Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 28, Allegheny 10
Junior running back Trey Dixon (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) rumbled for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns and senior defensive end Kyle Hogan (Centerburg) highlighted a stout Ohio Wesleyan defensive effort as the Bishops defeated Allegheny in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Saturday at Selby Stadium.
The win was the fourth a row for Ohio Wesleyan to open the season, the Bishops' first 4-0 start since 2012.
The Gators took the opening kickoff and marched to a first down at the Ohio Wesleyan 6-yard line, but on second-and-goal from the 6, Hogan set the tone for the Bishop defense by knocking the ball free from Gator running back Tonye Hamilton and recovering the fumble at the Allegheny 12 to thwart the Gator scoring chance.
Ohio Wesleyan converted 3 straight third-down situations on the enusing possession, with sophomore quarterback Hunter Davis (Monterey, Tenn.) clicking with senior wide receiver Justin Lowry (Litchfield/Buckeye) for 6 yards on third-and-2, running for 10 yards on a third-and-8 call, and finding senior wide receiver Mher Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) for 18 yards on third-and-5. Facing a third-and-9 from the Allegheny 36, Davis's pass intended for Dixon fell incomplete, but the Bishops went for it on fourth down and Davis hit Tcholakian for a 36-yard scoring play that put Ohio Wesleyan up, 7-0, midway through the first quarter.
Late in the first quarter, the Bishops took over on their own 16-yard line and back-to-back completions from Davis to Lowry picked up 27 yards. A roughing the passer penalty moved Ohio Wesleyan into Allegheny territory, and the second quarter opened with a Gator holding penalty wiping out a Trevor Fallon interception and giving the ball back to the Bishops at the Gator 25-yard line. Sophomore running back Marty Sesma (San Diego, Calif./Sweetwater) covered the final 25 yards on 3 carries, going over from 16 yards out to give the Bishops a 14-0 lead.
On the Gators' first play from scrimmage, senior defensive tackle Daniel Woodruff (Cincinnati/Mariemont) recovered a Nazareth Greer fumble at the Gator 29, but Ohio Wesleyan was unable to take advantage of the turnover as senior kicker Anthony Sanfillipo (Delaware/Hayes) sent a 39-yard field goal attempt wide left.
The Bishop defense forced another turnover on Allegheny's next possession, with junior linebacker Lucas Cooper (Hurricane, W.Va.) picking off a Greer pass at the OWU 40, but the Bishops again were unable to turn the turnover into points.
With time running out in the half, Allegheny's Alex Victor fielded a punt at the Gator 19 and burst through for a 33-yard return, with an open-field stop by senior punter Nick Heidel (Cincinnati/Indian Hill) saving a touchdown. The Gators moved into the red zone with a 21-yard strike from Greer to Joe Hayes, but a sack by junior linebacker Cody Streit (Griffin, Ga.) and senior defensive tackle Nate Lee (Oxford, Mass./Saint John's) pushed the ball back to the OWU 15. On third down, Greer fired a pass to Ben Bachik on the left sideline and Bachik appeared to get a foot down in the end zone, but after a conference among the officials, it was ruled an incomplete pass as the receiver did not "survive the ground." Facing fourth-and-goal from the 15 with less than 10 seconds to play in the half, the Gators went for the field goal and Nick Leinenweber's 32-yard kick was good to make it 14-3 at the half.
Allegheny closed to within 14-10 on its first possession of the second half, converting a pair of fourth-down situtations with Hamilton bursting free for 16 yards on fourth-and-1 from midfield and Greer finding Dwaine Barber for 18 yards on fourth-and-5 from the OWU 30. Two lays later, Greer connected with Victor for a 10-yard scoring play.
Dixon broke free on a 56-yard scoring run to increase the margin to 21-10 later in the quarter. On the final play of the third period, Dixon moved the chains with a 13-yard gain on third-and-10, and carried on the next 3 plays as well, finally going over from 6 yards out for a 28-10 Bishop lead.
Davis completed 16 of 34 throws for 176 yards and a touchdown. Lowry made 6 catches for 56 yards. Dixon led all rushers with 109 yards on 11 carries, becoming Ohio Wesleyan's first 100-yard rusher since Nov. 11, 2017, when A.J. Jones ran for 156 yards at Hiram.
Hogan led Ohio Wesleyan with 9 tackles, including 2 sacks and 3 for loss, along with a fumble forced and recovered and a pass breakup. Heidel added 7 stops and a pass breakup; Lee had 7 tackles, including half a sack and 1 for loss; and junior defensive tackle Makael Khaaliq (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) recorded 6 tackles, including a sack and 2 for loss.
Greer completed 20 of 36 passes for 197 yards and a score. Victor finished with 12 catches for 88 yards. Trey Adams ran for 39 yards on 9 carries. Kyle McGee led the Gators with 12 tackles, including 2 for loss.
Box Score
