Allegheny 30, Ohio Wesleyan 16

Nov. 16, 2002

Brian Woods ran for a touchdown and Bubba Smith threw for 2 more as Allegheny jumped to a 21-0 lead and held off a Bishop comeback en route to a North Coast Athletic Conference win over Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday at Selby Field.

The Gators drove 55 yards on 6 plays on the opening possession of the game, with Woods going around left end to score from 27 yards out with 11:56 left in the first quarter. The point after attempt was wide and Allegheny led, 6-0.

After a Bishop punt, Allegheny drove 50 yards in 7 plays, with Smith hitting Jon Turner on a 24-yard scoring pass after 5 straight rushes by Greg Bonner. Smith then found Evan Kormos all alone in the end zone for a 2-point conversion that made the score 14-0.

Ohio Wesleyan countered with a lengthy drive on its next possession, which included a 30-yard halfback option pass from senior Jason Osborne (Oak Harbor) to freshman split end Scott Kovelan (North Olmsted). Sophomore quarterback Jeff Hanna (Wadsworth) hit sophomore halfback Eric Indiciani (Delaware/Olentangy) on a key third-down play and Osborne picked up 3 yards on third-and-3 to give Ohio Wesleyan a first down at the Allegheny 21, but the Gators held there and took over on downs.

Smith then connected with Casey Devlin on a 54-yard scoring play, capping a 79-yard, 6-play drive that hiked the Gator lead to 21-0 with 12:42 left in the second quarter.

Ohio Wesleyan closed to within 21-7 later in the second quarter, with senior halfback Bernie Vendlinski (Brunswick/Highland) going around left end and into the end zone from 6 yards out. Key plays included a 14-yard Hanna scramble and a 14-yard gain by Osborne.

Allegheny tried to answer, but the Gators fumbled the ball away at the Ohio Wesleyan 44-yard line with 2:16 left in the half and the Bishops executed the 2-minute drill to perfection, marching the 56 yards in 11 plays and scoring on Hanna's 7-yard pass to Indiciani with :03 left in the half. Osborne converted one third down, getting 6 yards on a third-and-2 call from the Gator 48, and Hanna found Indiciani for 16 yards on a fourth-and-3 play from the Allegheny 35 to keep the drive alive.

The Bishops received the ball to open the second half and picked up one first down, but the drive stalled at the Gator 49 and Ohio Wesleyan punted the ball away.

Allegheny turned it over to tailback Jamie Sye, who gained 9 yards on first down before bouncing off a tackle and picking up 59 yards to the Bishop 14-yard line. Two plays later, Smith and Turner connected on a 10-yard scoring play to extend the Allegheny lead to 28-14.

Ohio Wesleyan answered with another lengthy march, converting 3 straight third-down plays with clocklike efficiency. Osborne swept around right end for 7 yards on a third-and-3, then Vendlinski gained 3 yards on third-and-3 before Osborne found Kovelan on another halfback option pass for 29 yards on third-and-1 from the Allegheny 40, setting the Bishops up with a first down at the Gator 11. On fourth-and-1 from the Allegheny 2-yard line, Hanna appeared to have scored before losing control of the ball. It was ruled that the ball was fumbled, and while Ohio Wesleyan recovered the ball, the Bishops did not gain enough for the first down and Allegheny took over on downs.

Smith was trapped in the end zone on the first play from scrimmage, giving the Bishops a safety and cutting the deficit to 28-16.

Ohio Wesleyan took the ensuing free kick and marched right down the field again, with Indiciani converting on the only third down of the possession, gaining 18 yards on third-and-5 from the Gator 19. After an illegal shift penalty moved the ball back to the Allegheny 6, the Bishops called Indiciani's number again, but he fumbled the ball behind the line of scrimmage and Allegheny recovered on its own 8-yard line.

Allegheny wasn't able to put any points on the board on its next possession, but the Gators punted the ball to the Bishop 1-yard line, and on Ohio Wesleyan's first play, Osborne was tackled in the end zone for a safety to make the score 30-16.

The Bishops put together one more lengthy drive, taking over on their own 4-yard line after anothe Gator punt. Hanna connected with Kovelan for 4 yards on fourth-and-1 from the Bishop 13, then found freshman halfback Matt Carducci (Hudson) for 6 yards on third-and-3 from the OWU 24, and then hit junior halfback Chad Smith (Prospect/Elgin) for 10 yards on third-and-4 from the Bishop 36. Hanna then found junior split end Harold Dale (Huber Heights/Wayne) for 11 yards on a third-and-10 play and got another first down with a 14-yard strike to Smith, but the game ended on Hanna's pass to Smith that went for 11 yards to the Allegheny 18.

Osborne led the Bishops with 76 yards on 18 rushes. Jamie Sye led Allegheny with 165 yards on 23 attempts. Allegheny outgained Ohio Wesleyan, 229-164, on the ground.

Hanna completed 23 of 39 passes for 174 yards, with Kovelan catching 5 passes for 94 yards and Osborne making 5 catches for 8 yards. Smith connected on 11 of 16 throws for 187 yards and 3 TDs for the Gators, with Turner hauling in 5 of those passes for 65 yards and 2 scores.

Defensive standouts included senior cornerback Steve Siefert (Sylvania/Northview), who led the Bishops with 9 tackles, including 1 for loss; senior linebacker Ryan Nixon (West Milton/Milton Union), who added 8 stops; junior linebacker Billy Chrisovergis (Dayton/Bellbrook), who made 7 tackles; junior linebacker Kent Weakley (Plain City/Dublin Scioto), who had 7 tackles, including 1 for loss; and freshman safety Ryan McCarty (Grove City/Bishop Ready), who had 6 stops, intercepted one pass and broke up another and caused a Gator fumble.

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