ST. LOUIS, Mo. – It was a day of celebration at Francis Olympic Field as the No. 7/8 Washington University in St. Louis football team clinched the outright NCAC title, the program's first conference title since 2016, beating Wooster 52-0. The Bears also clinch the conference's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament and the win marks the program's 600
th win.
For the first time ever, the Bears finish the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record.
After celebrating the Bears' seniors pregame, WashU came out to take a 21-0 lead in the first half. The Bears scored one touchdown in the first quarter following a 12-play drive that ended in an eight-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback
Levi Moore to senior
Drew Bomar. Junior
Matias Adrogue's kick was good for a 7-0 lead with 2:20 remaining in the first quarter.
WashU opened the second quarter with another touchdown on a six-play drive. The drive culminated in a five-yard touchdown from Moore and Adrogue's kick was good for a 13-0 game.
On their final full drive of the first half, the Bears had an eight-play drive that once again ended with a five-yard touchdown run from Moore. Adrogue hit the kick for a 21-0 WashU edge.
Sophomore
Everett Cui had a huge half for the Bears, registering 2.5 sacks and two interceptions.
WashU received to open the second half and scored again following a four-play drive. Sophomore
Brayden Lewis ran it in for nine yards and Adrogue's kick was good for a 28-0 WashU lead.
On Wooster's next drive, junior
Aidan Hughes forced a fumble and the ball was recovered by senior
Spencer Snipe to put the ball back in the Bears' hands.
On the first play of that drive, Moore hit senior
Makael Carter for a 49-yard touchdown pass. Adrogue's kick as good, extending the lead to 35-0.
After a Wooster punt, the Bears brought it down to the 17. Adrogue lined up for a 45-yard field goal and hit it for a 38-0 lead with 3:30 left in the third quarter.
Following a five-play drive, WashU opened the fourth quarter with a 24-yard touchdown from junior
Alexander Singh to senior
Luke Stephens. Adrogue hit the kick for a 45-0 game.
The Bears scored their final touchdown with 6:20 remaining as senior offensive lineman
Brady Cavan scored his first-career touchdown with a two-yard run. Adrogue's kick was good to push it to a 52-0 lead.
As a team, the Bears had 563 yards of total offense (258 passing, 305 rushing) while Wooster had 151 total yards (132 passing, 19 rushing).
Moore was 9-for-14 for 234 yards with two passing touchdowns. He also had 23 yards on five carries with two rushing touchdowns.
Senior
Matthew Kinoshita led the rushing game with 100 yards on 10 carries while first-year
Cole Neupaver netted 92 yards on 10 carries.
Carter led the receivers with 211 yards on six catches with a touchdown.
Defensively, senior
Henry Murr finished with eight total tackles (6 solo, 2 assists), 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. Snipe had seven total tackles 94 solo, 3 assists), 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Cui finished with five total tackles, (3 solo, 2 assists), 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions.
The Bears will find out more about their NCAA Tournament bid tomorrow, Nov. 15, during the selection show at 4 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.
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Elevating scholar-champions requires resources beyond the institutional budget. Through the W Club, generous alumni, parents, and friends provide unrestricted support that is essential to the extraordinary WashU student-athlete experience—and the ongoing growth and development of the department. Annual support for Athletics allows the Bears to consistently rise to national levels of competition and ensures that our student-athletes enjoy exceptional opportunities as they train, compete, and lead. To make a gift to the Annual Fund for Athletics, please visit our secure online giving form or contact the Athletics Advancement Office at athletics@wustl.edu.
