The Case Western Reserve University football saw its 2023 season come to a close on Saturday night with a hard-fought 31-21 loss to Carnegie Mellon University in the 37th-Annual Academic Bowl at Gesling Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The loss dropped the Spartans to 7-3 for the season, while the Tartans improved to 9-1.
Junior wide receiver Noah Coyne caught six passes for 115 yards, recording the seventh 1,000-receiving yard season in program history after finishing the campaign with 1,001 yards. Senior wide receiver Michael Wojkowski added six catches for 67 yards. Senior quarterback Alex Fromberg completed 20-of-39 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns with a pair of interceptions.
Senior defensive end Kaden Tong totaled eight tackles, including 1.5 sacks, giving him 10 for the season, the fifth-most in program history. His 24.5 career sacks are also fifth all-time in team history. Junior safety Nate Cikalo led the team with a season-high 10 tackles, and sophomore cornerback Osi Chukwuocha recorded the first interception of his career.
After falling behind 14-0 early in the second quarter, the Spartans got on the board with 5:42 left in the half on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Fromberg to Coyne. The touchdown was the 11th of the season for Coyne.
The score remained 14-7 until the 7:50 mark in the third when Carnegie Mellon extended its lead to 10 points with a field goal. Later in the quarter, the Spartans cut into the Tartans' lead with a nine-play, 83-yard drive that culminated in a seven-yard touchdown pass from Fromberg to junior wide receiver Ethan Dahlem, setting the score at 17-14 by the end of the third quarter.
Carnegie Mellon opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown drive to go back ahead by 10 with 8:26 left in the game. CWRU responded with a scoring drive of its own, with Fromberg finding senior wide receiver Riley Knurek in the end zone with a 25-yard pass, pulling back within a field goal, 24-21. CWRU's defense forced a punt on the next drive, but a Spartan turnover gave the Tartans the ball back and Carnegie Mellon followed with a touchdown on their ensuing drive to put the game out of reach.
Saturday's game completed the 2023 season for the Spartans, who recorded their winningest season since going 9-2 in 2019. CWRU finished the season fourth in the Presidents' Athletic Conference standings.
