The team’s sixth loss, a 28-8 defeat, came Saturday at the hands of the undefeated No. 7 Case Western Reserve University Spartans of Cleveland, Ohio.

“I know that everybody left everything out on the field, so that’s all you can ever ask for,” senior running back and co-captain Matt Glenn said. “It would’ve been nice to walk away with a victory, but unfortunately we didn’t.”

The win for Case Western (10-0, 3-0) not only gives them the University Athletic Association championship, but also their third straight undefeated season and a 31-game winning streak in the regular season.

“When it’s all said and done, I think we’re a little disappointed, but it wasn’t because of a lack of effort. They’re a good team, too,” head coach Larry Kindbom said. “It would’ve taken not just a good effort, but a good performance to beat them, but I think we had the opportunities.”

Case running back Greg Meyer led a nine-play, 77-yard touchdown drive to start the game. His 7-yard run into the end zone gave the team a 7-0 advantage with 10:45 left in the first quarter.

The Bears’ defense responded and gave the offense a chance to tie the contest. Senior defensive back Nick Vom Brack intercepted quarterback Dan Whalen on Case’s second drive, returning the ball 38 yards to the Spartans’ 25-yard line. Junior Tim Johnson’s 41-yard field goal missed wide left.

“On defense, we didn’t play anything close to a perfect game,” senior linebacker and co-captain Andrew Berryman said. “The whole time, we had to go out and worry about ourselves and keep putting the offense in positions [to score].”

Junior defensive back Brandon Brown intercepted Whalen one drive later. The Bears would be limited to a three-and-out.

Despite a 42-yard run by Glenn and a 20-yard catch by junior Tom Gulyas on their next series, the Bears failed to score on a first-and-goal, turning the ball over on downs at the 2-yard line.

“We were able to put together a couple of drives and had some big plays, but in the end, it came down to finishing,” Glenn said.

The defense forced a safety on Case’s following drive, but the Spartan offense quickly responded. Meyer added another rushing touchdown with 3:11 left in the first half, giving the Spartans a 14-2 lead heading into halftime.

Case extended its lead with a 13-play, 67-yard touchdown drive with 7:55 left in the third quarter, but Wash. U.’s 17-play, 65-yard drive could not replicate the same success. The Bears turned the ball over on downs for the third time.

“We just had to play…a little better on every play,” Kindbom said. “It would’ve put us in position to win that game in the fourth quarter.”

The Bears did connect for a 3-yard touchdown rush by Glenn with 5:46 left in the quarter, but the Spartans took advantage of a failed onside-kick attempt, sealing their victory with a 22-yard rush only 1:25 later.

Wash. U. used three different quarterbacks in the loss, but completed only 22 of 47 attempts for 172 yards and averaged 3.7 yards per attempt. The team gained 309 yards of total offense, while Case had 385.

“I’m obviously not extremely happy with our record and how we [finished], but I think we grew as a team and got a lot better as the season went on,” Glenn said. “You can’t have any regrets. I love the team, love playing with all the guys out there.”

In the 17-7 defeat to Greenville College, the Bears were limited to just five first downs for the entire game and only 58 total yards of offense in the first half.

“We didn’t really find a rhythm offensively, so that put a lot of pressure on our defense,” junior wide receiver Tom Gulyas said. “They were on the field for a majority of the game.”

The defense played strongly, allowing just seven points after spending most of the opening half (23:37) on the field. Greenville only managed 77 passing yards in total but instead attacked heavily with an option-style offense.

“We actually didn’t expect them to run the option as much as they did, so that kind of caught us off guard,” senior linebacker and co-captain Andrew Berryman said.

The Bears’ troubles started early. On the first drive, senior running back and co-captain Matt Glenn was forced out of the game with a knee injury. Though he tried to return, earning 33 rushing yards, he left the game permanently in the second quarter.

“[Glenn] is definitely the emotional leader of the team, so that was a little hard to take, but we still have plenty of capable running backs behind him,” Gulyas said. “It hurt, but it was still something that we should’ve been able to play through.”

Starting quarterback Mitchel Bartel, a junior, was benched after two first-quarter interceptions, but his replacement, junior Stephen Sherman, provided no lift. The two combined for only 20 passing yards through the half.

With the game still scoreless, Panthers quarterback Austin Teer caught receiver Rendell Flood streaking into the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 4.7 seconds left in the first half.

Greenville took a 7-0 lead into the break.

Midway through the third quarter, Jumanne Bey intercepted Sherman’s pass and returned it 25 yards for another Greenville touchdown, making the score 14-0.

The team’s offense gained life briefly on the following drive after a 33-yard reception by halfback Greg Lachaud brought the Bears to the 18-yard line. Sherman fumbled the snap two plays later, however, and Greenville recovered.

“Offensively…we have to control the football,” head coach Larry Kindbom said. “We can’t turn the ball over, especially in our territory, and expect to keep other teams out.”

The Red and Green’s only score of the game came one minute into the fourth quarter. Gulyas caught a deep pass from Sherman and took it for a 53-yard touchdown reception, getting past two defenders on the play.

“Sherman threw an absolutely perfect pass, and I caught it in stride. We finally put it together,” Gulyas said. “We played a little bit better after that, but I think it was just too little too late.”

Despite building momentum for most of the fourth quarter, the Bears could not garner another attack. Two following drives fell flat.

Greenville’s 29-yard field goal with 1:26 left in the game pushed the score to 17-7, sealing their victory and an eye-opening defeat for the Bears.

“We definitely weren’t expecting to go out and play like that, but I think it will be a learning experience. It lets us know that we’re not where we should be,” Berryman said. “We need to pick it up in practice, and I’m positive that we will do that, come out next week at Westminster and show what we can do.”

Washington University (0-1)  hopes to rebound at Westminster College (0-1) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Sophomore Easton Knott leaps into the air for an eventually-incomplete pass in Friday’s 17-7 loss against Greenville College. The Bears suffered four turnovers and had a quiet offense in the upset loss. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)