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The Kardiac Eagles couldn't pull off a fourth consecutive come-from-behind win, as Ashland University's football team rallied from a 35-7 second-half deficit at Wayne State on Saturday (Oct. 19) night, but lost 42-41 in double overtime.
#RV Ashland falls to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Warriors move to 4-3, 3-1.
The Eagles scored four consecutive touchdowns in the final 15:37 of regulation to force overtime, scoring on drives of 72, 95, 76 and 70 yards, but after the Warriors blocked Ashland's second-overtime extra point, a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake AmRhein to wide receiver Darece Robinson and the Niccolo Seilo extra point lifted Wayne State to victory.
Saturday night's game featured 83 points and 1,100 yards of offense on 155 plays from scrimmage.
THE MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
- Both teams did not score on their opening drives, then the Warriors went up 7-0 on a 47-yard touchdown pass from AmRhein to running back Deiontae Nicholas with 7:55 to go in the opening quarter.
- Ashland quickly countered with a touchdown drive of its own, going 85 yards in just six plays. The drive ended on freshman tailback Gei'vonni Washington's 22-yard touchdown run.
- The back-and-forth early play continued on the Warriors' side, as running back James Hill went in from two yards out to put Wayne State back on top at 14-7 late in the first period. Then, early in the second quarter, AmRhein found Roberson for a 40-yard touchdown strike and a 21-7 Warrior advantage.
- Wayne State increased its run to 21 straight points when, on the third play from scrimmage in the third quarter, senior linebacker Leon Eggleston returned an interception 35 yards for a 28-7 lead at the 13:43 mark. Hill then scored his second rushing touchdown, a one-yarder, with 5:46 left in the third to extend Wayne State's lead to 35-7.
- Ashland finally stopped the Warrior run with 37 seconds left in the third when sophomore quarterback Austin Brenner found junior wide receiver Logan Bolin for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Then, the Eagles found some luck when sophomore wide receiver Garrett Turnbaugh recovered a Brenner fumble in the end zone to make it a 35-21 deficit with 9:23 to go in regulation.
- The Warriors went three-and-out on their ensuing drive, and Ashland started its new series at its own 24 with 7:41 left in the fourth. The Eagles needed exactly 60 seconds to cut their deficit to a single touchdown at 35-28, as Brenner hit senior wide receiver Justin Davis for a 60-yard scoring pass. For Davis, it is his first collegiate touchdown.
- Ashland stopped Hill for a loss of two yards on third-and-1 in Eagle territory, then kept AmRhein to a yard on fourth-and-3, giving AU the ball back at its own 30 with 3:17 remaining on the fourth-quarter clock. The Eagles marched down the field, and Brenner found Bolin for the game-tying four-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds prior to overtime.
- In overtime, Wayne State began with the ball, but Seilo's 41-yard field-goal attempt was blocked. Needing just a field goal to win on its OT possession, junior kicker Satchel Denton missed his second attempt of the night, from 33 yards.
- The second extra period saw the Eagles start out, and Washington scored his second touchdown of the game on a six-yard run, giving Ashland its first lead of the night at 41-35. It was Washington's eighth TD jaunt in the last four games. The PAT, however, was blocked.
- Wayne State got its chance in the second overtime, and immediately cashed on on the AmRhein-to-Roberson 25-yard scoring pass and Seilo's extra point.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Brenner became the first Ashland quarterback this century (2000-current) to rush for more than 100 yards, finishing with 199 yards on 20 carries. He also was 22-of-39 passing for 292 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, giving him a program-record 491 yards of total offense. The previous Ashland record was 447 set by Taylor Housewright at Ferris State on Sept. 15, 2012.
- Washington ran 28 times for 113 yards and two scores, giving Ashland two 100-yard rushers in the same game since Vance Settlemire and Andrew Vaughn at home vs. Walsh on Nov. 5, 2016. Washington also has four consecutive 100-yard ground efforts, becoming the first Eagle back to accomplish that since Vaughn from Oct. 14-Nov. 4, 2017.
- Bolin caught eight passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns, and is the first Eagle receiver with back-to-back 100-yard performances since Matthew Wilcox went three games in a row from Sept. 9-23, 2017.
- Defensively, sophomore cornerback Justin Moore had 10 total tackles (seven solo) and an interception.
- Ashland ended the night with 612 yards of offense (320 rushing), and going a perfect 5-of-5 on fourth downs.
- The overtime game was Ashland's first since winning at Walsh, 31-24, on Sept. 12, 2015.
UP NEXT
Back to Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field for another GLIAC game vs. Michigan Tech (4-2, 2-2) on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.
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