EDITOR’S NOTE: This story first appeared at the Ashland University website at this link.
CRESTVIEW HILLS, Kentucky — Ashland University sits alone atop the Great Midwest Athletic Conference football standings, and appears in no mood to share its perch.
The Eagles maintained their place, a game in front of the pack, by dismantling Thomas More 28-3 on Saturday afternoon.
AU, thanks to a fifth consecutive victory, improves 5-2 overall and 5-0 in the Great Midwest. The Saints fall to 3-4, 2-3.
On their second drive of the game, the Eagles took a 7-0 lead at the 6:43 mark of the opening quarter. Senior quarterback Trevor Bycznski found sophomore wide receiver Jamari Croom for a 19-yard touchdown pass.
A lightning-fast first half remained at 7-0 until 2:04 to go before the break, when Thomas More kicker Luke Iden made a 25-yard field goal to cut the Saints’ deficit to 7-3.
Opening the second half with the ball, Ashland extended its lead to 14-3 when sophomore tailback Olando Kamara went in for a one-yard touchdown run at the 11:00 mark of the third quarter. Senior cornerback Myles Martin then went in on a 21-yard interception return for a touchdown with 11:45 to go in the game.
Kamara added his second rushing touchdown of the contest, an 11-yarder, with 8:29 remaining. It is the second consecutive game in which Kamara has scored twice on the ground, and the TD provided the final margin of victory.
Defense & takeaways
- For the second consecutive week, the Eagle defense recorded four takeaways. Martin had two interceptions, giving him a team-high three on the season.
- Ashland also allowed just 49 rushing yards – leaving its opponents with less than 100 yards on the ground in five consecutive contests.
- Senior defensive tackle Collin Strong had three solo tackles, and all of them were for loss (two sacks). In all, the AU defense recorded four sacks and nine tackles for loss to go with the four picks.
Next
The Eagles will return to Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. for a league game vs. Northwood.
It also will be Community Day and the program’s Morgan’s Message game.