Chase Palmer (Jr.) intercepts a Denison pass in the third quarter of the Yeomen's 18-7 win over the Big Red

Photo by Seth Binder '07

October 7, 2006 -- With an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter today against Denison University, the Oberlin football team found itself in a very similar position to earlier this season at Case Western Reserve University. In that contest, the Spartans rallied back from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game and eventually win it in overtime. This afternoon against the Big Red, though, the Yeomen defense had different plans as it blanked visiting Denison the entire second half to help secure a 18-7 North Coast Athletic Conference victory. With the win, Oberlin stayed undefeated in conference play (2-0) and improved to 3-2 overall, while Denison slid to 0-5 (0-2 NCAC).

Today's win, which came in front of an outstanding Oberlin crowd, marks the best start the Yeomen have had since 1989. That season, Oberlin lost its next game to even its record to 3-3. The last time the Yeomen have been 4-2 was in 1963.

"It's a wonderful way to really get our season rolling," Head Coach Jeff Ramsey said. "We were well aware of the fact that we hadn't been 3-2 for quite some time, so it's great to pick up a win today and reach that mark."

After a hard-fought first half that saw the hosts down 0-7, it didn't appear as if today's NCAC win would come easily. The Yeomen responded by scoring on three straight possessions in the third and fourth quarters, though, to rally for 18 unanswered points. Sophomore defensive back LaKristopher Devant intercepted a Denison pass with 13:08 left in the fourth and returned it for a touchdown to give Oberlin an 18-7 it wouldn't relinquish.

In the first half, the only touchdown came on a 48-yard pass from Brian Herbe to Michael Brienzo with 5:18 remaining in the first quarter that put Denison up 7-0 heading into the intermission. The Yeomen defense, led by junior free safety Chase Palmer and sophomore Zach Warner, came out of the locker room fired up, shutting down the Big Red and setting the stage for a scoring explosion by the Yeomen. After an interception by Palmer gave Oberlin the ball back with 8:37 left in the third quarter, sophomore quarterback Greg Mangan connected with junior speedster Cassius Harris for a 53-yard gain. On third and goal, junior Andy Stein sprinted in for a two-yard touchdown to put Oberlin within one at 6-7.

After a three and out by the Big Red, the Yeomen put together an impressive five-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by a 63-yard touchdown pass from Mangan to Harris with 1:37 left in the third. On Denison's next possession, Devant got in the way of a 10-yard pass attempt by Herbe and thanks to a few nifty moves and an outstanding block by junior defensive lineman Chris Pisani, he took it to the house for the pick-six.

Following Devant's score, Denison and Oberlin traded punts. When Denison received the ball with 7:30 remaining in the game, it put together its best drive of the day. After nine plays and 41 yards, though, Warner recovered a misguided Denison pitch and ultimately ended any chance at a comeback for the Big Red.

On the day, Harris racked up 154 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Sophomore running back R.V. Carroll, who entered the game ranked sixth in the nation in yards per game (141), was mostly held in check by Denison, as he tallied 50 yards on 23 carries. Mangan was again quite efficient and showed a great amount of poise after being sacked five times throughout the game. The San Francisco, native completed 14 of 21 passes for 226 yards and a score.

Defensively, Palmer played a gutsy game, tallying a game-high 9.5 tackles (four solos, 11 unassisted), and also had an interception for 12 yards and a game-best three pass breakups. Senior co-captain Andy Estep notched seven tackles, while Warner added 6.5 tackles to his fumble recovery. In addition to his game-breaking interception and touchdown return, Devant also had five tackles (two for a loss) and a sack.

About the play of Oberlin's defense, Ramsey said, "The defense played great today. Heading into the second half, I told our players we didn't have to change much, but we needed to take the ball away. Defense is a catalyst for our offense to work, and it shows how much potential our team has."

Denison was paced in the loss by sophomore wide-out Michael Brienzo, who caught two passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. Herbe completed 10 of 21 passes for a touchdown and two interceptions. On the defensive side of the ball, five different Denison players had sacks, while senior Brett Comstock also had three tackles for a loss.

Oberlin will take its undefeated conference record to Earlham College (Ind.) next Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. contest.

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