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Tarquinio Reaches 1,000 but Gators Fall at Wittenberg
November 13, 2004
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio. – Allegheny College sophomore running back Mario Tarquinio (Charleroi, Pa.) surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season but it wasn’t enough as host Wittenberg (Ohio) University picked up a 42-21 victory in the season finale for both teams.
The Tigers (7-3, 5-2) roared out of the gate, scoring touchdowns on all five of its first half possessions. Wittenberg needed just three plays to move 65 yards for its first score of the day, an 11-yard touchdown run by Braden Freeman. Allegheny (5-5, 4-3) tried to answer and reached the Tiger 32 before coughing up a fumble. The hosts recovered and marched 64 yards in seven plays, with the drive being capped off by another 11-yard run, this one by Jered Glover, to double their lead to 14-0 after one quarter.
The Gators looked like they had the Tigers pinned back after a 56-yard punt by freshman Jason Black (Warren, Ohio/ Champion) was downed at the one. But Wittenberg’s offense continued its roll, going 99 yards in 14 plays, capped by a 16-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Holmes to Glover, to extend the lead to 21-0.
Allegheny got on the board on its next possession. A 10-play, 68-yard drive ended when sophomore QB Jimmy Savage (North Canton, Ohio/ Hoover) tossed a five-yard scoring pass to senior tight end Marko Fonzi (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Brentwood). Savage had a 14-yard scramble and went 3-3 through the air on the drive, including a 19-yard completion to junior Matt Pertile (Conway, Pa./ Freedom) on a third down.
But Wittenberg answered back with a pair of scores before halftime. Holmes tossed his second scoring aerial of the day, this one to Freeman from eight yards out. On its final possession of the half, Wittenberg RB Tristan Murray scored on a three-yard run to give the Tigers a 35-7 cushion at the break.
Wittenberg tacked on its final score of the day on its first possession of the second half. Murray scored his second three-yard touchdown of the day to finish a 12-play, 76-yard drive to swell the Tiger lead to 42-7.
Allegheny made the final score closer with a pair of scores in the fourth quarter. Savage scored on a four-yard run early in the quarter and then Tarquinio carried five times for 51 yards on Allegheny’s next drive, ending the march with a 21-yard scoring scamper, his 13th on the season. The sophomore back finished the day with 149 yards on 22 carries. For the season, Tarquinio gained 1,145 yards to become the first back to go over the 1,000-yard mark since Shane Ream galloped for 1,636 yards in 2000.
In the game, Wittenberg outgained the Gators 548-371 and held the ball for nearly 10 minutes more. Allegheny had trouble getting the Tigers off the field at crucial times, as Wittenberg was 7-13 on third down conversions and 3-4 on fourth downs.
Savage ended his first year as the starting signal caller with a solid day, hitting on 15 of 24 passes for 183 yards. Pertile was his top target, corralling four passes for 81 yards.
Defensively, junior linebackers Elliott George (Bradford, Pa./ Bradford Area) and Vincent Werner (Sheffield, Pa.) led the squad with eight and seven tackles respectively. Senior cornerback Steve Williams (Westover, W.Va./ University) had four tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and broke up a pass in his final game as a Gator.