LINK – ASHLAND UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL PAGE
Wins No. 500 and 501 have been quite memorable for Ashland University's football program.
Thanks to the last-second 52-yard Hail Mary pass from sophomore quarterback Austin Brenner to junior wide receiver Logan Bolin on Saturday (Oct. 5) night at Grand Valley State, the Eagles have won back-to-back games in which they were trailing by at least 10 points in the second half by scoring at least 20 points in the fourth quarter.
The last time Ashland accomplished this before the last two weekends? It was Oct. 23, 2004 at Wayne State.
Here are the three instances so far this century (2000-current) in which the Eagles trailed by at least 10 points in the third and/or fourth quarter and scored at least 20 points in the fourth quarter to pull out a victory:
- Oct. 5, 2019 – Ashland 20, Grand Valley State 17. A game which was a 10-0 Laker lead for the longest time saw four touchdowns and three lead changes in the final 5:01 of the contest, capped off by the Brenner-to-Bolin highlight which has reached ESPN and Barstool Sports, among other places.
- Sept. 28, 2019 – Ashland 31, Northwood 28. Trailing 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles scored 21 unanswered points – all on touchdown runs by freshman tailback Gei'vonni Washington – and fended off a late Timberwolves comeback thanks to the third takeaway of the final 15 minutes.
- Oct. 23, 2004 – Ashland 28, Wayne State 21. The Eagles were down 21-7 six seconds into the fourth quarter, but rallied for three straight touchdowns in the last 11:07 of the game for the win in Detroit, Mich. The winning touchdown was scored by tailback Antwan Hart from a yard out with 38 ticks on the clock.
WASHINGTON GETS STRONGER AS THE GAME MOVES ON
In the last two games, Washington has rushed 57 times for 294 yards (5.2 ypc.) and four touchdowns. In those comeback wins, he has saved his best for last, rushing for more yards per carry in the fourth quarter than in the first three combined:
|
TIME FRAME |
ATT. |
YDS. |
AVG. |
TD |
|
First 3 quarters |
39 |
155 |
4.0 |
0 |
|
Fourth quarter |
18 |
139 |
7.7 |
4 |
DEFENSE SETS EAGLES UP FOR COMEBACK WINS
In the fourth quarter of the last two games, the Eagle defense has more than done its part to set up the team to move past the .500 mark:
- Against Northwood, the Timberwolves' fourth-quarter drives ended this way: interception, fumble lost, touchdown and interception.
- Vs. the Lakers, the fourth-quarter drives ended this way: punt, turnover on downs, punt and touchdown.
BRENNER KEEPS DUAL-THREAT STANDING
Brenner has thrown for four touchdowns and rushed for three more this season – all of those scores coming in Ashland's three road victories in 2019.
So far this season, Brenner has rushed for 297 yards (291 in the last four games), the most by any Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference pivot.
AU
FB/DS