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Gators Fall to Battling Bishops
October 27, 2007
DELAWARE, Ohio – The first negative turnover margin game for the Gators this season doomed the squad, as Allegheny College fell 17-10 to the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon. Jim Lieb (Carrolltown, Pa./Northern Cambria) hauled in 11 passes for 68 yards, while Rodney Still (Hummelstown, Pa./ Dauphin) rushed for a score in the losing effort.
Ohio Wesleyan received the opening kickoff and promptly drove 67 yards, using just five plays, scoring when Mickey Gies rushed over the left tackle for a one-yard touchdown, and the successful extra point gave the hosts a 7-0 lead just a minute into the contest. Allegheny responded with an 11-play, 62-yard drive that fizzled at the Ohio Wesleyan six yardline, before senior kicker Josh Whiteside (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) booted a 24-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to four at 7-3.
Neither team would score over the remaining portion of the first quarter; however, three plays into the second quarter the Battling Bishops booted a 26-yard field goal, increasing the lead to seven at 10-3.
Later in the second quarter Ohio Wesleyan picked off their first pass of the game, setting up a short field, and the Bishops needed just three plays to cover the remaining 17 yards in giving OWU the 17-3 lead. Neither team able to move the ball over the remainder of the period, as the team’s went into the locker room the Bishops prevailing by 14 points.
The defensive battle continued through the third quarter, with neither team able to find the end zone, sending the game into its final 15 minutes with OWU leading 17-3.
After a punt by Ohio Wesleyan on the period’s first play, the Gators ate up 7:08 of the clock by driving 76 yards on 16 plays, scoring when Still scampered in from a yard out, cutting the deficit to seven with 7:37 to play in the contest. After forcing a punt on the Bishops' next possession, the Blue and Gold drove to the Bishop 48 yardline before T.J. Salopek (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) was picked off by Ohio Wesleyan’s Chad Ellis.
The Gator defense held once again, forcing the Bishops to punt with 1:28 left in the contest. Successive passes to Lieb, Bobby Burkes (New Castle, Pa./Union) and Jake Vite (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area) saw Allegheny with the ball on their own 36 yardline with just under a minute to play in regulation; however there was a miscommunication on the following play, setting up an easy interception by OWU’s Chris Newman, and two kneel-downs later Ohio Wesleyan secured the 17-10 victory.
Still rushed 12 times for 41 yards and the score as Salopek had a team-high 16 rushes, netting 25 yards. Ohio Wesleyan’s quarterback, Mike Fisher, was the game’s leading rusher, grounding out 86 yards on 19 carries, while Kyle Adams had 12 attempts for 55 yards.
Salopek was 23-of-35 through the air for 175 yards, with the two Bishop quarterbacks, Fisher and Andy Boff, combining to go 10-of-25 through the air for 108 yards.
Lieb was Salopek’s favorite target, hauling in 11 passes, tied for the fourth most single game yards in school history and his second 10+ reception game of the season. Lieb’s 68 receiving yards was best on the team while Obourn and Burkes each had three catches, the former for 40 yards and the latter 20. OWU’s 10 completions went to just two receivers, with Zach Dennis hauling in seven passes for 80 yards and Corey Turner three for 28.
Leading the defense was Craig Lawrence (Fairview, Pa./Fairview) who had nine tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack, while Nick Jones (Blairsville, Pa./Homer-Center) had eight stops. Mateo Villa (Windsor, Ohio/Middlefield Cardinal) and Curt Anderson (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia Notre Dame) each had six tops, with Anderson breaking up a pair of passes. OWU’s Chad Ellis had 12 tackles, including four tackles for loss and two interceptions, while Chris Newman and Tommy Saunders each had nine tackles in the game.
The Gators look to rebound on Saturday, November 3 against Wittenberg University, senior day for the 28 final-year players on Allegheny’s squad.