CLEVELAND, Ohio – Senior quarterback Joey Baum (Dalton, OH/Walsh Jesuit) completed 22-of-32 passes for 194 yards and four touchdowns as the Case Western Reserve University football team defeated the College of Wooster, 28-14, in the annual Baird Brothers Trophy on Saturday, October 23 at Case Field. The Spartans have now won 38 consecutive regular season games.

With the win, the Spartans improve to 7-0 overall and return to action next Saturday, October 30 for its University Athletic Association opener at the University of Chicago at 12:00 p.m. (CST). With its loss, Wooster drops to 3-4 overall.

Of Baum's 22 completions, nine went to senior wide receiver Zach Homyk (Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius Prep), who totaled 100 yards and two scores. Fellow senior wide out Shaun Nicely (Willoughby, OH/Willoughby South) also grabbed a pair of TDs to go along with six receptions for 49 yards. Tackle Dale English (Middleburg Heights, OH/Holy Name) led the Spartan defense with 10 tackles and one sack.  

The Spartans scored on their second possession of the game when Baum tossed a one-yard fade to Homyk for a touchdown on fourth and goal to cap a 10-play, 53-yard drive that took 4:30 off the clock. The point after by senior kicker Sam Coffey (Middletown, OH/Lakota East) made the score 7-0 at the 6:32 mark of the first quarter.

Baum and Homyk hooked up on another end zone fade at 11:17 of the second quarter to end a 14-play, 78-yard drive that ate 5:27 of the clock and featured a 28-yard run on a fake punt by junior punter Daniel Vasil (Erie, PA/McDowell). Another Coffey PAT brought the score to 14-0.

Wooster got on the board with 7:28 remaining in the first half when quarterback Richard Barnes scrambled and found Joe Stoffer open in the corner of the endzone for a six-yard TD pass that capped 10-play, 60-yard drive.

The Spartans answered two possessions later with a quick five-play, 41-yard drive ending in a Baum 24-yard TD pass to senior Nicely 2:57 left in the period. Coffey's PAT made the score 21-7.

Wooster took the final drive of the half deep into Spartan territory, but was stopped when Case senior safety Zach Hass (Peru, IN/Peru) intercepted his third pass of the season in the end zone with 00:29 left on the clock.

The Fighting Scots inched closer with 7:11 left in the third quarter when Barnes ran an option into end zone from two yards out to cap an 18-play, 64-yard drive that included a fourth-and-eight conversion at the Case 26. The PAT by Russ Palm made the score 21-14.

Each defense held for the next quarter until Case added to its lead when Baum hit Nicely once again for a five-yard TD with 6:50 left in the contest. The score capped a 17-play, 99-yard drive that took 7:18 off of the clock and was kept alive by a roughing the punter penalty on the sixth play of the possession.

The Spartan defense then held the rest of the way as Case won its fourth straight versus the Fighting Scots.

For Case, senior running back Derek Bush (Kittanning, PA/Ford City) rushed for a game-high 65 yards on 18 carries. Senior linebacker Lucas Sasala (Kittanning, PA/Kittanning) and junior LB Jacob Adams (Cincinnati, OH/Princeton) each totaled nine tackles, while sophomore nose guard Michael Harris (Shaker Heights, OH/Shaker Heights) recorded six tackles, including 2.5 for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.

For Wooster, Barnes completed 24-of-35 for 159 yards and a score in addition to rushing for 35 yards and a TD. Mike Redick totaled six receptions for 59 yards. Linebacker Eric Keyes paced the defense with a game-high 17 tackles and a forced fumble.

Following next Saturday's game at Chicago, Case returns home for the final two games of the regular season, including a November 6 matchup with Washington University (MO).