Box Score
BOX SCORE
The Centre Colonels converted a bad Sewanee snap into a safety on the first play of the game and never looked back, as they downed the Tigers 64-13 on Family Weekend. Rob Pope and Monte Scotton came up with three touchdowns each to lead the Centre attack as the Tigers struggled to gain a rhythm all afternoon.
Sewanee received the opening kickoff to start the game on a beautiful, sunny day on Mountain and were forced to start the drive at their own five-yard line. On the very first play of the afternoon, Sewanee snapped the ball over quarterback Lee Schurlknight's (Darlington, S.C., The Byrnes School) head and into the end zone before a host of Colonels piled on the ball to earn a safety. With just six seconds ticked off the clock, Centre led, 2-0, a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the day.
After the safety, Sewanee was forced to kickoff. A seventeen-yard Rob Melillo kick return set the Colonels up at the Sewanee 49-yard line. Centre took ten plays to travel 49 yards and finished off the 5:40 drive with a Jonathan Pinque three-yard rushing touchdown. Jordan Gay's point after kick was good, making it 9-0 just six minutes into the contest.
Sewanee started their next drive at their own twenty after Gay's kick bounced out of the end zone for a touchback. The Tigers traveled to just past midfield in six plays before facing a fourth and four at the Centre 38. The Tigers appeared to be in position to go for it on fourth down, but a delay of game penalty set them back five yards to the Centre 43, making it fourth and nine and forcing the Tigers to punt.
After several incomplete passes and two delay of game penalties against the Colonels, Centre was forced to punt on their next drive. Gay booted a 45-yard punt to the Sewanee 38-yard line where Sewanee freshman Chad Morehead (Heflin, Ala., Cleburne County) was set up to return. Morehead returned the kick seventeen yards to the Centre 45-yard line but the Colonels' Will Geisen forced a fumble that was recovered by Centre, setting the Colonels up at their own 45. But just one play later, Sewanee junior linebacker Alfonza Knight (Nashville, Tenn., M.B.A.) forced a fumble of his own and Tiger junior Zac Atkins (Dallas, Tex., Lake Highlands) recovered, giving the Tigers the ball back at the Centre 44. Sewanee was unable to capitalize on the turnover though, as they were forced to punt after a three-and-out.
Centre took control at their own 21-yard line after the punt and took just 2:53 to drive 79 yards for Monte Scotton touchdown. Scotton's four-yard TD and Gay's extra point put the Colonels ahead 16-0 early in the second quarter. The Tigers and the Colonels traded three-and-outs on the next two drives and Sewanee was unable to convert on third and six on the following drive before being forced to punt. Centre came up with three first downs in four plays on their way to a ten play, 81-yard scoring drive following the Sewanee punt. Centre used up five and half minutes of clock time before Colonel quarterback Tyler Osterman found Pope for their first touchdown connection of the afternoon. The six-yard TD and Gay's ensuing extra point made it 23-0 in favor of the visitors.
Sewanee had no luck on their next possession either. Sewanee took just one play before Schurlknight fumbled away the ball, giving Centre possession at the Sewanee 18-yard line. Centre started the drive with an incomplete pass but followed it up with an 18-yard scoring strike from Osterman to Pope to put the Colonels up 30 as the two teams headed into the locker room.
Sewanee sophomore Michael Poarch (Chattanooga, Tenn., Tyner Academy) intercepted an Osterman pass on the opening drive of the second half but the Tigers promptly fumbled the ball on the next play, giving the Colonels the ball right back. Centre converted after the fumble recovery, going 64 yards in six plays before Osterman and Pope hooked up for their third touchdown in a row, this time a 4-yard pass. With the successful PAT, Centre went ahead 37-0.
The Tigers were finally able to find some positive on the next drive. Back-to-back first downs, followed by a 17-yard Schurlknight completion to sophomore Jase Brooks (Powder Springs, Ga., Harrison) aided the Tigers in moving the ball down the field for the first time all afternoon. The Tigers tallied five first downs on the drive before freshman quarterback Curtis Johnson (Atlanta, Ga., Holy Spirit Prep) rushed 22 yards for the Tigers' first touchdown of the day. Trey Knighton (Arab, Ala., Arab) extra point was no good, leaving the score at 37-6, Centre.
Centre followed Johnson's touchdown with one of their own, this time a 4-yard rush by Scotton with 3:57 left in the 3rd quarter, making it 44-6. On Sewanee's ensuing possession Schurlknight's 37-yard pass to senior John Ugorji (Washington, D.C., Friendship Collegiate Academy) highlighted a Tiger drive that covered 62 yards in just three minutes before Schurlknight snuck into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown. Knighton's extra point made it 44-13 and it was the last time the Tigers would see the end zone all day.
Centre followed Schurlknight's TD run with another Scotton score, this time a 4-yard rushing touchdown to make it 51-13. The Colonels would cap off their day on the game's final possession. Senior Geoffrey Marolda (Houston, Tex., Houston Episcopal) set up to punt from the Sewanee 19-yard line but the snap came high and flew over Marolda's head. As the ball rolled into the end zone, Centre's Grant Sharp landed on it, giving the Colonels one last touchdown as time expired. No point after would be attempted and the final score stood at 64-13.
Centre came up with 28 first downs on 541 yards of total offense, while the Tigers recorded fourteen first downs on 218 yards of offense. Sewanee tallied 135 passing yards and 83 rushing yards on 36 attempts. The Tigers fumbled the ball five times on the afternoon, losing four of them to the Colonels. The Tigers were just five of twelve on third down conversions, but converted on two of three fourth down attempts. Junior Zeke Wilson (Snellville, Ga., George Walton Academy) led the Tiger rushing attack with 73 yards, followed by Johnson's 22. Schurlknight finished the day eleven of twenty passing for 135 yards and one interception. Morehead led the Tiger receiving corps, hauling in 59 receiving yards.
Defensively, Andrew Walters (Madison, Ala., Bob Jones) paced the Tigers with eleven tackles and one forced fumble. Knight tallied nine tackles and forced fumble. Zac Atkins contributed seven tackles, including one for a loss, and recovered a fumble.
The Tigers head to Sherman, Texas next week to face the Kangaroos of Austin College. Austin is 2-2 on the year after falling to Centre in a shootout last week, 40-42. The Kangaroos take this week off. The Tigers fall to 1-4 on the year and 0-2 in SCAC play. Centre moves to 3-2 with the win.
