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Kohn and ‘Hounds
Hold Off Eagles, 24-21 |
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The only thing missing from Matt Kohn’s game Saturday afternoon (Nov. 6) were a couple of orange cones and a whistle. Kohn, the senior quarterback from the University of Indianapolis, directed traffic, threaded passes through the Ashland University defense and kept the Eagles out of the fast lane – halting a three-game Ashland winning streak as he led the Greyhounds to a 24-21 victory at Key Stadium in Indianapolis. The Indy QB was so poised that at times, it looked like he was whistling while he worked. Ashland completes the season with a 5-6 record, 4-6 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Indy ends the year 4-7 and 3-7 in the league. For the Eagles, five victories represents a vast improvement over the past two seasons when AU went 2-9 both years. While the Eagles lost, they can take some solace in the fact that their tailback, senior Antwan Hart, rushed for a career-high 208 yards on 35 carries. That allowed the Detroit native to set the school single-season rushing record with 1,474 yards. Hart entered the contest needing 150 yards to surpass J.R. McCoy’s mark of 1,415 yards in 2001. Hart and the 12 other seniors on this year’s team nearly left the field a winner in their last appearance. AU trailed, 24-14 after three quarters. The Eagles narrowed that gap to 24-21 on a Hart 2-yard run with 4:56 to go in regulation. With 1:39 left in regulation, AU had forced a punt from the Indy 32 and looked to be in position to get the ball back. However, linebacker Allen Lattimore was called for roughing the punter. That gave the ‘Hounds the ball at their own 37 and the Eagles were without a timeout. At that point all the Greyhounds had to do was run out the clock. “The call at the end hurt,” admitted AU head coach Lee Owens. “We almost had blocked the punt before and we altered things a little bit. But getting that close to the punter probably wasn’t smart. “We missed a couple of field goals,” continued Owens. “One time we forced a turnover, got the ball at the 35 and couldn’t get a yard. It didn’t come down to a roughing-the-punter call.” Owens is correct, AU had plenty of chances to take this game away from the Greyhounds. As well as Kohn played, the Eagles intercepted him four times. However, none of those turnovers led to points. AU scored on its second possession of the game, moving 97 yards on 13 plays, the march ending when sophomore quarterback Nick Strance found senior wide receiver Michael Hull with a 7-yard scoring pass. Strance was three-for-three passing in the drive and all three throws went to Hull. Indy kicker Nick Parker cut the lead to 7-3 with a 22-yard field goal with 12:14 to play in the first half. With 11:13 to play before halftime, Strance was intercepted by Indy defensive back Kenneth Akridge at the AU42 and Akridge’s return put the ball at the AU29. On the next play, Kohn went to the air, connecting with wide receiver Justin Russell for a 29-yard TD pass and a 10-7 Indianapolis lead. Russell was locked in a one-on-one battle with freshman defensive back Thaddeus Walker. That was the first of three touchdowns passes on the afternoon for Kohn, who would finish 18 of 29 for 269 yards. Last season, Kohn was 21 of 36 for 319 yards in leading Indy to a 35-24 win at Ashland. This year, he expertly moved out the pocket and picked away at a secondary loaded with freshmen and sophomores. At times it was like the neighborhood bully flexing his muscles – a record-setting senior quarterback against a collection of rookies. “When we didn’t get to him, he had us,” Owens said. “We have to get better in the secondary. We have young guys back there and he was able to exploit it.” AU went back in front, 14-10, with 8:27 remaining in the first half when Strance and senior tight end Lee Daniels combined on a 10-yard scoring pass. Then Kohn and wide receiver Kevin Stanford burnt the Eagles on two TD passes. The first covered 7 yards with 35 seconds left in the second quarter and gave Indy a 17-14 lead. The second TD pass, a 38-yard strike, came with 3:40 to play in the third quarter and put the ‘Hounds ahead, 24-14. Stanford had seven catches for 121 yards and Russell pulled in six passes for 110 yards. Stanford and Russell are both in their first seasons as starters. As for the older AU guys, the seniors, they held up their end of the bargain in their final game. Hart went over 100 yards rushing for the seventh straight game and the 10th time in 11 games in 2004. He had five games of 150+ yards. Senior linebacker Chris Campbell had four tackles, a sack and an interception. Campbell ends the year with five sacks and four picks. Hull had a team-high five receptions for 63 yards. Defensive lineman Jason Reynolds got his second sack of the season. “I wish we had gotten the seniors a win today,” remarked Owens. “This is a wonderful group of guys. They allowed me to be part of their family and this is a family.” Strance was 12 of 26 passing for 134 yards. Junior linebacker Devin Conwell had 12 tackles (10 solo) and an interception. Lattimore had seven tackles and a pair of sacks for 13 yards. Lattimore ends the year with nine sacks and 18 tackles for loss. Both figures lead the club. Walker also had an interception. Ashland sacked Kohn four times. Indianapolis running back Donnie McCoy rushed for 95 yards on 25 carries. |