CANTON, Ohio – It's hard to envision a team not being happy with a 35-10 road win to open conference play.
Ashland University's football team, however, knows there are things to clean up following its first Great Midwest Athletic Conference game and victory on Thursday (Sept. 30) night against Walsh at Canton GlenOak High School.
"For whatever reason, we play Walsh on the road, and it's ugly," said Ashland head coach
Lee Owens. "I can't get a handle on why. They play us hard. They have a good plan. We just can't seem to be in sync, make a lot of mistakes on special teams.
"It's nice to win, and the defense played a lot better. We played well at times on offense. We have a lot of work to do."
The Eagles improve to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the Great Midwest, while the Cavaliers are 1-4, 0-1.
WHAT HAPPENED
- Junior quarterback Austin Brenner, who earlier on Thursday was named the D2Football.com national Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts at home vs. Quincy last week, started the night's scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run on a read option at the 9:03 mark of the first quarter.
- Brenner didn't waste any time throwing his first touchdown pass of the game, swinging a 55-yard catch-and-run to sophomore tailback Gei'vonni Washington for a 14-0 advantage with 6:28 remaining in the first.
- Following an early-second-quarter 26-yard field goal by Walsh kicker Mason Brown, the Eagles immediately responded to make it a 21-3 game on a three-yard scoring scramble by Brenner with 9:37 left until halftime.
- A late AU muffed punt put the ball on the AU 16, but the Eagle defense held on fourth down to go into the locker room up by 18 points.
- Ashland got back on the scoreboard to start the third quarter thanks to a 13-yard scoring jaunt by sophomore tailback Larry Martin, which extended the lead to 28-3.
- Junior wide receiver Garrett Turnbaugh got into the act with 5:18 to go in the third, catching a 38-yard touchdown pass from Brenner to lift AU to a 35-3 advantage. On the ensuing possession, junior safety Justin Moore picked off a pass for a second consecutive game.
- Early in the fourth quarter, Moore recorded a diving pick in the end zone on a tip. Walsh did come back, however, for a five-yard scoring pass from quarterback Tom Vatter to wide receiver Jaden Gresham with 5:32 to go in the game.
NOTES
- Brenner was 20-for-27 for 296 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Add 15 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and Brenner, who came into the game as the nation's No. 2 player in total offense per game, ended with 311 yards and four touchdowns on offense.
- Turnbaugh finished with seven catches for 127 yards and a score, and Martin paced the running game with 82 yards and a score on 12 carries.
- Ashland was NCAA Division II's top team in total offense per game coming in, and ended the night with 471 yards against the Cavaliers.
- Moore had the two picks, and junior defensive tackle Curtis Roupe had six total tackles, 1½ tackles for loss and a half-sack.
- Ashland's defense kept Walsh to 238 total yards, a season-low for the Eagle D.
UP NEXT
Ashland will return to Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field on Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. against Ohio Dominican, for the Eagles' first home Great Midwest contest.
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