The 26 Wash. U. seniors on the football team ended their careers on a winning note, leading the Bears to a thrilling 17-14 victory over the Greenville Panthers at a frigid Francis Field Saturday afternoon.
Before kickoff, a brief ceremony was held honoring the graduating members of the team. But the celebration did not stop there for the Bears; for the first time all season the team overcame a deficit to win.
The Bears ended the first quarter with a 3-0 lead, led by 12 first quarter rushes from senior DaRonne Jenkins, resulting in 49 yards on the ground. Jenkins’ ability to carry the lead early and often allowed the Red and Green to possess the ball for over eleven minutes in the first quarter.
It wasn’t long before the time of possession made a large difference on the scoreboard, as senior quarterback Nick Henry, who replaced fellow senior Pat McCarthy after the first drive, connected with Michael Casper on a terrific six yard fade route to the back left corner of the end zone.
The Panthers soon struck back on the strength of skillful running from sophomore quarterback Dominic Kegel. A 16-yard quarterback sneak brought Greenville to the Bears’ six-yard line, and on the next play Cody Griffith ran the ball into the end zone, making the score 10-7.
Both defenses came out fired up in the second half, as Wash. U. senior Adam Goslin recovered a Kegel fumble on the Panthers’ 14-yard line to begin the half. Greenville, in turn, forced a Jenkins fumble and regained possession on the 24-yard line. Defense was the name of the game from there, as the third quarter ended just the way it had begun, with Wash. U. clinging to a three-point lead.
The Bears, however, couldn’t keep their opponents off the board for long. After intercepting a Nick Henry pass in the endzone, the Panthers engineered a 14-play drive, again led by Kegel’s scrambling. After starting the game 0-10 in pass attempts, Kegel completed his first pass of the game with 11:27 left in the fourth quarter, adding a new dimension to the Panthers’ offense.
The sophomore signal caller continued to complete several more, capping the 96 yard scoring drive with a four-yard touchdown pass. Greenville’s faithful fan base got loud for the first time, and the Bears found themselves in a precarious position, down for the first time in the game and with just 9:58 remaining in the contest. Adding to their troubles, the Bears had had little offensive production since jumping out to the early 10-0 lead.
McCarthy reentered the game and was instrumental in the ensuing drive downfield. The senior was picked off at Greenville’s 11-yard line, however, but a costly roughing the passer penalty against Greenville allowed the Bears to maintain possession. Two plays later, McCarthy hit junior Dan Cardone on a beautiful fade route to the corner of the end zone, and the Bears took the lead, 17-14 with 4:49 to go.
Kegel attempted to mount a last second drive, but it was to no avail, as his final pass fell incomplete at the Bears’ 40-yard line. The Wash. U. Bears had come back to win the final game of the year.
“We had to make it tough at the end,” said Head Coach Larry Kindbom, who notched his 114th career victory with the comeback win. “Our offense came through when they had to.”
The victory also brought the Bears’ season record to 6-4, giving the program its 14th consecutive winning season. The seniors put together a strong effort in winning the final game of the season, and the last game of their careers.
Perhaps Coach K summed up the squad’s collective post-game sentiment best.
“I’m just happy,” he said. “That’s all I can tell you.”