Kikta Sets School Record as Tartans Drop Heartbreaker in 27th Academic Bowl

(CLEVELAND, Ohio) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team concluded its regular season with a 36-24 setback at Case Western Reserve University in the 27th Annual Academic Bowl on Saturday, November 10.  In the University Athletic Association (UAA) contest, junior wide receiver Tim Kikta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) set the Tartans single-season record for receiving yards as the Tartans are now 6-4, 1-2 UAA while the Spartans end the season at 6-4, 2-1.

On Case Western Reserve's first possession of the game, the Spartans marched 69 yards on 11 plays to take the early 7-0 lead on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Billy Beecher.  The Spartans extend their lead in the closing minutes of the first quarter when Cullin Brown kicked a 33-yard field goal to make the score 10-0.

Carnegie Mellon cut the home team's lead to 10-7 at the 10 minute mark of the second quarter when junior quarterback Rob Kalkstein (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) connected with Kikta on fourth-and-two for a 26-yard touchdown strike.

The Tartans took the lead three minutes later, thanks to sophomore defensive lineman Charles Tanner's (Mableton, Ga./The Westminster School) interception that setup Carnegie Mellon on the 5-yard line.  Two plays after Tanner's pick, senior running back Jared Delello (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central) plunged into the end zone from two yards out.  Freshman place kicker Connor Young's (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central) point after attempt made the score 14-10 at the 6:30 mark of the second quarter.

After the Tartans defense held the Spartans to a punt, senior Sam Thompson (Alcoa, Tenn.) fielded a Case punt and returned 56 yards for a touchdown.  The return pushed the score to 21-10 and marked Thompson's second return punt for a touchdown this season.

Case responded to the visitor's score, marching 75 yards on six plays ending with another quarterback keeper for a touchdown.  This time, Erik Olson ran it in from 1-yard out and with the missed PAT, Carnegie Mellon's lead was cut to 21-16 with 44 seconds left in the half.

The Tartans added another score before the end of the half, as Young split the uprights from 19 yards away as time expired in the half giving Carnegie Mellon a 24-16 lead at the break.

The Spartans came out of the locker room and marched 83 yards on the opening possession ending with a 32-yard touchdown toss from Olson to Vinny Bell.  Case's second missed PAT of the game left the score 24-22 Carnegie Mellon.

Beecher added his second rushing touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter, as he took it in from nine yards away.  The good two-point attempt gave Case a 30-24 lead with 13:43 to play in the contest.  Beecher found the end zone for a third time with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter on a 34-yard draw to seal the victory for the home team.  

Carnegie Mellon finished the game with 220 yards of total offense while the Spartans totaled 484. Case also held the time of possession 37:17-22:43.  Kikta finished the game with four receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown.  He now has 800 yards receiving on the season breaking Jarrod Siket's mark of 768 set back in 1991.  Kalkstein finished the game with 173 yards on 16-of-32 passing and a score.

Junior inside linebacker Eric Rolfes (Cincinnati, Ohio/Madeira) recorded a career-high 12 tackles while senior linebacker Nick Karabin (Ruffs Dale, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) finished with 10 and senior linebacker Owen Parker (Burton, Ohio/Notre Dame - Cathedral Latin) ended with nine including a career-high seven solo. With Karabin's 10 tackles he moved into seventh on the Tartan all-time tackle list with 203 for his career.

Bell led the Spartans with seven receptions for 180 yards and a score while Olson passed for 212 yards.  Beecher had eight carries for 68 yards and three touchdowns.

The Tartans will wait to see if they receive a bid to an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Bowl when bids are announced Monday, November 12.