Denton Zhou | The Observer

Senior running back Jim O’Brien runs through a hole against Case Western Reserve University on Saturday. O’Brien carried the Bears to victory with 150 yards on 28 carries and scored both Wash. U. touchdowns in the 14-13 victory.

Wash. U. (7-2) came back from two turnovers and a 13-7 deficit to hand the Spartans (7-2) with their second consecutive loss 14-13. The Spartans had won 38 games in a row in the regular season over the past three seasons.

Defensively, four players finished with 10 tackles or more for the Bears. Junior linebacker Kyle Larkin led the way with 15 tackles. The defense held Case to an average of 4 yards per play and came up with big stops when called upon, such as after senior quarterback Stephen Sherman’s interception in the third quarter. 

“The coaches put together a solid game plan, and we were able to execute,” Larkin said. “We were able to slow down their attack well enough to win the game. Our defense is all about teamwork, and we feed off of each other’s energy. We pride ourselves on playing fast, being physical and playing with passion.”

The three-and-out following Sherman’s interception ended in a blocked punt by freshman Michael Rademacher that gave Wash. U. the ball at the Case 46-yard line. The offense marched into the end zone in six plays, with O’Brien’s 3-yard touchdown run giving the Bears a 14-13 lead that they would not relinquish.

“The coaching staff did a great job figuring out which specific plays were working against their defense,” O’Brien said. “We stuck to those plays and the O-Line and H-Backs totally dominated the blocking game. There were times when Case’s defense knew what was coming, but they still couldn’t stop it because our guys did such an amazing job of firing out and blocking.”

However, the game was far from over.

The Spartans opened the fourth quarter by marching the ball 85 yards in 17 plays to the Wash. U. 3-yard line when the special teams unit came through again. Senior cornerback Brandon Brown came around the edge and blocked the 20-yard field goal attempt by Sam Coffey to preserve the lead for the time being. Coffey has connected on the most field goals in Spartan history and had made his first two attempts from 21 and 44 yards out.

“We have always put a lot of emphasis on our special teams, and we take each opportunity to practice our field goal block seriously,” said Brown, who also broke up three passes. “We’ve already blocked several kicks this year coming up the middle, so I guess that’s what Case had been preparing for. In doing that, they left me free to come off the edge.  I got a good jump on the snap, along with them not getting the hold down perfectly clean.”

Case Western got the ball back with 2:13 left to play and promptly drove 57 yards in 14 plays, sending the field goal unit on the field with 13 seconds left. Junior defensive lineman Daniel Sufranski blocked the 43-yard field goal attempt, sealing the upset.

Next week, the Bears travel to Chicago to face the University of Chicago (7-2) in the University Athletic Association regular season finale. The winner of the game will win the conference championship, as well as the Founder’s Cup, which is a trophy commemorating the founding of the UAA, and will have a chance at making the playoffs.

“This might be the biggest game us seniors will play in over the last four years, and we wouldn’t want it any other way,” O’Brien said. “It will all come down to this matchup against our biggest rival. They are a good team, and we will have to be our best to beat them.”

The Maroons are coming off a 61-22 victory over Carnegie Mellon, whom the Bears defeated 20-13 in overtime last week. The game will begin at 12 p.m.

Matt Lee | Student Life

The Bears line up for a play on Sept. 4 against Knox College. The team has practiced all week for a tough game against the No. 6 Wittenberg University Tigers’ tough defense on Saturday.

The Bears are seeking vengeance for last year’s 46-0 home loss in which they were outgained 445 to 99 in total yardage and held to minus-7 rushing yards, in part because of five sacks by the Tigers’ defense.

“Last year, we didn’t come to play, and they took it to us,” senior tailback Jim O’Brien said. “That game is fresh on our minds, and we want to play with that chip on our shoulder. That said, much has changed from that point last year, and we feel that we are a very improved group.”

Wittenberg has outscored opponents by a combined 100-6 in its two games this season. The only touchdown Wittenberg surrendered, scored on a 1-yard run by Olivet College, was followed by a blocked extra point.

“They run a 4-3, and they are fast, physical and very aggressive,” O’Brien said. “We have to be very sharp and finish plays—every blocker has to have the mentality of putting their guy on the ground, and every ball-carrier has to fight until the whistle is blown. They don’t have glaring weaknesses, but we feel we have some things going for us that we can continue.”

The Tigers have not allowed an opposing team to rush for more than 80 yards and are allowing an average of just 129.5 total yards per game. However, the Bears are not intimidated.

“When we’re executing, we are capable of playing with the best teams in the country,” senior quarterback Stephen Sherman said. “This week, we focused on the basics: executing in all facets. As I said before, it all comes down to consistency.”

O’Brien looks to lead the Bears’ rushing attack against the tough Tigers defense. He is 120 yards away from reaching 2,000 for his Wash. U. career and 118 from fifth place on the all-time rushing list.

As the Red and Green offense looks to O’Brien, on the defensive side, junior linebacker Nick Hillard is looking to make a big impact. Through two games, he leads the team with 23 tackles and one forced fumble. The Bears will need him to keep playing well to help slow down a Tigers’ offense that averages 474.5 yards and 50 points per game.

“I just try to do my job and play fast,” Hillard said. “As a unit, we are constantly swarming to the ball, and our speed allows us to get multiple guys on a tackle.”

One battle to watch will be the Bears’ secondary trying to slow down Wittenberg junior quarterback Ben Zoeller. Zoeller passed for 508 yards and seven touchdowns through the air and a passing efficiency of 213.4, while the Bears’ defense is ranked 18th in the country, allowing only 81.5 yards per game.

“I think we need to tighten down on the run game,” Hillard said. “This will force Wittenberg to pass the ball. I think as a whole, our [aggressive] mentality will give us the edge we need to beat Wittenberg.”

“Two years ago, we beat this team on their field,” O’Brien said. “We know who they are and that we can play with them. I see this game as a huge opportunity because doing big things against a ranked opponent will get us recognition. It’s great to win against any team, but beating Wittenberg will make people look at us and see what we can do.”

Bears fans can follow the game online through a link on bearsports.wustl.edu.

Junior Tom Gulyas rushes forward in an Oct. 17 game against the College of Wooster. Gulyas had a game-high four catches for 40 yards in a 21-13 loss to Carnegie Mellon University on Saturday. (Daniel Eicholtz | Student Life)

“Special teams…is really no different than offense or defense. We’ve been playing well but not well enough long enough,” head coach Larry Kindbom said. “I think if you play well enough long enough, you score more points, you get more shutdowns and then you don’t have the quirky kind of things that we had on special teams.”

On a 55-yard CMU punt with 1:14 left in the third quarter, senior defensive back Tim Machan fumbled the catch at the Wash. U. 10-yard line. The Tartans recovered, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown rush a minute later.

The Bears’ ensuing possession ended with the same result. Sophomore punter Austin Morman fumbled a bad snap from junior offensive lineman J.J. Gotlieb, which was also recovered by Carnegie Mellon.

Starting at the Bears’ 15-yard line, it only took two plays to take the lead. A 2-yard rush put the Tartans on top for good, 14-13.

“Our defense puts a big emphasis on when we’re put in a bad situation…where the opposing offense gets the ball inside the [20-yard line]. We really stress holding them to a field goal or getting turnovers,” junior defensive back Brandon Brown said. “We just couldn’t come up with those stops yesterday.”

CMU put together a 75-yard, 8:32 touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. The 15-play series consisted of 14 carries, ending on a 1-yard touchdown run.

“After the second touchdown, it was 14-13. We were losing. It wasn’t a question of anything, at that point, other than the offense has to score more points,” junior runningback Jim O’Brien said. “We just knew that no matter what, we had to get on the [scoreboard] again. For whatever reason, we couldn’t do that.”

Given possession with only 1:36 left in the game, junior quarterback Stephen Sherman’s desperation pass was picked off, securing victory for the Tartans.

“It was just hard to come back,” Morman said. “Once they had momentum, we kept fighting, but it just didn’t work out.”

Despite holding the Tartan passing offense to only 30 yards, the Bears defense allowed 234 rushing yards.

“The defense played lights out the first [three quarters],” Brown said. “The rest of the game, I don’t know what happened, but, the momentum shifted from us being up 13-0 to them getting that quick touchdown and getting right back in the game. They took it from there.”

Senior co-captain Andrew Berryman led the team with 13 tackles, while Machan had nine. Brown and sophomore linebacker Kyle Larkin each added eight tackles.

The Bears took the lead early in the first quarter. O’Brien broke loose on Wash. U.’s second play of the game for a 42-yard rush. Junior Tim Johnson ended the drive with a 36-yard field goal.

“We had to settle for some field goals and didn’t sustain [many] drives,” O’Brien said. “A huge difference in that game was that we just couldn’t finish once we got down in the red zone…with touchdowns.”

Senior halfback Greg LaChaud caught a 10-yard touchdown pass with 12:30 left in the second quarter, pushing the score to 10-0.

Johnson hit another field goal, this time from 27 yards out, 8:33 through the third quarter. The Tartans took the lead minutes later.

“When you’re in control of a football game, at some point you have to put it away,” Kindbom said. “If you don’t, you’re just leaving the door of opportunity open for that other team.”

Washington University (3-5, 0-1) takes on the University of Chicago (4-3, 0-1) on Saturday, Nov. 7, in the final home game of the season. The team’s 14 seniors will be honored shortly before kickoff at 1 p.m.

Junior running back Jim O’Brien eclipsed 1,000 career rushing yards in a Wash. U. 23-0 pounding of Rhodes College. O’Brien ran for a career-high 146 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. (Josh Goldman | Student Life)

Junior runningback Jim O’Brien answered those questions on Saturday, earning a career-high 146 rushing yards in the team’s 23-0 win over Rhodes College (2-3).

“[The win] added another level of confidence for the team,” O’Brien said. “Just knowing that we’re going to [stumble] no matter what…and just knowing that we can rebound like that shows a lot about the team and how we carry ourselves.”

The Bears (2-2) ran for a net 222 yards, a season high, and had a 378-273 offensive advantage over Rhodes.

“One of the stresses that we had early…this week was to come out fast and come out strong,” O’Brien said.

On the opening possession of the game, Rhodes threatened to score. With the ball at Wash. U.’s 9-yard line and positive yardage gained on all 13 plays of the drive, a touchdown seemed inevitable.

Senior defensive back Tim Machan intercepted an end-zone pass and returned it to the 33-yard line. The Bears had four interceptions in the game, while Machan led the defense with eight total tackles.

“We knew that we were backed up against the wall…in any situation, you’re hoping for a turnover, but we were just hoping to force a field goal,” Machan said. “Then the quarterback kind of overthrew the ball and I was in the right position for it.”

O’Brien took over the first quarter. With 4:25 left in the quarter, he punched in a 2-yard touchdown to give the Bears the lead. O’Brien’s 37-yard rush previously on the drive set up the score.

In the first half alone, O’Brien picked up 78 yards on nine carries. His performance broke the career 1,000-yard rushing mark.

“I think yesterday I just was able to get out into open space a little bit more,” O’Brien said.”The [offensive] line was just creating the holes…so I definitely give 100 percent credit to the line.”

An unsuccessful Lynx fake-punt led to Wash. U.’s next touchdown. Junior quarterback Stephen Sherman found sophomore receiver Easton Knott wide open in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown reception.

Senior halfback Greg Lachaud tacked on another six points with a 1-yard touchdown rush with 4:59 left in the third quarter. The seven-play, 76-yard drive came entirely on the ground.

Up 20-0 with 3:20 left in the game, sophomore Brandon Rogalski sealed the victory with a 29-yard field goal. The field goal was the Bears’ first successful kick in seven games.

“It feels very good to get the shutout, having the offense put points on the board, and the defense plays well,” Machan said.

Sophomore punter Austin Morman was key in the win, averaging 43.2 yards per kick, while Sherman went 11 for 17 for 113 yards and a touchdown.

“We went into the game knowing that field position and special teams were going…to be a big part of winning the game,” Morman said. “I just tried to put [the ball] as far back, inside the [20-yard line], as I could and hopefully giving the defense good position, so they could play as well as they did.”

The Bears will travel to Crawfordsville, Ind., on Saturday to take on No. 12 Wabash College (4-0).

“Yeah, they’re ranked…but we’ve got a feel for them,” O’Brien said. “We know that they’re not superhuman…that they’re just like us; that they’re just going out there to play.”

The Bears improved to 5-3 on the season after defeating UAA rival Carnegie Mellon University 16-8 one the opening weekend of UAA play.

The Tartans were limited to only 50 yards of passing for the entire game and did not score until 4:05 left in the fourth quarter.

WU’s special teams unit made its presence felt on the very first play of the game, with Sophomore Greg Larson forcing and recovering a fumble. With this fumble recovery, the Bears started their first drive of the game at Carnegie Mellon’s 22-yard line.

The offense only needed five plays to get into the end zone. Sophomore Jim O’Brien put the Bears on top, 7-0, on a two-yard touchdown run.

In the first quarter, the Tartans were forced to punt three times and had an average starting position of their own 17-yard line.

A 30-yard pass from quarterback Buck Smith to senior tight end Miles Chan early in the second quarter set up the Bears’ next score. Brandon Rogalski’s 30-yard field goal, with 9:36 left in the half, extended the score to 10-0.

Reminiscent of the opening play, Carnegie Mellon fumbled the following kickoff. Sophomore Alex Akman recovered the ball on the Carnegie 21-yard-line, setting the Bears up with another great opportunity to score

“Special teams played a major role in the game. The two turnovers with our kickoff units provided us with an early lead and great change of field position. It was important that we came out of the gate quickly, and we did,” Head Coach Larry Kindbom said.

However, Tartan linebacker Socrates Zacharias intercepted Smith’s 3^rd-and-13 pass, ending the drive. Carnegie Mellon would be stopped on 4^th-and-1 at Washington’s 11-yard-line on their ensuing drive, a crucial play for the defense.

“Our coaches consider a fourth-down stop a turnover, and it really is. It’s a big deal when you can get a fourth-down stop like that. Luckily, we were able to do that,” senior defensive back Drew Makar said.

On their next possession, the Tartans again looked to score. With only 15 seconds left in the first half, kicker Colin Marks attempted a 25-yard field goal, hoping to put points on the scoreboard. Makar came from the outside and blocked the kick, preserving the shutout. The block was his third of the season.

“It kept the game a two-possession game by blocking the kick, so I think that was pretty important for our team. In terms of how I’m doing it, I think it’s just a matter of getting off the ball and getting a jump,” Makar added.

Another big passing play came from Smith in the third quarter, a 53-yard pass to sophomore Tom Gulyas. The very next play went into the end zone, a two-yard touchdown pass to junior Greg Lachaud. Rogalski missed the extra point attempt, but Wash. U. was ahead 16-0 midway through the third quarter.

Carnegie Mellon would not go quietly. After taking advantage of a Wash. U. fumble, the Tartans put together a three-play scoring drive, getting into the end zone on a 31-yard pass. The two-point conversion was successful, cutting the Bears’ 16-point lead in half.

Wash. U. would hold on to the lead for the final four minutes, winning the game.

Washington’s offense put up 319 total yards, while Smith finished the game 23-of-31 for 226 yards through the air.

The Bears will try to add to a two game winning streak on the road next weekend against the University of Chicago.

“Our youth is starting to mature, our depth has grown, and our experience is getting healthy. At this point of the season, we need to just come out and play, have fun and compete,” Kindbom said.