Box Score
BOX SCORE
The 2010 Tigers saved their best for last, battling until the very end in the last game of the fall, before falling in a heartbreaker to Rhodes College, 20-16 today. Sewanee took a 16-13 lead late in the fourth quarter before the Lynx were able to score with less than a minute left. The Tigers put together one last rallying drive but wasn't able to pull it out. Sewanee, led by six seniors playing their last game as Tigers, can't be accused of leaving anything on the field, as the Tigers fought until the last whistle.
In front of a massive Homecoming crowd, the Tigers and the Lynx battled for the Orgill Trophy on a beautiful, crisp November afternoon. The first half turned out to be a defensive battled. After trading punts to start the contest, Sewanee was forced to start their second drive at their own one-yard line. Despite being in dangerous territory, the Tigers managed to escape but were forced to punt after failing to convert on third and seven. Senior Geoff Marolda came in to punt for the Tigers and a Lynx player appeared to get a hand on the ball, stopping the spiral short and dropping the ball at the Sewanee 29-yard line. The Tigers caught a break when the Lynx were flagged for running into the kicker and Marolda was allowed to attempt his punt again. This time, Marolda's punt pushed the Lynx back to the Rhodes 43-yard line.
The Sewanee defense stepped up and were able to hold the Lynx to a punt. But for the second drive in a row, the Tigers found themselves starting a drive on their own one-yard line. The Tigers weren't able to put anything together offensively and were forced to punt again.
The Lynx set up at their own 49-yard line and promptly managed to drive down to the Sewanee three-yard line to start the second quarter. Just when it looked like the deadlock might be broken, the Sewanee defense came up with one of their biggest stops of the year. Rhodes was lined up at the Sewanee three, with third and goal to go. Lynx quarterback Tyler Perkins attempted to leap over the line of scrimmage for the touchdown but Sewanee's Andrew Walters stuffed him and forced Perkins to fumble the ball. Tiger John Phillip Boudreaux recovered the ball to give Sewanee the ball back and stop the Lynx drive. And for the third drive in a row, the Tigers started at their own one-yard line.
The defensive battle continued, as the Tigers were forced to punt after the fumble recovery. But it wouldn't be long before their defense came up huge for them again. After Marolda's punt pushed the Lynx back to their own 24-yard line, Perkins and the Lynx set up to start their drive. On the first play of the possession, Perkins connected with Buddy Legens. Legens was hit hard by Sewanee's J.D. Crabtree and Crabtree forced Legens to fumble the ball. Crabtree was able to recover and once again, the Tigers had the ball.
This time, though, the Tigers weren't starting at their own one-yard line and were able to convert on the turnover. The Tigers took five plays to move from the Rhodes 33 to the 21-yard line. After failing to convert on third and eight, Marolda came in for a 37-yard field goal attempt. He nailed it and the Tigers were up 3-0 with just under six minutes left in the half.
The Lynx put together a solid drive of their own on the ensuing possession, traveling 50 yards in 11 plays before the Sewanee defense held them to a field goal attempt. Rhodes' Lucas Stockhausen lined up for a 32-yarder but missed, and the Tigers headed to the locker room clinging to a three-point lead.
After the break, the two teams traded drives and punts before Rhodes finally found the scoreboard. After an eight-play, 42-yard drive, Stockhausen came in for the Lynx to attempt a 34-yarder. This time he connected and with just over three minutes in the half, the ballgame was tied at three apiece.
Sewanee was unable to make anything happen following the Lynx field goal and were forced to punt. Rhodes answered the punt with another field goal, this time a 36-yarder, to make it 6-3 with just seven seconds left in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter proved to be a thriller and the large crowd at Harris Stadium was on their feet for most of it. Following the Stockhausen's second field goal, the Tigers started their drive at their own 39-yard line after a 13-yard return by Michael Poarch. On the first play of the drive, Sewanee freshman quarterback connected with Tiger senior John Ugorji for a 35-yard gain to set the home team up inside the Rhodes' 26. Three plays later, Schurlknight hooked up with fellow freshman Curtis Johnson, who galloped 23-yards down the sideline before finding the end zone for the Tiger touchdown. Marolda's extra point made it 10-6 Sewanee.
Rhodes responded, though, following Johnson's touchdown. The Lynx drove 58-yards before posting up at the Sewanee 11-yard line for a third and two attempt. Rhodes' Matt Gilbert ran the ball to the three-yard line before J.D. Crabtree forced his second fumble of the day. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Rhodes was able to fall on the ball as it rolled forward into the end zone for the touchdown. Stockhausen's extra point made it 13-10 Rhodes with just three minutes left in the game.
Following the Rhodes TD, Sewanee started things off at their own 38-yard line after a 13-yard return by Dave McKeithen. The Tigers relied heavily on sophomore running back Zeke Wilson on the possession, as the offense pounded the ball up the middle until they found their way to the Rhodes four-yard line. After being stopped on third and goal, Marolda came in again to attempt a field goal, this time a 21-yarder. The field goal was good and with just 3:59 left, the Tigers and the Lynx were tied at 13 apiece.
The Tigers got one of their biggest plays of the season on the ensuing Lynx possession. After the kickoff sailed out of bounds, Rhodes started at their own 40-yard line. The Lynx ran for two yards, followed by an incomplete pass before Boudreaux came up big for the Tigers again. On the next play, Boudreaux picked off Perkins at the 48-yard line and returned the ball 24-yards to the Rhodes 24 before being shoved out of bounds.
The Tigers picked up a first down after Bourdeaux's interception before being forced to attempt a field goal once again. Marolda completed his perfect afternoon with the made attempt, a 37-yarder that put the host Tigers ahead 16-13 with just 1:17 left in the game.
After the Tigers took the lead, Rhodes came up huge on the next drive. Perkins completed two passes to Jack Lartigue for a total of 60 yards to set the Lynx up at the Sewanee two-yard line. Rhodes' Gilbert found the end zone on the next play, driving through a pile of Tigers for the two-yard touchdown. Stockhausen's PAT gave the Lynx a 20-16 lead with just 1:02 left.
The Tigers had one more chance to pick up the win following Gilbert's score. Poarch took Mike Aucoin's kickoff 35 yards before being forced out of bounds. Poarch's huge return set Sewanee up at the Lynx's 40-yard line. Schurlknight promptly completed a 17-yard pass to freshman Chad Morehead to gain the first down and bring the Tigers to the Rhodes 23-yard line. The Tigers were forced to air the ball out some more and had some close calls before facing a fourth and ten on the 23. Schurlknight threw a bomb to the end zone that was intended for Ugorji, but Ugorji couldn't touch it as several defenders were wrapped around him. The Tiger sidelines were calling for pass interference, but despite a lot of hollering, were unable to come up with the call. Rhodes took over on downs and the Tigers' season came to an end, 20-16.
Sewanee put together their best complete effort of the season. Offensively, the Tigers came up with 160 rushing yards, their most since the season-opening win over Earlham. Schurlknight completed six passes on just 17 attempts, with five of those attempts coming on the last drive, for 95 yards and one touchdown. The Tigers never turned the ball over on their way to 14 first downs in the contest.
Zeke Wilson led the Tiger charge with 103 rushing yards on 25 tries. Johnson came up with 57 yards on 16 attempts. Ugorji led the receiving corps with 35 yards, while Johnson hauled in 23. Marolda punted seven times for an average of 36.3 yards per punt.
Defensively, Zac Atkins led a Tiger effort that put on a show. Atkins finished with an astounding 17 tackles, nine of which were solo. Alfonza Knight finished with ten tackles, giving him 101 on the season. Crabtree tallied seven tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Boudreaux came up with four tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception return for 24-yards.
Head Coach Robert Black was extremely pleased with the Tiger effort. “It was one of the best efforts I've been apart of in 20 years of coaching…from every coach and every player. I felt like we dominated the physical aspect of the game but they just made a couple of more plays than we did. I'm very proud of the way our seniors played on senior day in their final game. With graduating only six seniors, we have a foundation to build a championship program. I know that our young men who are returning have the resolve to see that happen.”
The Tigers finish out the 2010 season with a 1-9 record and a 0-7 record in SCAC play. Rhodes finishes the year with a 4-6 record and a 3-4 record in the conference. Sewanee graduates six seniors: Michael Boller, Chalankis Brown, Marolda, Blake Satterfield, McLain Sill, and Ugorji.
