ASHLAND — The Eagles couldn’t stay out of their own way Saturday night, but still figured out a way to win.
Quarterback Trevor Bycznski threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns and Larry Martin rushed for 131 yards as Ashland knocked off Walsh 21-7 on a cold and blustery Saturday night at Jack Miller Stadium.
Ashland (3-3, 3-1 Great Midwest Athletic Conference) overcame nine penalties and several dropped passes to improve to 9-0 all-time against the Cavaliers (3-3, 1-3).
“We made it hard, didn’t we? A lot harder than it had to be,” Ashland coach Doug Geiser said. “We shot ourselves in the foot quite a bit, especially in the third quarter, offensively.
“We’ll go back and take a look at it. … Obviously that’s not us.”
Ashland took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter when Bycznski hooked up with Jake McLoughlin on a 6-yard scoring strike. The Eagles extended the lead to 13-0 late in the second when Bycznski found Jent, who turned a short pass into a 25-yard TD.
“As an offense we feel like we kicked ourselves in the butt a lot with penalties and dropped balls and incomplete balls on my end,” said Bycznski, who completed 15-of-28 passes. “A win’s a win at the end of the day. Twenty-one points is not too shabby but we feel like we can do a lot better.”
Walsh cut Ashland’s lead to 13-7 when No. 2 quarterback Hayden Wickard tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Braeden Elwer on fourth-and-goal, capping a 15-play, 90-yard drive to start the second half.
Wickard came on after starting signal-caller Dalys Jett was forced to sit out one play after losing his helmet on a third-down run.
A freshman from Indiana, Jett showcased his play-making abilities on Walsh’s scoring drive. He scrambled in and out of trouble on several occasions.
“He was definitely faster than all the quarterbacks we’ve faced so far,” said AU linebacker Jackson Myers who had a team-high six tackles and three quarterback hits. “He was a really good player.”
Clinging to a 13-7 lead, Ashland put the game away with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up 6:42 off the fourth-quarter clock. Bycznski iced it with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Tony Pannunzio on fourth-and-six.
Martin did most of the heavy-lifting on the drive, carrying the ball four times for 30 yards on the march.
It was a little bit frustrating for the first half,” Martin said of AU’s offensive struggles. “I knew we could run the ball. We were getting push up front.
“It worked out well for us.”
The Eagles, who are in a three-way tie for second behind GMAC leader Tiffin, will travel to Northwood (Mich.) next week. The Timberwolves upset Findlay 33-30 on Saturday.
“We’re starting the third quarter of our season,” Geiser said. “We have our goals for the third quarter and our first one was to get a win tonight.
“Now it’s reset and re-assess.”
