Case Western Reserve University junior running back Andy Kavcic ran the ball for a program-record 256 yards to lead the Spartans (2-0, 0-0 PAC) to a 48-41 win in their home opener at DiSanto Field in Cleveland against Shenandoah University (2-1, 0-0 ODAC), giving 23rd-year Head Coach Greg Debeljak the 150th victory of his coaching career.

Stats and Standouts

• Andy Kavcic carried the ball 30 times en route to breaking the program record of 252 yards set by Frank Peters on October 29, 1999. He added 12 receiving yards to give him 264 yards of total offense, and ran for touchdowns of 47 and 53 yards during the contest.

• Debeljak, who stands at 150-67-1 for his career and is the winningest coach in program history, became the 14th active Division III coach with 150 or more victories.

• Senior wide receiver Beau Wolf caught five passes for 87 yards, both team-high marks, catching one touchdown pass and returning the opening kickoff 89 yards for another score.

• Graduate student quarterback Aaron Filips completed 16-of-21 passes for 212 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

• Junior defensive back Jake Kavcic had seven tackles (all solo), including one sack.

• Senior linebacker Bidinga Kapapi registered two sacks and five total tackles (three solo), while forcing a fumble.

• Junior linebacker Zach Yordy added five tackles and had a key interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

• The Spartans finished the game with 490 total yards of offense, including 278 on the ground, and put up 48 points against a Shenandoah defense that had allowed just 17 through its first two contests. The defense had five sacks in the contest and held Shenandoah to just 42 rushing yards in the game. 

First Quarter

• The Spartans started off the game with a bang, as Jake Kavcic took the opening kickoff before lateralling the ball across the field to Wolf, who returned it 89 yards for a touchdown, putting CWRU in front 6-0 just 15 seconds into the contest.

• Filips found graduate student Sergio Beltran in the end zone from 15 yards out with 7:09 on the clock to give the Spartans a 13-0 advantage.

• Andy Kavcic carried the ball twice for 75 yards on the next CWRU drive, including breaking away for a 47-yard touchdown run to extend the CWRU lead to 20-0 with 2:36 left.

• CWRU outgained Shenandoah 177-35 during the opening quarter, including a 114-1 edge on the ground.

• Andy Kavcic exceeded his career single-game high for rushing yards in a game during the opening quarter, finishing the frame with 113 yards on the ground.

Second Quarter

• The Spartans scored on their opening drive of the second quarter, with Filips completing a seven-yard pass in the endzone to senior Garrett Pavlick with 11:27 left in the half to go ahead 27-0.

• Shenandoah responded midway through the quarter with a pair of touchdowns in quick succession, scoring on a 12-yard pass from Mekhi Brown to Jackson McFarland with 7:54 on the clock, and then after recovering an onside kick, reaching the end zone again on a 14-yard pass from Brown to Caleb Weston to cut the lead to 27-13 with 7:26 to play in the half.

• Shenandoah scored again with 3:59 left to cut it to a seven-point game, but CWRU had a quick response. Jake Kavcic returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards to the Spartans' 47-yard line, and on the first play from scrimmage, Andy Kavcic ran for a 53-yard touchdown to put CWRU in front 34-20 with 3:41 left in the half.

• The Spartans finished the opening half with 310 yards of total offense, including 185 rushing yards from Kavcic.

Third Quarter

• The Spartans got to the Shenandoah one-yard line on their first drive of the half, but a fumble cost the team a chance to score with 8:55 on the clock.

• Shenandoah was able to go 95 yards on their next drive, reaching the end zone to cut the lead back to a touchdown, 34-27, with 4:23 to play in the third.

Fourth Quarter

• Filips completed a 37-yard touchdown pass to Wolf on the first play of the fourth quarter to extend the CWRU lead back to 14 points, 41-27.

• The Hornets answered with a seven-play, 68-yard drive, culminating in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Weston to cut the lead to 41-34 with 12:02 remaining.

• Yordy intercepted a pass at the Shenandoah 35-yard line on third and three with 8:36 to play, returning it to the end zone for a touchdown and increasing the Spartan lead to 48-34.

• Shenandoah responded again with an 80-yard drive, as a seven-yard run from Brown made it a one-touchdown game with 5:17 left to play.

• CWRU got the ball back at its own 28 with 5:11 on the clock. Kavcic ran on nine consecutive plays for 43 yards to help secure the game, breaking the program record on his final rush of the day. On fourth and three with 1:28 on the clock, Filips ran for four yards to convert the first down, and the Spartans were able to kneel on the ball to run out the clock in the win.

Spartan Notes

• Kavcic was the first Spartan to record 200 or more rushing yards in a game since James Rosenbury accomplished the feat on September 18, 2004.

• Through two games this season, Kavcic has 328 rushing yards and has scored three touchdowns.

• Pavlick's touchdown in the second quarter was the first of his career.

• Saturday's game was the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and the Hornets.

• Wolf's touchdown return on the opening kickoff was the second of his career and his first since returning one for 92 yards against Allegheny during the 2024 campaign, also on the opening kickoff of the game.

• CWRU has now gone 116 consecutive games without being shut out, dating back to the 2013 campaign.

Up Next

The Spartans will open Presidents' Athletic Conference play next weekend at home at DiSanto Field in Cleveland, against reigning conference champion Washington and Jefferson College (1-1, 0-0 PAC). Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 26.