Otterbein remains unbeaten following 21-7 win
Andrew Woodley -- Otterbein Sports Information
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University defense had another strong performance and senior quarterback Aaron Kingcade tallied two touchdown runs as the Cardinals downed John Carroll University 21-7 Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
With the win, Otterbein moves to 2-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) and 3-0 overall for the first time since 2009. Meanwhile, the Blue Streaks fall to 0-2 in the OAC, 1-2 overall.
The Cardinal defense held its opponent to under 10 points for the third-consecutive game and limited John Carroll to just 255 yards of total offense. Otterbein totaled eight tackles in the Blue Streak backfield and recovered two fumbles in the win.
The Cardinals led 14-7 at the start of the fourth quarter. Otterbein broke the game open when Kingcade connected with junior wide receiver Steven Carpenter for a 69-yard touchdown pass to put the Cardinals up by two touchdowns with 14:07 left in the game.
John Carroll looked poised to cut the deficit in half, driving into the red zone with just under seven minutes left in the game. However the drive came to an end when the Blue Streak center snapped the ball over quarterback Wes Keller's head. Otterbein junior defensive end Patrick Coleman recovered the ball to end the threat with 6:43 left in the game.
On John Carroll's next possession they failed to convert a first down to extend the game, allowing the Cardinals to run the clock out to earn the victory.
Kingcade finished the afternoon with a career-high 238 passing yards and one touchdown on 15-of-24 attempts. He also added 33 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground.
Carpenter set career-highs with five receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown, while senior wide receiver Trey Fairchild added three catches for 45 yards.
The Cardinals defensively were led by junior defensive end Patrick Seesholtz. The Bremen native finished with a career-high seven tackles, including a sack, four tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
As a team, Otterbein held John Carroll to just 4-of-13 on third down and 1-of-3 on red zone chances. The Blue Streaks were flagged 11 times for 106 penalty yards in the loss.
After allowing points in the first quarter for the first time this season, the Cardinals responded right away with an eight-play, 57-yard drive that culminated with a 5-yard touchdown run from Kingcade with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter.
Otterbein gained their first lead of the game when Kingcade scored his second touchdown of the game on a 13-yard touchdown run to give the Cardinals a 14-7 lead with 52 seconds left in the first half.
Otterbein will put their undefeated record on the line next Saturday when they travel to Berea to take on unbeaten and No. 14 Baldwin Wallace University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
