The Washington University football team was staring at a bleak 1-4 record halfway through the season, but coach Larry Kindbom remained confident in his team, and the Bears focused on improving each week, knowing they could still finish the season on a high note.

On Saturday, Wash. U.’s focus and perseverance paid off against Case Western Reserve University. With a chance to clinch the University Athletic Association title for the first time since 2004, the Bears’ defense played one of its best games of the season, limiting the Spartans to only 184 yards of offense and giving the Red and Green a 10-7 victory, their fourth straight win, and the crown as 2012 UAA Champions.

“That was a pretty exciting game for us,” Kindbom said. “We obviously didn’t see a lot of wins in the beginning of the season, but we sure are seeing them now. We got good run stop on the defense, [and] the offense finished when we needed them to. Things are finally coming together for us.”

With the win, the Bears have improved their overall and conference record to 4-5 and 2-0, respectively.

“We’ve been through a lot this season. Whether it be injuries or close losses, we’ve had to adjust and keep fighting,” junior quarterback Eric Daginella said. “It was really an awesome win for us, and the whole mood in the locker room was incredible. We’re very proud of how we’ve come back.”

The Bears’ defense was the key to Saturday’s win as it faced a tough Spartan offense that came in averaging 320.3 yards and 21.2 points per game. Despite the daunting numbers, Wash. U. stepped up its game, giving up only seven points, 86 yards on the ground and 98 yards through the air. The Bears sacked Spartan quarterbacks Erik Olson and Billy Beecher four times for a loss of 22 yards.

“Our defense has started to get healthier, and they’ve carried us a lot throughout these past few weeks,” Daginella said. “They’re pretty incredible and reliable. It’s nice to know that they’ve always got your back covered when you can’t finish a drive…just a great performance as a whole.”

With Case Western on its own 47-yard line near the end of the second quarter, junior defensive back Tate Byers intercepted a deep ball to end the potential Spartan scoring drive.

“I followed [Olson’s] eyes, and I had a feeling he would throw it near me, and he did. Fortunately, I had enough time to get in front of the receiver and make the catch,” Byers said. “I think it probably cut the momentum that Case was having.”

On offense, the Red and Green had trouble moving the chains throughout the first half, forcing Wash. U. to punt the ball on six out of the their eight drives. Despite being shut out for two quarters, the Bears came back strong on their second drive of the third quarter as they set up freshman kicker Alex Hallwachs and the field goal unit for a 25-yard chip shot.

“They did a good job of mixing up coverages, so we weren’t to do a whole lot,” Daginella said, “but we started to figure things out and moved the ball a lot better in the second half.”

With the Bears still down by four late in the third quarter, Daginella took a shot down the field on third and ten from the Wash. U. 35-yard line, connecting with sophomore wide receiver Tim Bartholomew for 64 yards and setting up the game-winning one-yard touchdown run by Daginella.

“They’ve got a really good defense. Daginella and the offense did an excellent job of making key plays when we needed them to,” Kindbom said. “I thought we controlled the ball pretty well in the second half, and I think that’s why we won.”

Wash. U. has its last game of the season on the road against the University of Chicago next Saturday at 12 p.m. The Bears hope to keep the Founders Cup a second straight season and improve their series record to 19-7.