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The Washington University football team ended its three game losing streak on Saturday with a 24-3 rout of the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops. The Bears end non-conference play with a 4-3 record and a 3-1 record at Francis Field.
“It felt good to build something going into the conference schedule knowing that we played some pretty tough teams the last three weeks,” senior co-captain and quarterback Buck Smith said.
“It was huge. Especially after we started 3-0 and then to go three losses in a row, the spirits of the team kind of started to go down, and we just needed that confidence back,” sophomore linebacker Kyle Huber said.
For the first time in a month, it was the Bear’s opponent who looked rattled. The Battling Bishops were constantly grumbling on the sideline, and the team committed nine penalties for 90 yards, including three personal fouls and one sideline interference call.
The Red and Green took control early, with Huber intercepting a pass from Ohio Wesleyan’s Mike Fisher and returning the ball 20 yards to the Battling Bishop’s 25 yard line on the first drive of the game. Four plays later, Smith connected on a short slant to sophomore Tom Gulyas, who ran in for a score from 11 yards out.
“It’s nice to start fast so that you get on the board, get your confidence going and get the game rolling in your favor,” Smith added.
Wash. U. added a 32-yard field goal from freshman Brandon Rogalski with slightly more than four minutes remaining in the first quarter and then extended the lead to 17-0 in the second quarter after an eight play, 59-yard drive ended with a Smith nine-yard fade route to senior wide receiver Kyle Gray at the 13:13 mark.
Wash. U. was content to play conservatively for the remainder of the game, though junior running back Matt Glenn ended an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a six yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter. The drive was extended on a fake punt by senior Tommy Bawden, but that play was one of the few risky plays attempted by Wash. U. during the game.
Wash. U. held Ohio Wesleyan to 205 yards while gaining 347. The defense held the Battling Bishops to 2-15 on third down conversions and forced three turnovers in the dominant effort.
“What we did well in the game that we had to do well was shutting down the running game. They couldn’t pass the ball as well as they run it, so for us to be able to really force them into passing situations allowed us to have that success,” Huber said.
The offense played a mediocre game, with Smith throwing for 138 yards on 16-32 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Bears did rush for 190 yards in the win.
“We definitely ran the ball a lot better, which is important. The last few weeks, we had a little trouble running, which takes away the consistency of your offensive attack if all you can do is pass, so it really helps that we could get the running game going this week,” Smith said.
The team begins conference play on Saturday against Carnegie Mellon University at noon on Francis Field. Both the Bears and the Tartans are 4-3 on the season.
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