This was not the kind of start that the Wooster Fighting Scots were hoping for.† Within the first nineteen seconds of play, Baldwin-Wallace scored off a 40-yard touchdown pass on the initial play from scrimmage, and never looked back.† The Scots found themselves down by 14 at the end of the first quarter, and down by a score of 31-7 at the end of the first half.† Despite a good attempt at a comeback in the second half, the early lead was just too much for the Scots to overcome, and they end up falling to the Baldwin-Wallace Yellowjackets 38-14 to start the season at 0-1.
The first half was a struggle for the Scots, but the second half showed that this team may have potential this season.† After getting burned for 31 points in the first half, the defense stood strong and only gave up one touchdown.† The offense managed to put together some good drives including a 58-yard drive that ended in a touchdown pass for wide receiver Cameron Daniels ’12.† Despite the loss, this is a young team with plenty of room to grow.
The offense was lead by quarterback Richard Barnes ’14.† Although it was his first game, Barnes was solid, going 20-of-35 for 171 yards with one touchdown, and also rushing for 36 yards.† Unfortunately, he was sacked five times.† The Scots had problems running the ball, as Robert Flagg ’12 and Kyle Murdock ’11 only combined for 25 yards on 17 carries.† The offensive line had definite problems with Baldwin-Wallace’s defensive line as they also gave up five sacks.† The receiving corps looked strong, totaling 151 yards. Daniels had six receptions totaling 54 yards and one touchdown.† Mike Redick ’11 also had six catches for 47 yards.† Overall, the offense played well, totaling over two hundred yards, but just found itself in too big of a hole to make a proper comeback.
The defense had problems stopping Baldwin-Wallace’s offense giving up a total of 335 yards.† The quarterback for Baldwin-Wallace, Ryan O’ Rouke went 9-of-13 for 154 yards and three touchdowns.† On the whole the Yellowjackets had 164 passing yards and four touchdowns.† On the ground, the Yellowjackets had two different running backs rush for more than 50 yards and gave up a total of 171 yards.† The defense struggled in the first half, but was able to get it together in the second, holding Baldwin-Wallace to only one touchdown in the fourth quarter.† Linebacker Matt Bredigam ’12 had a strong game, with eight total tackles, Quinn Hood added seven tackles and an interception, Taylor Trout had six tackles, and Girard Ogletree-Crawford had five tackles and an interception.
This week, the Scots head to Indiana to start division play against the Wabash College Little Giants.† Last year, the Scots fell to Wabash by ten at home and the Scots will look to avenge last season’s loss.† To do this, the Scots will have to do something to stop sophomore quarterback Chase Belton who threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns the last time these two teams played.† Pressure on the quarterback will be key, as Belton likes to scramble.† If last year’s game is any indication of what to expect this weekend, this should be an exciting one.