GRANVILLE, Ohio (November 11, 2023) – It was an eventful Senior Day for the Denison University football team as the Big Red defeated Ohio Wesleyan University by three, 29-26, on Saturday inside Deeds Field-Piper Stadium.
Prior to the start of the game, Denison recognized its 25-member senior class:
Jon Adamson,
Josh Aiello,
Ty Belville,
Casey Campbell,
Cade Cormier,
Clay Denstorff,
Alex Dobbins,
Roshaune Downie,
Ted Dunn,
Trey Fabrocini,
Billy Gimbel,
Trevor Goodrich,
Collin Hill,
Connor Kratzert,
Ryan Lally,
Michael Mead,
Jeff Moore,
Jack Nimesheim,
Sam Secrest,
Alex Sket,
Holston Slack,
Austin Smith,
Brian Stone,
Kevin Stone and
Jimmy Stines. In addition, Big Red cheerleaders Sydney Orrison and Sarah Wuellner were also recognized.
The first half featured a little bit of everything, including a blocked extra point by Denison's
Christian Lariviere that was handed back to
Jaylin Epps near midfield and was returned all the way for two points after the opening drive of the game.
Then after a 60-yard touchdown pass from Stines to
Billy Guzzo on the first play of the second quarter gave Denison its first lead of the game (12-6), OWU responded with a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown putting the Battling Bishops back ahead by one.
Denison answered back with a nine-play, 65-yard drive ending with a four-yard touchdown rush by Fabrocini. Then after a nine-play, 71-yard drive for the Bishops that lasted just one minute and 20 seconds put them back in front (20-19) with just 45 seconds left in the first half, the Big Red were able to get into scoring range on just three plays as Stines completed passes to Aiello for 15 yards, Fabrocini for 16 yards and then Aiello again for nine.
That set up a career-long field goal for
Daniel Cunningham, who just pushed it over the crossbar from 51 yards out as time expired to make it 22-20 Big Red.
The two teams continued to go back-and-forth in the third quarter as a tough interception by Stines two plays into the second half set the Bishops up at the Big Red 15-yard line, and seven plays later a one-yard rush put OWU back in front 26-22 as the two-point conversion attempt failed on a pass to the corner of the endzone.
Then the seventh lead change of the game came as Denison again answered an OWU touchdown with one of its own, this time going 75 yards in 13 plays as Fabrocini again punched it in from four yards out for his second touchdown of the game, making it 29-26 Big Red with 3:20 left in the third quarter.
Cunningham was able to convert on the extra point attempt, and kicking certainly played a difference in this one as a 22-yard field goal attempt by the Battling Bishops on the first play of the fourth quarter was blocked by Hill to keep the Big Red in the lead.
The two offenses then went quiet for the rest of the way as a pass breakup on fourth-and-10 by Epps got Denison the ball back at the OWU 37-yard line with 3:24 left to play.
The Big Red, however, were unable to pick up a first down as Stines was sacked on fourth-and-two, giving OWU one more chance with 2:24 on the clock and exactly 60 yards to go.
On that drive, the Battling Bishops looked like they could not be stopped as they dinked-and-dunked their way down to the Denison 15-yard line, but fortunately for the Big Red, a two-yard sack by
Michael Ballenger on first down stopped the momentum, and then on fourth-and-four from the Denison nine-yard line, a pass breakup by
Collin Murphy in the endzone sealed the victory.
In the end for the Denison defense, Ballenger had seven total tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack while Denstorff had five total tackles to go along with a pair of sacks. Moore recorded seven tackles and had two quarterback hurries and Lariviere had five tackles, two pass breakups and an interception early in the fourth quarter.
Fabrocini finished with 29 rushes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, bringing his season total to 19, the second most in a single-season in program history and just one off the record of 20 rushing touchdowns in one season that he set last year.
It was a balanced receiving effort for the Big Red as Aiello caught six passes for 61 yards while
Tommy Asleson had two catches for 47 yards, Fabrocini had three for 28 and Adamson had three for 27. In addition, Stines was 15-for-23 for 223 yards on his Senior Day.
Denison finishes its 2023 season 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, marking the eighth year in a row under Head Coach
Jack Hatem that the Big Red have won at least six conference games in a season. In addition to winning each of its final four games of the season to finish 6-2 in the NCAC for the second year in a row, the Big Red also reached the seven-win mark overall for the seventh time in the last eight full seasons.
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