Football Falls 34-17 to #9 Case Western Reserve in 24th Academic Bowl

Nov. 7 – (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team hosted the 9th-ranked Spartans of Case Western Reserve University in the 24th Annual Academic Bowl Saturday, November 7 and dropped a 34-17 decision. The loss moves the Tartans record to 5-4 and 1-1 in University Athletic Association play. The Spartans stay perfect on the year at 9-0, 2-0.

The Tartans started the scoring after taking the opening drive of the game 74 yards on 12 plays, as junior place kicker Elliot Carnevale (Greenville, S.C./JL Mann Academy) connected on a 23-yard field goal. The Tartans drive took 6:36 off the clock.

The Spartans were quick to answer the score when senior quarterback Dan Whalen found junior wide out Zach Homyk for the first of two scores the duo would have on the afternoon. This was a 29-yard pass capping an eight-play, 60-yard drive.

After two consecutive Spartan offensive drives ended in a fumble, including one inside the Carnegie Mellon 20 with 15 seconds left in the first quarter, Whalen put Case Western Reserve up 14-3 heading into the locker room as he tossed his second score of the game, finding senior receiver Ryan Kolesar on a 30-yard strike.

Whalen and Homyke hooked-up for their second score on the opening drive of the second half. This time the reception came from 19 yards out with 10:10 left in the third quarter. The Tartans cut the deficit to 21-10 on the ensuing drive when junior running back Justin Pratt (Bethel Park, Pa.) capped off a seven-play, 60-yard drive with a one-yard run.

Case Western Reserve was quick to respond as Whalen scored for the fourth time. This time he scampered 19 yards for the score. A missed extra point gave the visitors a 27-10 advantage as the third quarter came to a close.

The Tartans did not go down without a fight as freshman Jared Delello (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central) scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 20-yard run cutting the lead to 27-17 with just over five minutes remaining in the contest. Spartan senior running back put an end to the scoring on a six-yard run with 1:18 left in the fourth quarter to give Case Western Reserve the 34-17 victory.

Carnegie Mellon had the slight edge in time of possession holding the ball for 32:18, but the Tartans were out gained 489-420 with 238 of their yards coming on the ground.

Pratt led all rushers with 81 yards on 17 carries. Senior quarterback Phil Pantalone (Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff) ended the game completing 11-of-17 for 118 yards, while back-up senior quarterback Chris McGowan (Carrollton, Texas/Cistercian Prep) finished 6-of-8 for 86 yards. The duo’s favorite target was fellow senior Brendan Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich. Grosse Point South) who had a career-high 10 receptions for 128 yards. This marked the third time this season Howe recorded 100 or more yards receiving.

Freshman Sam Thompson (Alcoa, Tenn.) recorded a career-high 15 tackles, nine solo, to lead all players on defense. Senior defensive lineman Sean Kennedy (Loveland, Ohio) had a career-high two fumble recoveries in the loss.

Whalen finished the game 31-of-41 for 386 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 17 yards and one score. Homyk finished the day with 13 grabs for 162 yards and two touchdowns to lead the receiving corps. Senior linebacker Jeff Brown led the Spartans with 13 tackles and junior defensive back Zach Hass added 12.

The Tartans will end their regular season Saturday, November 14, as they travel to the Windy City to play the University of Chicago. Kick is set for 12:00 p.m. CT.