Box Score GRANVILLE, Ohio-- Denison improved to 4-1 on the season after a 49-0 victory over Oberlin College on Saturday afternoon at Piper Stadium.
Junior wide receiver Peyton Vining entered the game ranked 15th in Division III football in yards per catch at 24.2. He improved upon that gaudy average by leading the Denison receiving corps with four receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown.
Vining got the Big Red going with a 41-yard touchdown reception from Drew Dawkins in the first quarter. On Oberlin's ensuing possession, Denison safety Ryan Hallinan intercepted Yeomen quarterback Chris Allen, Jr. and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. It was the second interception return for a touchdown in Hallinan's career.
Dawkins was solid, completing 13-of-23 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown. He also added 36 yards rushing and a 17-yard TD run in the second quarter.
The Yeomen defense was determined to not allow last year's North Coast Athletic Conference rushing champ, Alex Minton beat them. He was limited to a season-low 63 yards on 13 carries. He did reach the end zone twice, scoring on runs of 20 yards and from 1-yard in early in the third. Minton needs 76 yards to reach 3,000 for his career.
The defense completed the shutout by holding Oberlin to 266 yards of total offense. The Yeomen were 4-of-17 on third downs and were 0-for-5 on fourth down. Hallinan and Andrew Smith tied for the team lead with seven tackles. The Big Red totaled five sacks and was led by Nate Keirn who finished with two.
Allen, Jr. was 13-of-35 for 112 yards and an interception. Kobe Brooks did rush for a career-high 150 yards on 24 carries. His 56-yard run late in the fourth quarter put the Yeomen on the doorstep but a defensive stand by the Big Red preserved the third shutout of the Jack Hatem era.
Next week, the Big Red hits the road to take on the College of Wooster in the 25th installment of the Battle for the Old Red Lantern. The stakes for this game are at an all-time high after Wooster's 24-10 upset of Wabash on Saturday. At 3-1 in the NCAC, Denison sits in a four-way tie for second place in the conference standings. Wittenberg leads the league at 4-0.
Next week's game at Wooster is set for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
