Box Score

DELAWARE, Ohio – The Kenyon College Lords put together their best all-around football game of the young season Saturday at Selby Field.  The team's noticeable improvement, however, didn't translate into victory. The host Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops were able to break off a couple of big plays and ride them to a 35-25 North Coast Athletic Conference win.

Kenyon out-gained Ohio Wesleyan in the air (242-179) and held an enormous edge in time of possession (39:18-20:42). Junior quarterback Jake Bates had a lot to do with those numbers while putting together one of the better games of his collegiate career, completing 28-of-39 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Bates' play kept the Lords in the hunt and his four-yard touchdown pass to Blake Calcei gave Kenyon a 17-14 lead midway through the third quarter.

The back-breaker for the Lords came shortly thereafter. On the second play of Ohio Wesleyan's next drive, quarterback Dominick Orsini dashed through the right side of the Lords' line for a 65-yard touchdown run.

Kenyon went three-and-out on its next possession and gave Orsini and the Bishops great field position. A pass interference call helped out Ohio Wesleyan even more, setting up Orsini for another touchdown run, this time from 13 yards out. That gave Ohio Wesleyan a 28-17 lead heading into the final quarter of play.

In the fourth, Orsini completed a slant pass to Ross Hickenbottom, who bolted 55 yards to pay dirt. Orsini finished the game 12-of-16 for 150 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 150 yards on 13 carries. Take Orsini out of the equation and the Lords defense held the rest of the Bishops to 78 rushing yards on 21 carries. With Orsini in the equation, the Bishops averaged 6.7 yards per rush.

Hickenbottom wound up with three catches for 61 yards, while Tim Shadoan led the way for Ohio Wesleyan with four catches from 78 yards.

On the other side of the field, Kenyon sophomore Brian Hunca hauled in nine passes from Bates and turned them into 91 yards. Bates scattered the ball to six other receivers throughout the game. One of those receivers was Calcei, who snared five passes for 33 yards, including the four-yard touchdown. On the ground, Calcei rumbled for 62 yards on 14 carries. His backfield mate, Brandon January, added 69 yards on 17 carries, including a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Framing the Kenyon touchdowns from January and Calcei were a first-quarter field goal from Szabi Simo and a fourth-quarter 16-yard touchdown pass from Bates to tight end Greg McIntosh.

The Lords (0-3, 0-2 NCAC) will travel to DePauw University next week to take on the Tigers at 1 p.m. Ohio Wesleyan (2-0, 1-0 NCAC) will go to Denison University to battle the Big Red.