The Austin College football team led by as many as 19 points but a huge fourth quarter for Centre College put the Colonels up late and they would hold off a comeback attempt to drop the ’Roos 42-40 on Saturday afternoon at Jerry E. Apple Stadium. The ’Roos are now 2-2 overall and 0-2 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
Austin College got off to a fast start when Braydon MaQuar took the first play from scrimmage and went untouched for a 60-yard touchdown run just 17 seconds into the game, but Centre responded with a methodical 12 play, 79 yard drive capped off by a Tyler Osterman quarterback sneak for a score to tie things up with 8:28 left in the first quarter.
MaQuar would get his second touchdown of the game on the ensuing Austin College possession, this time going 14 yards at the end of a seven play drive that spanned 84 yards and the ’Roos would end the first quarter leading 14-7. It would not stay that way for long however as Johathan Pinque scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns with 11:57 left in the second quarter to once again tie things up.
Austin College would take the lead heading into halftime when Blake Towery was flushed out of the pocket but found Gregory Millerick for an 11-yard touchdown strike with 25 seconds left before the break. The point after failed and the ’Roos went into the locker room leading 20-14.
That margin would quickly grow to 33-14 in the third quarter as Kenneth Eneh and Matt Finke each returned interceptions for touchdowns, first with Eneh picking off a pass and taking it 62 yards for the score with 11:03 in the third and later Finke stepped in front of a receiver and went 30 yards untouched for a score to make it a 19 point game with four minutes left in the quarter.
However, that’s when the Centre offense asserted control with Tyler Osterman’s 17 yard touchdown pass to Rob Pope made it a 33-21 game with 42 seconds left in the third. Osterman tossed a touchdown pass to Jordan Albright early in the final quarter and added his second rushing touchdown with four minutes to give the Colonels their first lead, and after Towery’s pass on the first play of the next Austin College possession was picked off, Pinque would get his second score from two yards out with 2:46 remaining, making it a 10 point game and capping off a run of 28 unanswered points for Centre.
Austin College quickly moved 70 yards in 1:36 with Travis Zambiasi finding Colton LaRue for a 20 yard score, but after a failed onside kick Centre managed to convert on third down on the ensuing possession and ran out the clock, escaping with the 42-40 win.
Zambiasi completed 13-of-19 passes for 118 yards and added 32 rushing yards and MaQuar finished with 92 yards on six carries and had five catches for 26 yards. Greg Harrell hauled in 10 passes for 76 yards and Tanner Martin led the defense with 17 tackles and a forced fumble. Eneh had nine stops to go with his interception.
Osterman finished the game completing 16-of-30 passes for 263 yards with two touchdowns and two picks and added 47 rushing yards and a pair of scores and Pinque carried 24 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Jason Osterman was the leading receiver for Centre with five catches for 61 yards and Kent Simpson had a team-high 10 tackles with a forced fumble and an interception.
Austin College is off next weekend and will return to action on October 9 when they host Sewanee with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m.
Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
About Austin College
Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges that Change Lives.
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