Ohio Wesleyan 49, Wooster 20
Senior quarterback Austin Womack fired 3 touchdown passes to help the Ohio Wesleyan football team build a 28-3 lead early in the second quarter, and the Bishops went on to a 49-20 win over Wooster in the North Coast Athletic Conference opener for both teams on Saturday at Selby Stadium.
Womack completed his first 5 throws of the game, connecting with sophomore running back Devon Haley for 25 yards on a third-and-12 call and hitting senior running back Marquis Henry for 10 yards on a third-and-5 play. Womack wrapped up the drive with a 12-yard toss to sophomore wide receiver Josh Hurst to put the Bishops on the scoreboard at the 8:17 mark of the opening quarter.
On third down of the Scots’ ensuing series, junior free safety Drew Thornton intercepted a Chanden Lee pass and returned it 30 yards for a score, and freshman kicker Sean Putt added the point-after for a 14-0 Ohio Wesleyan lead.
Wooster chewed up most of the rest of the first quarter with a 16-play, 67-yard drive that culminated in a 21-yard field goal by Luke Barrett, but the Bishops opened the second quarter with a 19-yard strike from Womack to Hurst, which led to a 31-yard scoring play from Womack to sophomore wide receiver Tyler Webb.
The Fighting Scots’ next drive stalled at the Wooster 35, but matters got worse when the snap sailed over the head of punter Paul Thomas Fischer. Fischer recovered the ball, but was sacked and flagged for intentional grounding on the play, with Ohio Wesleyan taking over on the Wooster 10-yard line after the dust settled. On second down, Womack found Haley for a 10-yard touchdown and a 28-3 Bishop lead.
During the final minute of the half, Hurst found Webb for a 37-yard touchdown play that gave the Bishops 5 touchdowns in their 5 first-half possessions, along with a 35-6 halftime advantage.
Henry went over from 2 yards out midway through the fourth quarter, and junior quarterback Drew Schiano scrambled for a 17-yard touchdown to close out the Ohio Wesleyan scoring.
Womack completed 25 of 29 passes for 273 yards and 3 scores. Hurst made 12 catches for 123 yards and a score, while Webb had 6 receptions for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns. Schiano led the Bishops with 59 yards on 6 rushes.
Thornton led Ohio Wesleyan with 9 tackles, an interception, and a pass breakup. Sophomore cornerback Dom Costa added 8 stops, and junior linebacker Seth Anderson and junior defensive end Tyler Yanka added 7 tackles apiece.
OWU Sports Information contributed to this report.
