Football upsets No. 19 Wabash

Earlier this fall, the Bears football team was 2-2 after defeating two weak teams and suffering two ugly losses.

On Oct. 9, opponent Wabash College, No. 19 in Division III, was riding a four-game winning streak. Statistically, the Bears were heavy underdogs.

But the Red and Green defense kept the home game close in the first half, and with the score tied at seven and 31 seconds remaining in the half, senior tailback Jim O’Brien broke loose. O’Brien caught a screen pass at the 37-yard line, let his offensive linemen set up their blocks and sprinted the remaining 63 yards for a touchdown, giving the Bears the lead and momentum heading into halftime.

The Little Giants responded to open the third quarter, scoring 13 unanswered points to take the lead. Wash. U. got the ball back with 4:37 left to play in the fourth quarter, trailing 20-17.

Senior quarterback Stephen Sherman led the Bears down the field in eight plays, capping the game-winning drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Easton Knott in the back left corner of the end zone with 1:10 left in the game.

“The victory over Wabash really showed us what were we capable of when we were playing to our full potential,” Sherman said.

The 24-20 win sparked a six-game winning streak that carried the Bears to a 7-3 overall record. According to head coach Larry Kindbom, this was the game that showed “our kids we’ve got a good football team.”