Ohio Wesleyan 27, Denison 10

Oct. 13, 2007

Freshman quarterback Mike Fisher (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) found junior tight end Terrance Raeford (Brookline, Mass./Chesire Academy) on a 12-yard touchdown pass less than a minute into the game as Ohio Wesleyan jumped to an early lead and went on to defeat Denison in North Coast Athletic Conference play on Saturday at Selby Field.

The Bishops took the opening kickoff and marched 69 yards in 4 plays in just 44 seconds. On the first play from scrimmage, Fisher found senior split end Zach Dennis (Jefferson) on the sideline for 32 yards, then followed that with a 19-yard scamper around right end. After sophomore running back Steven Brown (Redford Township, Mich./Redford) picked up 6 yards, Fisher hit a wide-open Raeford in the Denison end zone for a quick 6-0 lead, and junior Chris Kras (Aurora) tacked on the conversion kick.

Denison was forced to punt on its next possession, and the Big Red downed the ball at the Ohio Wesleyan 3-yard line. For the second straight drive, Dennis was instrumental in giving the Bishops good field position, taking a pass from junior quarterback Andy Boff (Defiance/Tinora) for 36 yards and a first down. Boff found Brown on a crossing route for 9 yards and another first down, then hit Raeford for 13 yards and another first down. Later in the drive, with the Bishops facing a fourth-and-12 from the Denison 19, Ohio Wesleyan went for the first down and Boff hit Dennis on the sideline for 16 yards and a first-and-goal. Two plays later, Boff went over from 2 yards out to stretch the Bishop lead to 13-0.

Kras popped up the ensuing kickoff, and Ohio Wesleyan recovered on the Denison 44-yard line. Fisher picked up one first down with a timely third-down scramble for 11 yards, and junior running back Kyle Adams (North Canton/Hoover) ground out 6 yards for another Bishop first down. After a false start moved the ball back to the Denison 22-yard line, Fisher and Raeford connected again, this time for 22 yards and a score that gave Ohio Wesleyan a 20-0 lead with :30 left in the first quarter.

The Big Red threatened midway through the second quarter, driving to a first down at the Ohio Wesleyan 21-yard line, but on second-and-10, senior defensive end Patrick Trenor (Urbana) sacked Denison quarterback Mike Barnes for a loss of 13 yards, which ended up taking the Big Red out of field goal range.

Denison's ensuing punt was downed at the Ohio Wesleyan 4-yard line, however, and the Bishops ended up punting from that spot, with Denison's Nick Weiss returning the punt 31 yards to the Ohio Wesleyan 14. This time, the Big Red was able to take advantage of the good field position, with Kevin Schneider booting a 32-yard field goal with :50 left in the half, making the score 20-3 at the intermission.

After being held to just 33 yards of total offense during the first half, the Big Red had better success moving the ball in the second half. Denison took the opening kickoff back to its own 35-yard line, and after a 19-yard run by Jon Berg, Barnes hit Brandon Taylor on a 29-yard scoring pass that cut the deficit to 20-10.

Ohio Wesleyan answered later in the quarter. After another Denison punt was downed inside the Bishop 20, Fisher found Raeford for a 27-yard connection that spotted the ball near midfield. Fisher then ran for 5 yards on a third-and-2 call, then picked up another first down with carries of 6 and 8 yards. Fisher capped the drive with a 25-yard strike at the back of the end zone to Dennis, who dragged one foot inside the line for a score that made it a 27-10 game with 2:39 left in the third quarter.

Denison answered with a drive to the Ohio Wesleyan 11-yard line, but junior defensive end Britan Tolliver (Croton/Johnstown Northridge) forced a Berg fumble to end that threat, and on their next possession, the Big Red drove to the Ohio Wesleyan 19, but sophomore defensive back Daniel DeLay (Pine, Colo./Conifer) picked off a pass at the Bishop 1-yard line to end that drive with 8:09 left in regulation time.

From there, the Bishops ran out the clock, highlighted by Adams picking up 6 yards on third-and-1 from the Ohio Wesleyan 10, Fisher running for 10 yards on third-and-8 from the Bishop 18, another key 11-yard gain by Adams, and a Fisher run for 7 yards on third-and-5 from the Ohio Wesleyan 44.

Adams led Ohio Wesleyan with 84 yards on 21 carries, while Fisher ran for 79 yards on 11 attempts and completed 6 of 6 passes for 124 yards and 3 touchdowns. Dennis caught 5 passes for 115 yards and a score, while Raeford had 4 receptions for 74 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Senior linebacker Chad Ellis (Dublin/Scioto) led the Bishop defense with 11 tackles, including a sack. Trenor finished with 9 stops, including 2 sacks and 2 1/2 for loss, and broke up a pass, while junior linebacker Tommy Saunders (Gallipolis/Gallia Academy) had 8 tackles and recovered a Denison fumble.

Berg led Denison rushers with 41 yards on 12 carries. Barnes completed 8 of 14 passes for 78 yards, with Nick Thompson making 4 catches for 23 yards.

Drew Homyk had 10 stops for Denison, while Joe Ulrey made 8 tackles.

Box Score