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Scoreboard

Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Case Western Reserve University Athletics

Scoreboard

Sam DeTillio throwing a pass against Westminster
Tim Phillis
28
Winner Westminster (PA) WES 2-1 , 1-0
23
CWRU CWR 0-2 , 0-1
Winner
Westminster (PA) WES
2-1 , 1-0
28
Final
23
CWRU CWR
0-2 , 0-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WES Westminster (PA) 7 21 0 0 28
CWR CWRU 0 14 3 6 23

Game Recap: Football |

Spartans Suffer 28-23 Setback to Westminster in Home Opener

Case Western Reserve University junior quarterback Sam DeTillio threw for a career-high 386 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the Spartans' defense shut out Westminster College (Pa.) in the second half, but CWRU could not complete a comeback attempt in a 28-23 loss to the Titans on Saturday night in the team's home opener at DiSanto Field in Cleveland.

The Spartans dropped to 0-2-1 with the loss, including a 0-1 mark in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, while Westminster improved to 2-1 with a 1-0 league mark.

Stats & Standouts

  • DeTillio completed 30-of-49 pass attempts and threw just one interception on a tipped ball. His 386 passing yards are tied for the 12th-most in a single game in program history.

  • A pair of Spartan receivers broke the 100-yard mark, with junior Dylan Cave catching eight passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, and junior Liam O'Brien recording career-highs with seven catches for 122 yards.

  • Sophomore Andy Kavcic carried the ball nine times for a team-high 35 rushing yards.

  • After recording 15 tackles last week, the most by a CWRU player in the last seven years, senior linebacker Daniel King matched the total again this week against Westminster. He added a forced fumble, a pass breakup, and 1.5 tackles for loss.

  • Senior defensive lineman Joseph Swarm finished with six tackles (three solo), including 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.

  • CWRU had a season-high 442 yards of offense in the game while holding Westminster to just 322 yards.

First Quarter

  • Westminster took an early 7-0 lead on a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Sean O'Shea with 9:53 left in the opening period.

  • CWRU had a pair of first-quarter drives, punting on the first and turning the ball over on downs at the Westminster 42-yard line on the second, and the score remained 7-0 through the end of the period.

Second Quarter

  • The Titans added to their lead with a three-yard touchdown run by Clayton Cannon Jr. with 12:28 left in the half, going ahead 14-0.

  • CWRU got on the board with 6:15 left in the period. DeTillio completed a 24-yard pass to O'Brien to get to midfield. O'Brien would fumble the ball at the 50-yard line, but Andy Kavcic scooped it up and carried it 48 yards into the endzone for the touchdown.

  • The Spartans' celebration was short-lived as Westminster's Brite Cannon returned the ensuing kickoff from endzone to endzone for a 100-yard touchdown with 6:00 to play in the half.

  • On the Spartans' next drive, DeTillio completed four of five pass attempts for 63 yards, including a 40-yard catch and run on a slant route over the middle to Cave. Cave caught the ball at the 35-yard line, running it the rest of the way into the endzone to cut the Westminster lead to 21-14.

  • The Titans once again had an answer as Cannon caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from O'Shea to put Westminster back up by two touchdowns with 2:36 to go in the frame.

  • The Spartans reached the Westminster 28-yard line on their next possession but turned the ball over on downs. The teams went on to exchange fumbles on the next two plays, and then Westminster ran the clock out as the score stayed at 28-14 heading into the half.

Third Quarter

  • Both teams had unsuccessful first drives of the second half, but first-year punter Nick Delfau was able to pin the Titans on their own one-yard line with a well-directed punt.

  • The punt led to the Spartans getting good field position on their next drive, starting at their own 46, and got to the Westminster five-yard line to set up a 22-yard field goal for junior Gabriel Petrozzi, cutting the Titans' lead to 28-17 with 1:36 left in the quarter.

Fourth Quarter

  • The Spartans remained behind by 11 until the closing minutes of the game. DeTillio led the Spartans on a 93-yard scoring drive, throwing for 81 yards on the possession, and sophomore Jake Kavcic scored on a run up the middle from three yards out with 1:30 to play.

  • CWRU could not convert a two-point attempt, and an onside kick attempt was recovered by Westminster. The Titans would get a first down and were able to run out the clock for a five-point victory.

Spartan Notes

  • CWRU is 5-4 all-time against Westminster, including a 3-2 record in games played in Cleveland.

  • The Spartans fell to 15-6 in home openers during the Debeljak era.

  • Saturday's game was the latest home opener for the Spartans by date since the 2019 season, when CWRU played its home-opener against Grove City on September 21.

Up Next

The Spartans will begin a stretch of back-to-back road games starting next weekend when the team travels to Bethany, West Virginia, for a PAC contest against the Bethany College Bison. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 27.

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