Colonels blank Austin 17-0 in football action
The defense allowed a season-low 160 yards of total offense as the Centre College football team posted a 17-0 shutout of Austin College Saturday, Oct. 27 in Sherman, Texas.
The Colonels, who posted their first shutout since a 45-0 win over Austin last year in Danville, earned its sixth straight win in the series to improve to 6-2 overall. The Kangaroos have now gone eight straight quarters without scoring a point against Centre and fall to 2-6 on the season.
After forcing Austin to punt on its first possession, the Centre offense took over on their own 13-yard line. Ten plays and 87 yards later, the Colonels hit pay dirt as senior running back Monte Scotton(Cleveland, Tenn.) crossed the goaline from two yards out for a 7-0 lead.
Centre added to the lead in the second quarter. Again, starting deep in their own territory, the Colonels drove from their own eight-yard line and needed only nine plays to go 92 yards. On second and 15 from the 16-yard line, sophomore quarterback Heath Haden (Kingsport, Tenn.) ran for 47 yards to the Austin 37. Haden then capped the drive with a 39-yard scoring strike to junior running back Harry Meisner (Wyoming, Ohio) for a 14-0 lead.
The defense allowed 68 yards on 16 plays in the opening quarter, but was even better in the second quarter. Austin ran a total of nine plays and gained only three yards with two of the three drives tallying negative yardage.
The score remained 14-0 at the break and did not change in the third quarter. The Kangaroos had their deepest drive of the game in the third period advancing to the Centre 19-yard line, but a run on fourth and eight went for negative yards and the Colonels took over.
The defense recovered a fumble at the beginning of the fourth quarter on Austin's 42-yard line. After driving to the Austin one-yard line, Centre was forced to settle for a 21-yard field goal by senior kicker Jordan Gay (Danville, Ky.) for the final points of the game.
Haden finished the day 18 of 32 for 237 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for 57 yards on 10 carries. Scotton ran for 89 yards on 21 carries and scored his seventh touchdown of the year, and senior receiver Jason Osterman (Monroe, Ohio) caught seven passes for 103 yards in his final trip to Sherman.
In addition to allowing a season-low in yardage, the defense tallied seven tackles for loss, including four sacks, and forced two turnovers.
Centre will return home for its regular season-finale and Senior day game against Birmingham Southern College Saturday, Nov. 3. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. at Farris Stadium in Danville, Ky.
