Tartans Pound Out Big Win Over Colorado College

Stats

Sept. 30 - (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Using a familiar gameplan of a consistent running game combined with an opportunistic defense, Carnegie Mellon’s varsity football completed a perfect first half of the season by blowing past Colorado College 50-26 Saturday Night at Gesling Stadium.

“We knew that this team was a very good offensive football team so I’m not surprised they put some numbers up,” said Carnegie Mellon Head Coach Rich Lackner. “[Offensively] we felt we could move the ball on their defense and we were able to do that and control the line of scrimmage. The running game was very efficient tonight.”

Just as they did last week in a 34-14 victory over Franklin & Marshall, the Tartans wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. After the opening kickoff, the Tartans used 11 plays and drove 69 yards for the game’s first points thanks to a one-yard touchdown run by senior running back Travis Sivek (Traverse City, Mich./St. Francis).

Colorado College matched the Tartans lengthy touchdown drive by running 10 plays that covered 65 yards, capped off by a 12-yard pass from senior quarterback Chris Neal to junior wide receiver Max Green.

A three-and-out by the Carnegie Mellon offense returned the ball to the Tigers who threatened to take the lead by moving the ball all the way to the Tartans’ 26-yard line. But senior defensive back Aaron Lewis (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) intercepted Neal’s next pass to end the Tigers’ drive and put the ball back in the hands of Carnegie Mellon’s powerful ground attack. Lewis’ second interception of the season gave the defense its first turnover of the game and their eighth of the season.

The offense took advantage of the take-away by relying on their trademark ground game eating up yardage and clock on their way to retaking the lead. Eleven consecutive runs paved the way for 67 yards as junior running back Robert Gimson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./The Benjamin School) plunged one yard into the end zone for his fifth rushing touchdown of the season.

Colorado College again put together a solid drive in response to the 14-7 deficit but the Tartans defense clamped down on the Tigers. After driving to the 20-yard line, Colorado College was limited to a 32-yard field goal attempt that would have cut the lead to four. But junior kicker Max Green missed the kick and the Tartans took over possession.

Again, the Tartans’ offense took advantage of the turnover-on-downs by amassing another long drive punctuated by the running game. As the first half wound down to under a minute, senior quarterback Kevin Mulkern (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) gave the Tartans a double-digit half-time lead with a two-yard touchdown run through the middle of the Tigers’ defense.

Carnegie Mellon opened up the second half in ideal fashion, forcing their second three-and-out on the evening and returning the ball to the offense. Gimson, Sivek and senior running back Jon Cakert (Ventnor, N.J./Atlantic City) then found plenty of running room in Colorado College’s defense to produce a fourth touchdown and extend the lead to 28-7. Gimson (119 yards), who along with Sivek (184 yards) each topped the century mark in the same game for second time this season, closed out the drive with a four-yard touchdown run.

“Up front, they were just blocking great,” said Sivek, who carried the ball 29 times. “Whenever we can keep their defense on the field, and their offense off the field, it’s to our benefit as a team. We love doing that.”

Colorado College narrowed the Tartans’ lead to 14 points when Neal found junior tight end Nolan Sweet for a seven-yard touchdown pass. But Carnegie Mellon’s offense picked up the defense by churning out another drive that not only added to the Tartans’ lead but also took time off the clock.

Gimson posted his third touchdown on the evening by bolting 33-yards through Colorado College’s defense, which surrendered 427 total rushing yards to Carnegie Mellon.

With the Tartans now leading 35-14 and 12:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, lightning forced a brief delay as both teams headed to the locker rooms for a 20-minute break in the action. When play resumed with Colorado College facing a third-and-five from their own 34, the Tartans’ defense produced another big play via the turnover. Junior outside linebacker Jonathan Bodnar (Cheswick, Pa./Deer Lakes) intercepted a deflected Neal pass and returned it 12 yards to the Tigers’ 28.

“The guy came across the middle and it tipped off his shoulder and it just dropped right into my arms and I got it,” said Bodnar, who also recorded five tackles and one-half tackle-for-loss.

Two plays later Sivek found the end zone again for his second touchdown of the day, and his eighth of the season.

Trailing 43-14 with just 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Colorado College urgently needed points and managed a nine-play, 85-yard drive. Neal followed a 22-yard completion with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Sweet but the drive ate more than three minutes off the game clock. Tartan junior inside linebacker Michael Reggie (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) blocked the extra point leaving the score at 43-20 with only 7:36 remaining.

The Tartans made several lineup changes as the clock wound down, but the offensive onslaught continued. In an effort to keep the clock rolling, Carnegie Mellon kept the ball on the ground with six straight rushes but two plays later sophomore quarterback Doug Facemyer (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North) connected with sophomore running back Greg Pitts (Webster, N.Y./Webster) for a 13-yard touchdown to push the Tartans point total to 50.

Following the first touchdown of Facemyer’s and Pitts’ careers, Neal hurriedly led the Tigers down the field for a 65-yard touchdown drive but the Tartans had already put the game well out of reach when the clock expired, Carnegie Mellon had its fifth victory, 50-26.

“The thing you have to do sometimes against teams like this is you have to control the football and take time off the clock. Try to keep their number of possessions down and that’s what we were able to do,” Lackner added.

The victory gave the Tartans their first 5-0 start since 1990 as the squad heads into their bye week before beginning University Athletic Association (UAA) play October 14 at Case Western Reserve University.