GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College football team piled up 490 yards of offense Saturday at McBride Field and rolled to a 45-16 win over the Oberlin College Yeomen in what was the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opener for both teams. The win moved the Lords to 2-0 for the first time since the 1998 season.

Kenyon senior receiver Brian Hunca nearly accounted for half of the Lords' offense. He hauled in 14 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball four times for ten yards. Hunca's reception total was a personal career-high and also tied for the fourth-best single-game output in Kenyon history. Additionally, his receiving yardage tied for the seventh-best total in Kenyon history and was just seven yards shy of his personal, single-game best.

Hunca's two touchdowns, the 14th and 15th of his career, came in the second and fourth quarters. In the second, he gave the Lords a 21-3 lead after connecting with freshman quarterback Thomas Merkle on a 37-yard scoring strike. In the fourth, Hunca hauled in a 29-yard pass from Merkle to push the Lords' lead out to 38-16.

Merkle also had a huge day for the Lords. A week after throwing for 315 yards in his collegiate debut, he went 24-of-39 for 311 yards and three touchdowns against the Yeomen.

Oberlin (0-2, 0-1 NCAC) opened the game's scoring with a 35-yard field goal on its first possession. Following that, the Lords defense pitched a shutout for the remainder of the half.



Kenyon's offense got clicking on its third drive, a quick, four-play effort that covered 50 yards and ended with an Ian Bell seven-yard touchdown run.

In the middle of the second quarter, Merkle polished off another Kenyon drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone. Hunca's first touchdown followed later in the quarter and the Lords went into halftime with a 21-3 advantage.

Oberlin then opened the second half with a 53-yard kick return. That set up a quick score and pulled the Yeomen within 11 points. Kenyon, however, answered right back on its first possession of the second half. A seven-play, 85-yard drive ended with a short Merkle to Bell touchdown toss. Although the pass didn't travel very far, Bell made a tremendous one-handed grab to haul it in and push the Lords to a 28-10 lead.

Bell, the reigning NCAC Player of the Week, finished his game with 21 rushing yards and a touchdown, as well as six catches for 95 yards and another touchdown. He currently leads the Lords in scoring with 24 points in two games.

Oberlin tacked on one more touchdown in the third quarter, but missed the point-after attempt. The Lords then dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring Oberlin 17-0 to close out the game. Those 17 points came on a 31-yard field goal from senior Szabi Simo, from Hunca's 29-yard reception and from an amazing defensive play in which Saxon Justice swatted an Oberlin pass just as it was coming out of the quarterback's delivery. The ball floated right into the awaiting arms of Joe Marabito, who collected it and ran 57 yards the other way for the Lords' final touchdown of the day.

Justice finished the game with a team-high 12 tackles, while fellow senior linebacker Cody Keenan racked up nine. Marabito made just one tackle, but it was one of the Lords' four sacks on the day. Overall, the Kenyon defense allowed just 111 rushing yards on 43 attempts (2.6 ypr) and held Oberlin to a 5-of-15 third-down conversion rate.

Back on the other side of the field, the Kenyon run game got a shot in the arm from freshman Nat Henry, who subbed in for Rob Meagher and gained 128 yards on 16 carries. His 68-yard run up the middle in the third quarter set up the spectacular Merkle to Bell touchdown pass.