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Eagles Get Back To
.500, Finish Off Findlay, 23-3 |
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Late afternoons are made for siestas, kicking back and stretching out – either on the couch or in the back yard.
For the Ashland University football team, that time of day has become the time for kicking into gear and stretching out a lead. Saturday (Oct. 30) at Community Stadium, the Eagles scored 16 fourth-quarter points to break away from Findlay, 23-3. Over the last three weeks, AU has outscored the opposition, 44-7 in the fourth frame. Those late bursts have helped the Eagles mount a three-game winning streak and even their record at 5-5 (4-5 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). A victory next week at Indianapolis would give the Eagles their first finish on the plus side of .500 since the 2001 team finished 6-5. “We can play next week like it’s a championship game,” said AU head coach Lee Owens. “We have a lot of momentum and we don’t want to waste it. It was the seniors’ day to shine and it was fun to see it happen.” For some fans, Saturday’s game might have caused the eyes to close prematurely. This wasn’t a game with offensive fireworks. This game was a battle for field position and not making a crucial mistake. Both teams cling to that same method of operation. That, and winds that gusted to 20 miles an hour, made for some close-to-the-vest football. That’s fine with the Eagles, who have discovered that they can win with that style. Tailback Antwan Hart was one of the 13 seniors making a final appearance at Community Stadium. Once again, he was AU’s best weapon on offense, rushing for 158 yards with scoring runs of 3 and 17 yards. Hart has rushed for over 100 yards in nine of 10 games this season. He has 1,266 yards and is averaging 126.6 ypg. Ashland’s initial touchdown came on the ground on its first possession, but not from Hart. The Eagles lined up for a field goal after reaching the UF5, but instead of kicking, the Eagles snapped the ball to senior kicker Austin Wellock. He danced to the right and found the end zone for the first touchdown of his college career. The score came with 8:45 to go in the quarter and covered 70 yards (13 plays). The play was designed by AU assistant coach Tim Seder and came from the Dallas Cowboys playbook. Seder had scored on the same play when he was in Dallas. “Coach Seder came up with it,” said Wellock. “It was real big, I knew I had to get the touchdown. That makes a difference, if it had gone the other way it could have been different.” After that opening drive, both defenses dominated the action. Those persistent wins severely hampered both offenses. Heading into the fourth quarter, Ashland was clinging to a 7-3 lead. Findlay’s points came on a 43-yard field goal by junior Roland Hamilton with 12:40 to go in the third quarter. Hart’s two touchdowns came in the fourth quarter. The first TD run, the 3-yard burst, was set up when AU recovered a Findlay fumble at the Oiler 47. Throughout that fourth quarter the Eagles looked fresh and as was the case last week at Wayne State when AU outscored the Warriors, 21-7, the offensive line was getting the best of the things along the line of scrimmage. “The offensive line really stepped it up,” Owens said. “We’re the hardest working group out there,” said junior left guard Blake Dickson. “We do this for him (Hart). We have respect for each other.” Wellock completed the scoring with a 44-yard field goal with 32 seconds to play. Ashland outgained the Oilers (5-5, 4-5), 355-278 and forced three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble). The Eagles didn’t have a turnover and had just one penalty for five yards. The AU defense limited UF junior running back Michael Simpson to 92 yards on 28 carries. Findlay was 3 of 13 on third down and failed on its lone fourth down attempt. UF quarterback Kevin Crooks completed eight of 17 passes for 61 yards and the Eagles sacked him three times. AU sophomore quarterback Nick Strance completed five of 14 passes for 50 yards. Ashland senior wide receiver Michael Hull was held without a reception, that broke a string of 34 consecutive games he had at least one catch. UF senior linebacker Jeremy Cole led all players in the game with 12 tackles (eight solo). His teammate, sophomore Nick Notario had 10 stops (all solo). AU junior linebacker Devin Conwell had 10 tackles (nine solo) and two tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Brady Miller was in on seven tackles (all solo) with two sacks. The AU interceptions went to senior safety Aaron O’Reilly and senior linebacker Chris Campbell. |
