Football Drops 21-10 Decision at Randolph-Macon

Oct. 6 – (ASHLAND, Va.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team traveled to Ashland, Virginia Saturday, October 6, and dropped a 21-10 decision to the Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon at Day Stadium. The Tartans fall to 2-3, as the Yellow Jackets improve 5-1.

On the Tartans first possession of the game they drove down to the Yellow Jacket two-yard line ending with a fumble stopping the drive. The Cardinal and Gray defense held Randolph-Macon to a three and out. After the two teams exchanged a possession, Carnegie Mellon coughed the ball up for a second time. The Tartan mistake led to a Yellow Jacket 7-0 lead with 13:55 to play in the first half. Sophomore Zak Thornton scampered 13 yards for the score, completing a five play 62-yard drive.

Carnegie Mellon third fumble of the game halfway through the second quarter led to another Thornton touchdown run. This time the sophomore took it in from 11 yards out over the left side giving the Yellow Jackets a 14-0 lead with 5:09 showing in the second quarter.

On the ensuing possession, the Tartans marched 83 yards on 12 plays cutting into the Yellow Jackets lead, as senior fullback Travis Sivek (Traverse City, Mich./St. Francis) ran over the right side of the line from five yards out making it a 14-7 game with 46 ticks on the clock before the half.

Randolph-Macon’s two minute offense set up a 40-yard field goal attempt by freshman Scott Shope, but Shope’s kick went wide keeping the score 14-7 heading into the locker room.

Randolph-Macon used over eight and a half minutes of the clock on their second possession half resulting with a Tartan interception by junior Steve McGovern (Sunnyvale, Calif./Bellarmine) on the Carnegie Mellon eight-yard line. McGovern’s pick ended the Yellow Jackets threat to extend their lead.

The Tartans cut the Yellow Jackets lead to 14-10 on the next drive, as junior place kicker Colin Marks (Washington Crossing, Pa./Council Rock North) connected from 30 yards out for his first career field goal with 10:06 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Black and Gold drove the length of the football field on the following possession ending on Thornton’s third touchdown run giving the Yellow Jackets a 21-10 lead with just over two minutes to play.

The Tartans out gained Randolph-Macon 252-201 on the ground, but the Yellow Jackets help the edge in total offense 377-285. Sivek led the way for the Tartans on the ground with 64 yards and the lone score for Carnegie Mellon. Junior quarterback Doug Facemyer (Eastlake, Ohio Eastlake North) rushed for 54 yards, as sophomore David Babcock (Coudersport, Pa.) recorded a career-high 42 yards on the ground. Defensively, senior corner Jon Scholl (Coraopolis, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) once again led the Tartans with 16 tackles

For Randolph-Macon, Thornton rushed for a career-high 180 yards and three scores on 35 carries. Yellow Jackets sophomore quarterback Scott Pickett completed 14 of 24 for 176 yards.

The Tartans will return to action Saturday, October 13, as they entertain Case Western Reserve at Gesling Stadium for a 12:00 p.m. kickoff.