GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College football team put up 400 yards of offense and possessed the lead for most of Saturday's game, but a fourth-quarter, circus-type touchdown catch from Hunter Baker lifted the visiting Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops to a 23-21 conference win at McBride Field.

With Kenyon holding a 21-17 lead, Ohio Wesleyan got the ball on its own 15-yard line with 7:58 left in the game. The Battling Bishops proceeded to piece together an 11-play, 85-yard drive that chewed 4:30 off the clock. The two big plays in the drive were both Brian Berry passes to Hunter. The first was a 23-yard toss that took the Bishops into Kenyon territory. The second was a 22-yard touchdown pass, one that was tipped by Kenyon defender D.J. Manley and then juggled a few times by Hunter, who finally gained control and got one foot down before being forced out of bounds.

The Battling Bishops' kick after was blocked by Quashae Hendryx, but no Kenyon player could scoop it up to attempt a return. Instead, the bouncing ball was pounced on by an OWU lineman, ending the Lords' chance of scoring on the play and tying the game up.

Kenyon (0-5, 0-4 NCAC) did get one final crack a regaining the lead, but three straight incompletions put the ball back in the hands of the Battling Bishops, who eventually ran out the clock.

The Lords had one of their better offensive showings of the season and they wasted no time marching down the field. On their first possession of the game, they cruised 82 yards and burned 9:44 of the clock. The extended drive ended on a one-yard touchdown run from Nat Henry.

It was Kenyon's only possession on the first quarter. Ohio Wesleyan (2-3, 2-2 NCAC) also had just one, first-quarter possession. It carried over into the second quarter and ended on a two-yard scoring strike from Berry to Deji Adebiyi. Prior to scoring, Ohio Wesleyan ran five plays from the Kenyon one-yard line, but could not break the goal line. The strong Kenyon defense was done in only by a pass interference call on a fourth-down play.

Late in the second quarter, both teams found pay dirt again. For Kenyon, Thomas Merkle fired a 10-yard touchdown to Ian Robertson. For Ohio Wesleyan, it was Berry to Gabe Miller 20-yard touchdown toss that knotted the score, 14-14, at the half.

Early in the third quarter, Kenyon capitalized on a lucky bounce. A quick pass from Merkle to Justin Bosch went for a nine-yard completion, but as Bosch headed up field he was drilled by OWU's Sterling O'Hara. The ball popped out right into the hands of Robertson, who grabbed it in stride and ran 69 yards for the touchdown and a 21-14 Kenyon lead.

Again, Ohio Wesleyan answered. This time, however, the Battling Bishops could only muster a 28-yard field goal which sent the game into the fourth quarter with Kenyon ahead 21-17.

Merkle ended up completing 38 of his 52 pass attempts for 380 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once, inside Kenyon territory, but OWU had to settle for another field goal attempt, which was pushed wide left.

The Lords had just 20 yards on the ground, compared to 380 passing. Robertson finished with nine catches for 176 yards and the two TDs. Ian Bell and Seamus McCurren both had eight catches. Bell took his for 70 yards, while McCurren chalked up 49 yards.

On the other side of the field, the Lords defense held the Battling Bishops to 66 rushing yards and 211 passing yards. Berry was 19-of-37 for 211 yards and the three touchdowns. Hunter snared six catches for 100 yards, including the game-winning grab.