Tartans Jump On Maroons; Cruise to 7-0 Record

Oct. 19 - (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - In a key University Athletic Association (UAA) match up at Gesling Stadium Saturday afternoon, Carnegie Mellon (7-0, 2-0) combined a stifling defense with an explosive offense, creating a 27-0 victory over the University of Chicago Maroons (2-4, 0-2).

Effectively mixing the run and pass, Carnegie Mellon opened the game by marching to Chicago’s three-yard line, but the drive stalled when sophomore quarterback Doug Facemyer’s (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) fourth-down attempt fell incomplete.

After the defense forced the Maroons to punt, the offense moved the ball but the drive ended senior wide receiver Jonathan Kline (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) could not connect with tight end Doug Hilling (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) after a mishandled snap on a 42-yard field goal attempt.

The Tartans would get another chance to score, however, when senior defensive back Aaron Lewis (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) snared a Matt Rinklin pass near the Maroon’s sideline. Lewis’ 13th career interception gave the Tartans the ball at their own 40-yard line.

“The quarterback started scrambling and one receiver turned around and started going up the sideline and I saw that and I just made a good break on it,” Lewis said of his third pick on the year. “Our corner was right there too so if I didn’t get it he might have gotten it.”

Facemyer, starting for injured senior Kevin Mulkern (Springfield, Pa./Springfield), then led the offense 50 yards over 8 plays. The drive gave the Tartans the lead when Facemyer connected with junior tailback Colby Whitman (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney), who made a diving catch near the corner pile-on for his third touchdown of the season. Although the Maroon’s blocked Nat Greenstein’s (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry) PAT attempt, Carnegie Mellon posted the game’s first score for the seventh time in seven games.

Staked to a 6-0 lead, Carnegie Mellon’s defense forced a second Chicago punt and when Facemyer dropped back near midfield he found Jeremy Doo (Cambridge, Mass./Phillips Exeter Academy) deep over the middle for Doo’s second touchdown of the year. Again the Maroons blocked the PAT attempt to keep the score at 12-0.

The Maroons offense, limited to just 55 yards in the first half, again was unable to move the chains following the Tartan score. After Chicago’s third punt in four possessions, the Tartans took control at their own three-yard line with 4:18 left in the half but, after trying to pad their lead, they ran out the clock and headed to the locker room with a 12-point advantage.

The Maroons opened up the second-half with a long drive that threatened the Tartans shutout. But the defense clamped down after surrendering 60 yards over 11 plays and when kicker Ryan Verissimo missed a 30-yard field goal attempt, the Maroons failed to get on the board.

Although both offenses were unable to score in the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, the Tartans extended their lead in the final period. A 55-yard punt by Matthew Adams (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Scioto) pinned the Maroons back deep in their own territory and four plays later, senior defensive back Nathaniel Scarmazzi (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon McMillan) picked off a tipped pass for the Tartans’ second turnover. The errant pass was caused by pressure from sophomore linebacker James Sands (Windham, Ohio/Windham) while junior linebacker Trent Sisson (Novi, Mich./Novi) batted the ball at the line of scrimmage.

“Our defensive line really put a lot of emphasis on getting their hands up,” Lewis said. “I don’t know how many batted balls we had, we had a bunch, much more than usual and you’ve got great coverage and they have great pressure and it’s just a total team effort.”

Supplied with great field position after the interception, the Tartans needed just four plays to cover the remaining 16 yards. On fourth-and-eight, Robert Gimson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./The Benjamin School) darted right through the middle of Chicago’s defense for his eighth touchdown on the season. Choosing to go for the two-point conversion, Facemyer again found Whitman in the right side of the end zone, extending the lead to 20-0.

“All the skill players did a great job,” said Facemyer, who went 12-of-19 for 149 yards and two touchdowns. “The line did a phenomenal job today; I was barely touched at all. The receivers made some good catches. Colby Whitman did a great job and we just got it done.”

With under five minutes remaining, Chicago again reached the Tartans’ red zone but their last ditch effort to get back in the game ended when Rinklin’s fourth-down, cross-field pass sailed over the head of his intended receiver, Mike Albian.

Gimson put the final exclamation point on the victory when, running off-tackle, he bolted through the right side of the defense and outran Chicago’s defensive backfield for a career-long 90-yard touchdown sprint. Gimson (11 carries, 144 yards) and junior running back Travis Sivek, (Traverse City, Mich./St. Francis) who had 24 rushes for 97 yards, racked up most of the Tartans 272 yards on the ground.

Despite the Tartans playing without their starting quarterback, the offense, which came into week eight ranked first in the UAA in total offense, posted a combined 421 yards.

“I think the whole team rallied around Facemyer because they knew we were putting him in a tough situation,” Lackner said. “We’re a 6-0 football team, we lose our starting quarterback and he’s the man now. And so the offensive line, the receivers, the defense with field position, the kicking game too, they all did a wonderful job.”

The defense withstood the Maroons final scoring threat when sophomore defensive back Stephen McGovern broke up a Rinklin pass in the end zone, preserving the 27-0 shutout.

“We haven’t had a shut out for a while,” said Lewis who ended the day with nine tackles. “I think it was important for us to set a precedent, set the tone early.”

The victory keeps the Tartans in first-place in the UAA and increases their record to 2-0 in the conference heading into next week’s decisive showdown with Washington (Mo.). With a win in St. Louis next week the Tartans will claim their first outright UAA title since 1997.

“Right now we’re rolling and we’re ready to go,” Facemyer added. “We’re going to have a good week of practice and go to Washington and see if we can’t bring home a championship.”