Box Score Matt Puracchio's 25-yards field goal with five seconds remaining capped off a 15-play, 87-yard drive and resulted in a 34-31 Denison victory over Ohio Wesleyan. The win evens the Big Red's record at 2-2, while the Battling Bishops drop to 2-1.
Trailing 31-28 with just over five minutes to play, Puracchio would be called upon for a game-tying 37-yard field goal attempt on 4th and 11 from the Ohio Wesleyan 20-yard line. His attempt split the uprights and knotted the contest at 31-31. The Denison defense would respond by forcing OWU to go three-and-out. Punting from its own 22-yard line, the expectation was that the Big Red would take over with good field position. Ohio Wesleyan punter, Miles MacKenzie had other ideas. He uncorked a bomb that had DU's pair of return men back peddling. Unable to confidently waive for the fair catch, the return duo opted to let the ball go and it wound up taking an OWU bounce that would eventually be downed on the Denison 5-yard line, leaving the Big Red with 95 yards to cover in 4:38.
The drive did not start well as quarterback Brandon Sklenar was quickly facing a 3rd and 13 from his own 2-yard line with 3:48 left on the clock. In what would be the play that changed the momentum of the game, Sklenar dropped back and fired a strike down the middle of the field to slot receiver Jordan Patterson who hung on despite a big hit from a pair of OWU defenders. The pass was good for 16 yards and a Denison first down. It also proved to be the springboard for a drive that will will go down as one of the highlights of the 2014 season.
Following the third-down completion, Sklenar would complete four more passes of over 11-yards. The most improbable completion would come on 2nd and 6 from the Ohio Wesleyan 24-yard line. Already in field goal range, Sklenar avoided a sack and looked to be throwing the ball out-of-bounds on the near sideline. That pass, which was intended to land well out of play, was underthrown slightly but just enough to allow Hunter Winans to climb the ladder, snag the ball and get both feet in bounds. The 11-yard play got DU a new set of downs on their opponent's 11-yard line. That play turned a 41-yard field goal try into a 25-yard attempt. After two plays that gained three yards, Puracchio trotted onto the field and sent the large Big Red Weekend crowd home happy.
Sklenar and the offense piled up 494 total yards while doubling up the Bishops in time of possession, 40-20. Sklenar was 31-of-45 for a career-high 384 yards and two touchdowns. His 384 yards passing is the third-highest single-game total in Denison football history. Sklenar's favorite target, DuShawn Brown, had a career-day himself. He hauled in 11 passes for 225 yards and two scores. He was just six-yards shy of the single-game record for receiving yards (231) set by Josh Jirgens in 2001. Brown's touchdowns came on a 74-yard pass in the first quarter and a 12-yard pass just before the conclusion of the first half.
Denison was effective through the air, but also managed to run the ball 46 times for 110 yards. Colin Morris returned after missing the Wabash game with an injury and toted the ball 21 times for 97 yards. Sklenar added 41 yards on 19 carries.
On the flip side, Ohio Wesleyan alternated quarterbacks between starter and current North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week, Dominick Orsini, and Cheyne Lacanaria. Orsini would pass for 211 yards and two touchdowns while Lacanaria would add 82 yards through the air.
The Denison defense scored its first touchdown of the 2014 season in the first quarter when Joel Lohoua returned an Orsini interception 36-yards. That was the first of three interceptions on the day for Denison. Andrew Baird and Joe Weidenbach paced the team with seven tackles. Lohoua recorded six tackles, all of which were solo, and also added one sack and the interception.
Ohio Wesleyan got 15 tackles from Chris Mondon and 13 stops from Morgan McBride.
Denison will hit the road next weekend when they travel to Greencastle, Ind. for a 2 p.m. kickoff against DePauw University.
