Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 41, Denison 7
Junior quarterback Kaden Buza (Winchester, Va./Millbrook) threw for 4 first-half touchdowns as Ohio Wesleyan built a 27-0 lead and went on to a North Coast Athletic Conference win over Denison on Saturday at Selby Stadium.
The Ohio Wesleyan win, combined with Wittenberg's 30-7 win over DePauw, leaves the Bishops as the last remaining unbeaten team in the NCAC.
After the Bishops forced a Denison punt on the game's opening possession and took over on their own 5-yard line, Buza directed Ohio Wesleyan 95 yards in 10 plays, including strikes of 24 and 28 yards to junior wide receiver Jakii Alston (Pickerington/Central) and one of 26 yards to freshman wide receiver Josh Hurst (Port Clinton) that gave the Bishops a first down at the Denison 1. Buza connected with freshman wide receiver Tyler Webb (Port Clinton) for the final yard and a 7-0 lead.
On Ohio Wesleyan's next possession, sophomore running back Jackson Gifford (Ross/Hamilton Ross) ran on 3 straight plays before Buza hit senior wide receiver Caden Calhoun (Johnstown/Johnstown-Monroe) for 25 yards to the Big Red 12. That pattern repeated itself, with Gifford carrying 3 consecutive times before another Buza completion, this time to Hurst, put the Bishops back in the end zone in the final minute of the opening period.
Buza racked up this third TD strike in as many possessions after the Bishops took over on the Denison 35-yard line, with Gifford and Alston running for 4 and 7 yards respectively before Alston scored on a 24-yard pass play.
Trailing, 21-0, late in the half, the Big Red gambled on fourth-and-1 from the OWU 39, but senior cornerback Ian Riddle (Perrysburg) stopped Denison's Trey Fabrocini short of the line, and Ohio Wesleyan took over at that point. Buza found Calhoun for 32 yards on the first play and connected with Gifford on a 7-yard touchdown pass with :31 left in the half, but junior kicker Gabriel Chlebowski (Toledo/St. John's) had his point-after kick hit the left upright and the score remained at 27-0.
Denison rallied on completions from Drew Dawkins to D.J. Johnson for 17 yards and Dawkins to Billy Guzzo for 17 more yards, setting up a final play from the Bishop 41. Dawkins fired the ball toward the end zone and it appeared that Riddle tipped the throw, but Big Red receiver Mack Marston came up with the loose ball for the touchdown, and Dan Cunningham's kick made it 27-7 at the half.
Buza moved the Bishops 78 yards on 7 plays to open the second half, with Buza finding Hurst for a 37-yard scoring play.
Ohio Wesleyan assembled a lengthy scoring drive during the fourth quarter, moving 93 yards in 17 plays and taking 9:27 off the clock, with Gifford going over from 1 yard out for the touchdown.
Buza completed 17 of 23 passes for 296 yards and 5 touchdowns, becoming the fourth Ohio Wesleyan player to throw for at least 5 touchdown passes in a game and the first to do so since Dominick Orsini tossed 5 at Wooster on Nov. 14, 2015.
Hurst caught 5 passes for 68 yards and a score. Gifford rumbled for 115 yards on 31 carries. Riddle had a team-high 7 stops, sophomore linebacker Seth Anderson (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) made 5 tackles, including half a tackle for loss, and sophomore safety Drew Thornton (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) made 4 tackles and broke up 3 passes.
Box Score
