohler added
the PAT.
The Yellow Jackets then added what they thought to be
insurance when Sordyl scored his third TD of the
contest on a 7-yard jaunt with 2:56 left and
Mohler tacked on the PAT.
But JCU had other ideas. Following Sordyl's TD, Robilotto took
the ensuing back 78 yards to give the Blue Streaks first-and-goal
at the B-W seven. Two plays later, O'Brien snuck in for his second
TD with 2:18 left and then scored on the two-point conversion to
make it 45-37.
And JCU still wasn't done.
After it recovered an onside kick at the JCU 47, O'Brien drove
the Blue Streaks to the B-W 12-yard line. With six seconds left, he
dropped back and threw a pass to the middle of the endzone as time
expired.
B-W could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Offensively for B-W, Lohr, junior QB
Ryan O'Rourke (Avon), Dziak and
Sordyl were the leads. Lohr ran
for 122 yards in 19 carries and a TD. O'Rourke ran
9 times for 67 yards. Dziak carried the ball 8
times for 44 yards and a TD. Sordyl had 3 carries
for 10 yards and three TDs. O'Rourke completed 6-of-9 passes for 87
yards. The defense was led by senior linebacker Brett
Thompson (Shelby) with 10 tackles.
JCU was led on offense by O'Brien who ran for a game-high 173
yards in 19 attempts with two TDs and completed 14-for-23 passes
for 233 yards and two TDs and one interception. The top
receiver was Robilotto with eight for 147 yards and a TD. On
defense, senior linebacker C.J. Seitzinger had a game-high 11
stops.
Fans can listen to all B-W games live on B-W campus radio station WBWC, 88.3 FM, or via the WBWC Internet web site at www.wbwc.com.
FOR MORE B-W Sports Information, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
Fans can listen to all B-W games live on B-W campus radio station WBWC, 88.3 FM, or via the WBWC Internet web site at www.wbwc.com.
FOR MORE B-W Sports Information, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
