The Observer, September 12, 2008
Volume XLI, Issue 3
No doubt about it
Case offense dominates Kenyon in opener
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This past weekend, the Spartans started the season with a bang. The team traveled to Gambier, Ohio, to take on the Kenyon Lords and came away with an impressive 62 - 27 victory.
Case elected to receive the ball to start the game. The highly touted offense looked a bit out of sync during the first drive. The initial drive resulted in a punt after a six- play, 6-yard drive. After quickly getting the ball back due to stifling defense, the offense never looked back and Kenyon never had a chance. Shaun Nicely scored the first two touchdowns of the season and the only points during the first quarter: one a 2-yard pass and the other an 83-yard bomb.
The Spartans continued to pour it on in the second quarter with rushing touchdowns from Billy Deitman and Corey Checkan. After junior quarterback Dan Whalen tweaked his hamstring late in the second quarter, sophomore Joey Baum came in and played spectacularly. On his first pass, Baum threw a touchdown to receiver Ryan Kolesar and later threw another to Brian Webster. The Spartans ended the half up comfortably, 42-0.
The Case offense came out of the locker room at halftime showing no signs of slowing down. The Spartan offense quickly marched down the field and scored a touchdown as Baum rushed the ball in from a yard out. The drive only lasted for a minute and 28 seconds, covering 50 yards in a mere four plays. The next couple of Kenyon possessions, the Spartan defense decided to get in the scoring act. First, Jeff Brown, the team's middle linebacker, intercepted a pass and returned the ball 46 yards for a touchdown. The ensuing Kenyon possession, Ben Chlebina jumped a route, intercepted the ball, and scored from 33-yards out. With 5:44 remaining in the third quarter, Case led the Lords 62-0. With all the starters out and the youngsters in, the Spartan offense stalled while the defense relinquished 27 in the fourth quarter. When the clock ticked 0, Case handily won 62-27.
Statistically, the Spartans were far superior to their opponent. Case outgained Kenyon 513 yards to 417. A 96-yard difference may not seem like much; however, it is important to note that this statistic is misleading. Of Case's 513 yards, 418 (81 percent) were gained in the first half when both Case and Kenyon had their starters on the field. Just under half of Kenyon's total yards were earned in the fourth quarter, when Kenyon still had their starters versus Case's backups. Leading the way on the ground was sophomore Derek Bush, who racked up 57 yards on the ground. Both Whalen and Baum were extremely efficient through the air. Whalen went 11-14 and threw for 199 yards, while Baum went 10-13 for 117 yards. Zach Homyk led the team in receptions, reeling in six catches, and Nicely led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns, earning 110 and 2, respectively. Defensively, the Spartans sacked the quarterback four times, with Jeff Brown leading the way with 1.5 sacks.
Overall, Case dominated every phase of the game and looked impressive doing so. The next challenge for the Spartans is Saturday, when the University of Rochester travels to Case for their first home game of the season. The Spartans will look to extend their regular season winning streak to 13 games.
