SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The No. 22/23 Washington University in St. Louis football team beat Wittenberg 31-24 on Saturday afternoon in its first-ever North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) road game. The Bears are now 3-0 on the year with a 2-0 mark in NCAC play.
After forcing a punt on Wittenberg's first drive, the Bears scored on a five-play drive, culminating in a 36-yard touchdown run from senior quarterback
Levi Moore. Junior
Matias Adrogue's extra-point kick was good, giving WashU a 7-0 lead.
Wittenberg tied it up at the very end of the first quarter with Gerald Banks scoring a 65-yard touchdown. Nico Razo's kick was good for a 7-7 game.
In the Tigers' first drive of the second quarter, they attempted a field goal from 32-yards, but it was no good. The Bears got the ball back, however it was fumbled and then recovered by Wittenberg.
Wittenberg lined up again for a field goal on its next drive, this time from 31 yards, and Razo hit it for a 10-7 Wittenberg advantage.
WashU responded with a nine-play scoring drive. Moore hit senior
Makael Carter with a 27-yard touchdown pass with 44 seconds left in the quarter and Adrogue's kick was good for a 14-10 Bears' lead.
With just three seconds remaining, Wittenberg lined up for a 51-yard field goal but missed, sending the Bears into the half with a four-point lead.
WashU opened up with a short drive that lasted three plays and led to a 64-yard touchdown from sophomore
Brayden Lewis. Adrogue's kick was good for a 21-10 lead.
On the Tigers' next drive, a fumble was forced by senior
Henry Murr and recovered by senior
Pete West.
After several turnovers on both ends, Wittenberg went on to score following a nine-play scoring drive that was finished off by Josiah Payne with a one-yard run. Razo's kick was good for a 21-17 Bears edge.
The Bears brought it down to the 3-yard line and Adrogue lined up for an 18-yard field goal, which was good, extending WashU's lead to 24-17 with 8:53 remaining in the game.
On the ensuing drive, junior
Zander Ealy intercepted Ryan Counts' pass at the 45. The Bears then put together a five-play drive, culminating in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Moore to Carter. Adrogue's kick was good for a 31-17 lead with just over four minutes remaining.
Wittenberg scored its final touchdown on the next drive when Counts hit Dre Jackson for 11 yards. Razo's kick was good making it 31-24.3
WashU had 429 yards(135 passing, 294 rushing) of total offense while Wittenberg had 413 (214 passing, 199 rushing).
Moore was 13-for-18 for 135 with two touchdown passes and one interception.
Lewis led the rushing game with 126 yards on 13 attempts with a touchdown and Moore had 93 yards on nine attempts with a touchdown.
Senior
Drew Bomar had 65 receiving yards on seven catches while Carter had 44 yards on three catches with two touchdowns.
Defensively, Murr had 11 total tackles (6 solo, 5 assists) with 2.5 tackles-for-loss and one forced fumble. Senior
Brett Kersemeier had eight total tackles (6 solo, 2 assists) and senior Joy Chan had seven total tackles (4 solo, 3 assists) with 1.5 tackles-for-loss.
The Bears are back on the road next Saturday when they travel to Oberlin for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff.
-------
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.
