HAMMON, Ind. — Michael Shimek and his Ashland teammates made history Friday night.
A sophomore defensive end, Shimek set AU’s single-game record with four sacks and the Eagles rallied for a 23-20 win over McKendree in the America’s Crossroads Bowl.
Ashland became the first Great Midwest Athletic Conference team to win the America’s Crossroads Bowl, which pits the top-finishing GMAC team not invited to the Division II playoffs against the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s top non playoff-qualifying team.
The Eagles (9-3) trailed 20-14 after three quarters, but outscored the Bearcats 9-0 in the fourth period.
Ashland took a 21-20 lead with 2:07 remaining in the fourth quarter when Tyler Davis hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Bycznski.
The Eagles sealed it when Deeb Alawan sacked McKendree quarterback Caleb Fisher for a safety with 27 seconds remaining.
Bycznski completed 20-of-31 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Bycznski hooked up with Jent Joseph on a 53-yard scoring strike in the first quarter and added an 8-yarder to Jamari Croom in the second.
Joseph caught six passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. Running back Patrick Blubaugh rumbled for 108 yards on 20 carries.
Shimek had a team-high nine tackles and forced a fumble. Riely Weiss matched Shimek with nine stops.