Rushing Attack Leads Carnegie Mellon to a 33-10 Victory Over Rochester

Sept. 1 – (ROCHESTER, N.Y.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team opened up their 2007 season Saturday, September 1, with a 33-10 victory over the University of Rochester at Edwin Fauver Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. With the victory Head Coach Rich Lackner becomes the 27th head coach in Division III with 150 career wins.

Rochester took the opening kick and drove 51 yards on 13 plays to settle for a 35-yard field goal off the foot of the Yellowjackets sophomore kicker Griffin Moar, after a powerful stand by the Tartan defense. The career long field goal by Moar gave Rochester the early 3-0 lead 5:05 into the contest.

Carnegie Mellon wasted little time to strike back, as they needed seven plays to go 56 yards to take a 7-3 lead off a two-yard touchdown run by senior fullback Travis Sivek (Traverse City, Mich./St. Francis) with 6:25 showing in the first quarter. Sivek’s score was setup by a 36-yard reception by senior Jeremy Doo (Cambridge, Mass. Phillips Exeter Academy) from junior quarterback Doug Facemyer (Eastlake, Ohio Eastlake North) on fourth down and four from the Yellowjackets 38.

“Our defense came up strong and held Rochester to three points on the opening drive,” comments Head Coach Rich Lackner. “The offense then responded and that was a big part of the game.”

Junior inside linebacker Jim Sands (Windham, Ohio) recovered a fumble for the Tartans halfway through the second quarter leading to Carnegie Mellon’s second score on the afternoon. This time, senior running back Colby Whitman (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney) took the Tartans second play of their possession 13 yards into the end zone giving the Cardinal and Gray a 14-3 lead. The Tartans added another rushing touchdown on their next possession. Senior running back Robert Gimson (Palm Beach Gardens., Fla./The Benjamin School) took it in from 11 yards giving the Tartans a 20-3 advantage after a missed extra point heading into the half.

Yellowjackets freshman running back Clarence Onyiriuka cut into the Tartans lead on a two-yard run with 3:42 to play in the third quarter making the score 20-10. Carnegie Mellon wasted little time extending their lead. On the ensuing possession, Sivek took it in from nine yards out, capping off a six play 52-yard drive. The Tartans second missed extra point gave the Tartans a 26-10 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Senior Cody Vild (Willoughby, Ohio, Willoughby South) stopped Rochester’s first drive of the fourth quarter with his second interception. Two possessions later the Tartans struck again. Whitman added his second score on a ten-yard run expanding the Carnegie Mellon lead, 33-10.

Carnegie Mellon out gained the Yellowjackets 499-186 in total offense as the Tartans rushed for 445 yards, while holding the Yellowjackets to 44. Leading the way for the Tartans was Gimson, as he recorded a career-high 185 yards rushing for one touchdown. Sivek finished the afternoon with 136 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while Whitman recorded a career-high 72 yards and also had two touchdowns.

The Tartans defense was led by senior corner Jon Scholl (Coraopolis, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) as he finished with a team-high 14 tackles, eight solo. Senior Richard Hauffe (Manassas, Va./Osbourn) and junior Jim Sands (Windham, Ohio) finished with seven tackles, five solo, apiece.

“It was a good opening win for the program and a fine start to the season,” said Lackner.

The Tartans will open their 2007 home schedule next week, as the Wolverines of Grove City College travel to Gesling Stadium for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.