Football Drops Hard Fought Contest at #17 Wabash

(CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team was put to the test, as they traveled to 17th-ranked Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana on Saturday, September 29. After jumping out to a 21-7 lead, Wabash scored 47 of the next 54 points to claim a 54-28 victory.  The loss is the first for the Tartans in 2012, as they are now 4-1 while the Little Giants improve to 3-1.     

For the fourth straight game the Tartans capitalized on the opening possession of the contest.  Carnegie Mellon drove 75 yards on 11 plays taking the early 7-0 lead at the 9:45 mark of the first quarter on a 2-yard run by senior running back Patrick Blanks (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller).

Wabash wasted little time responding to the score, as they needed 1:22 and four plays to knot the score at 7-7 when Little Giants quarterback Chase Belton scampered 21 yards for the score.

Carnegie Mellon answered Wabash's score putting together another 75-yard drive on its next possession resulting in another rushing score.  This time junior running back Zachary Erra-Hernandez (Las Cruces, N.M./Onate) plunged four yards for the Tartan score with 5:22 left in the first quarter making the score 14-7.

After the Tartans' defense held Wabash to a punt, senior Sam Thompson (Alcoa, Tenn.) fielded the Cameron Sobleski punt at the 8-yard line and returned it 92 yards for the Carnegie Mellon score.  Freshman place kicker Connor Young's (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central) converted point after attempt gave the visitor's a 21-7 lead with three minutes to play in the first quarter. Thompson's punt returned marked the first for a score by a Tartan since 1999.

In the closing seconds of the first quarter, Belton connected with wide out Sean Hildebrand on a 9-yard bubble screen for a Wabash score cutting the Tartans lead to 21-14.

Belton scored his second rushing touchdown of the game with 5:39 left in the half.  The senior found an opening in the middle of the line and made two moves before finding the goal line on a 16-yard scamper tying the score at 21-21.

With 1:53 remaining in the first half, Wabash took over at its own 20-yard line and marched 80 yards on seven plays taking a 28-21 lead into the break following a 6-yard Belton touchdown pass to Hildebrand.

On the opening drive of the second half, the Little Giants place kicker Ian MacDougall connected on a 31-yard field goal to extend the lead to 31-21.

The Tartans put an end to their scoring drought with 3:13 left in the third quarter when junior quarterback Rob Kalkstein (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) threw a shovel pass to Blanks for a 38-yard touchdown.  Blanks' score cut the Little Giants lead to 31-28.

On the first play of the fourth quarter and third and goal from the 3-yard line, Belton tossed his third score of the game finding Andrew Gibson on an out pass pushing the home team's lead back to 10 at 38-28.

After the Little Giants held the Tartans on fourth and inches from their own 34-yard line, Belton tossed another touchdown two plays later.  This time he found Houston Hodges on a 30-yard score. The missed point after attempt made the score 44-28.

On the first play following the score, the Tartans coughed up the football giving Wabash possession on Carnegie Mellon's 28-yard line.  Five plays later, MacDougall's 24-yard field goal gave Wabash a 47-28 lead with 10:55 to play in the contest.  Belton added his third rushing touchdown with just over five minutes to play making the score 54-28.

Wabash held the edge in total yards, 566-455. The Tartans tallied 226 yards on the ground with Blanks leading the way with 157 yards, moving into eighth-place on the all-time school rushing list with 1,745 career yards. Kalkstein threw for 229 yards on 17-of-24 passing with Kikta leading the Tartans in receiving with five receptions for 72 yards. Blanks also had five catches for a total of 57 yards. Defensively, junior linebacker Akwasi Brefo (Lawrenceville, Ga./Central Gwinette) led the Tartans with 11 tackles, eight solo.

Belton totaled 382 yards with 198 coming on the ground.  The signal caller finished with three rushing scores and tossed for four others on 13-of-23 passing for 183 yards.

The Tartans are back on the gridiron Saturday, October 6 as they entertain the Big Red of Denison.  The homecoming game kick is set for 1:00 p.m. at Gesling Stadium.