On Heritage Night the Spartans sported their throwback brown and red jerseys and CWRU gave the home crowd something neither the Case Institute of Technology Rough Riders nor the Western Reserve Red Cats had ever done, win 34 straight games. Senior running back Derek Bush made sure the fans went home with more than just a firework display. Rushing for 62 yards and recording a career-high three touchdowns as he led the Spartans to a dominating 37-7 victory over Denison University last Saturday at Case Field. The win helped CWRU improved to 3-0 overall and stomped on a threat that turned out to be a paper tiger.
The scoring outburst began when Spartans running back Bush scored his first touchdown of the night, a 7-yard run to the end zone. The play capped off a two-play, 19-yard drive that was set up by a fumble after the opening kickoff was forced by sophomore linebacker Wade Self and recovered by freshman running back Steven Magister. CWRU didn’t stop there; after forcing Denison to punt the ball away on the following possession, they began a 8-play, 65-yard drive down the field. Bush delivered again as he scored his second TD from one-yard out. Senior kicker Sam Coffey would complete the extra point attempt, making the score 14-0 just five minutes in.
In the second, the Spartans would deliver as senior quarterback Joey Baum found senior wide receiver Zach Homyk for an 18-yard touchdown pass. The extra point attempt by senior kicker Coffey was blocked by the Denison defense. This would be CWRU’s lone scoring for the quarter as they entered the locker room leading 20-0. At the half, the Spartans had already racked up 287 yards while compared to the Big Red’s 47; CWRU also managed fifteen first downs while the Big Red had only 2.
CWRU didn’t slow down as they begin the third quarter with a five-play, 72-yard drive that resulted in a two-yard touchdown run by sophomore fullback Trevor LeBarge. The touchdown was the first of LeBarge’s career and helped extend the lead to 27-0. Bush would go on to record his third touchdown of the night when he rushed for four yards to complete a three-play, 37-yard drive. Coffey would once again finish his 25-yard field goal with 1:23 left on the clock.
Denison finally got themselves on the scoreboard when senior running back Dan Crawford rushed in for a two-yard touchdown to complete a three-play, nine-yard drive that was set up by a Spartan fumble. The fumble happened Big Red sophomore defensive back Alex Sycher stripped the ball away from the Spartans and returned it to the nine-yard line. A six-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Max Paulus to senior tight end Jake Shafer put Denison within a yard to the goal. Dan Crawford would finish the drive with his one-yard carry to the end zone – his first rushing TD of the season. The Spartan defense held the Big Red in check for the rest of game as CWRU rolled on to win the match with a final score of 37 to 7.
On the offensive side, QB Baum completed 21-of-30 his passes to collect 248 yards along with a touchdown. Sophomore QB Kyle Snyder went for a game-high 83 yards with his nine carries for the night. WR Homyk had seven receptions for 83 yards, and senior wide receiver Shaun Nicely also recorded four catches for 60 yards. Onto the defense, junior tackle Dale English shut down the Denison offense with his four tackles, two sacks, and two pass breakup. LB Self also recorded six tackles on the night.
CWRU outgained Denison 525 yards to 163 yards and the Spartans had 26 first downs while the Big Red was limited to just seven. The Spartans will face Allegheny on Saturday, Oct. 2 at home; following this week’s game, they will hit the road for two games starting with a matchup against Oberlin College on Oct. 9.