Case Western Reserve University running backs Antonio Orsini and Gage Duesler combined for five touchdowns, and quarterbacks Drew Saxton and Ian Kipp combined for 345 passing yards, leading the Spartans to a 45-21 win over Saint Vincent College in front of a packed DiSanto Field crowd on Saturday for Homecoming at CWRU.
The Spartans will head into their bye week with an overall record of 4-2, including a 3-1 record in Presidents' Athletic Conference play. The Bearcats dropped to 1-4 overall and to 1-2 in the PAC.
CWRU notched a season-high 500 yards of offense in the game, while the team's 45 points matched its season-best output. CWRU also registered a season-high 345 passing yards behind a 13-for-19 performance with 236 yards for Saxton and a six-for-nine day with 109 yards and a touchdown for Kipp. Junior wide receiver Riley Knurek led the team with seven catches for a career-high 124 yards.
Orsini paced the running attack with 19 carries for 89 yards and three touchdowns, giving him six scores on the year, all of which have come in the last three games. Duesler added nine carries for 43 yards and two touchdowns and now has five scores for the campaign.
Junior linebacker Marco Toth added seven tackles, including half-a-tackle for loss, and three quarterback hurries. Sophomore cornerback Dominic Sais and junior linebacker Sean Torres led the team with nine and eight tackles, respectively, while senior defensive end R.J. Ayers tallied four tackles, a sack, and a pass breakup. The Spartan defense held Saint Vincent to 303 total yards, including just 40 rushing yards on Saturday.
The Spartans reached the endzone on each of its first six possessions in the game, including all four in the first half to take a 28-7 lead over the Bearcats by halftime. CWRU went 96 yards on just seven plays and three minutes on its first drive of the game, scoring on a nine-yard run by Duesler with 7:43 left in the opening quarter. Orsini added a pair of three-yard touchdown runs with two seconds left in the first and 9:03 left in the second to put the Spartans ahead 21-0. After Saint Vincent cut the Spartans' lead to 21-7 with 4:41 remaining in the half, Duesler's second touchdown of the game, a four-yard run with 43 seconds left in the frame, gave the Spartans a 21-point advantage heading into the break.
CWRU opened the second half with a 48-yard drive after recovering an onside kick attempt by the Bearcats, culminating in a two-yard scoring run by Orsini. Saint Vincent answered with a touchdown of their own, but CWRU responded once again, this time scoring on a 16-yard pass from Kipp to junior wide receiver Isaiah Arrington. It was the first touchdown of Arrington's career, giving CWRU a 42-14 lead with 6:53 left in the third.
Saint Vincent added a touchdown late in the third quarter, but the Spartans were able to put together a late 15-play, 71-yard drive that ate eight minutes and 34 seconds off the clock with a 31-yard field goal by Joseph Rhodes V with 4:46 to play putting the game officially out of reach for the Bearcats.
The CWRU offense converted 80% (eight of 10) of its third-down attempts on Saturday and finished with a 33:56 to 26:04 edge in time of possession while scoring on all seven of its red zone chances.
CWRU will be off next week for its bye, returning to action on Saturday, October 22 at home against Bethany College. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
Spartans’ Offense Powers CWRU to 45-21 Homecoming Win over Saint Vincent
/seasons/2022/boxscores/20221008_5sru.xml
2022
St. Vincent
21
Case Western Reserve
45
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Vincent (1-4) | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| Case Western Reserve (4-2) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 45 |
Oct 08, 2022