GAMBIER, Ohio -- On the day Kenyon College celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1972 football team, the only undefeated squad in program history, the 2022 Owls could not muster up their predecessor's winning ways. Kenyon fell 58-35 against DePauw University (7-1, 5-1 NCAC), the North Coast Athletic Conference leaders, falling to 3-5 overall and 2-4 in the NCAC.

The Owls got behind early after DePauw scored 14 first-quarter points, eventually taking a 21-0 lead midway through the second frame. Kenyon nearly got on the board on their second offensive drive after going 68 yards on 14 plays to get to the DePauw seven-yard line. However, the Owls could not punch the ball in and turned the ball over on downs, and the Tigers drove 93 yards down the field and scored on the ensuing possession.

Kenyon battled back late in the second quarter thanks to two massive plays through the air. Zachary Kim, the reigning NCAC Athlete of the Week, made catch-and-run plays of 75 and 77 yards and reeled in a two-point conversion to help the Owls rattle off 14 unanswered points. Kim's solid route running and hands helped quarterback Ryan O'Leary find the sophomore wideout, but Kim's athleticism and football IQ after the catch turned the big plays into touchdowns. 

The first Owls' score came on a route across the middle, where Kim reeled in O'Leary's pass before seemingly getting tackled by a DePauw defender. However, the defender was underneath Kim on the would-be tackle, so the speedy wide receiver popped up and took the ball to the house after no whistle was blown. The second score was much easier after Kim beat a Tigers' defensive back down the left side of the field, where O'Leary found him for an aerial touchdown.

The big plays were a microcosm of the game for both Kim and O'Leary. Zachary Kim, the sophomore wide receiver, finished with nine catches for 280 yards and four touchdown receptions, breaking the Kenyon record for receiving yards in a game. Kim's output was a single yard more than Chris Myers, who racked up 279 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 1969 against Centre College. Kim's four touchdown catches are tied for second in program history behind only Myers, and the sophomore has now compiled 32 catches, 597 yards, and 10 touchdown grabs over his last three games. On the season, Kim has 1,021 yards on 53 catches with 12 receiving scores, and he can continue to move up the single-season record books with two games remaining.

Senior quarterback Ryan O'Leary was the arm behind Kim's big receiving day, and the signal caller had a record-setting day himself. O'Leary finished with 466 passing yards, good for the second-most in a single game in Kenyon history. He narrowly missed passing Thomas Merkle's 468 yards in 2017, which also came in a game against DePauw. O'Leary has thrown for 2,232 yards and 20 touchdowns this year, which are both top-eight marks in Kenyon history. His 20 touchdowns are tied for third all-time, and his current completion percentage of 62.5 would be the top mark in program history.

Despite the record-setting heroics, Kenyon could not keep the momentum rolling for an impressive comeback in a fourth straight game. The Tigers scored 31 consecutive points from the end of the second quarter to the end of the third, including a 24-0 third-quarter edge.

The Owls made things interesting in the fourth frame by outscoring the visitors 21-6 in the final period, but it was too little, too late. Jordon Benjamin, a first-year running back, broke free for a 25-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, and O'Leary connected with Kim for a 56-yard score on the ensuing possession after Darryl Shands intercepted a pass to get the ball back to the offense quickly.

A sack by Will Koslo on DePauw's next drive gave Kenyon the ball again with momentum building, but O'Leary had a pass picked off that helped the Tigers stop the rally. Despite Kenyon's late surge, DePauw closed the door after the interception with a five-minute drive that ended in a touchdown, putting the visitors up 58-28.

O'Leary and Kim had one more big play left in them, a 20-yard aerial touchdown, but DePauw held a 58-35 advantage when the clock hit 00:00, winning the high-scoring game.

The game featured over 1,200 yards of total offense, with DePauw notching 619 and Kenyon tallying 609. The Tigers held a 282-136 edge on the ground, but the Owls flew high with a 466-337 aerial advantage.

Senior wide receiver Finn Murray had a big game, catching 10 passes for 121 yards, maintaining his spot as the team's receptions leader. Defensively, Andy Canonico had five tackles, including two for loss, one sack, and a forced fumble.

The Owls celebrated 18 seniors before the game, as it was the last time the crop of Owls got to suit up in front of their home crowd. The graduating class is comprised of Andrew Schnarre, Ryan O'Leary, Joe Gorte, Mychael Leno, Finn Murray, Isaiah Mann, Rocco Danese, Nathan Junk, Jack Provenza, Sean Goodman, Darryl Shands, Jason Kessler, Trenton Scherger, Taso Sdregas, Will Koslo, Jack Baulig, Sebastian Winther, and Sam Ronchetti.

Kenyon is on the road for the season's final two contests. First up is a clash in Crawfordsville, Indiana, against Wabash College (6-2, 5-1 NCAC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5.