ASHLAND — Austin Brenner gave the Ashland fans something to remember on Senior Day.
AU’s fifth-year senior quarterback, Brenner threw five touchdown passes as the 13th-ranked Eagles clinched an outright Great Midwest Athletic Conference title with a 41-10 win over Kentucky Wesleyan at snowy Jack Miller Stadium.
AU (9-1, 7-1) was tied atop the GMAC standings with Tiffin entering Saturday’s action. The Eagles took care of business, while Findlay knocked off Tiffin 27-25.
Brenner completed 10-of-14 passes for 112 yards. Half of his competitions went for scores.
Logan Bolin and Garrett Turnbaugh each had a pair of touchdown catches. Nabil Abdus-Salaam added a TD grab early in the first quarter as Ashland stormed to a 21-3 halftime lead. AU’s advantage ballooned to 35-3 on Turnbaugh’s 1-yard TD reception with 6:46 remaining in the third.
Garret Niss, an Ontario product, scored on a 1-yard run late in the fourth quarter for AU’s final score.
AU led 7-3 after the first quarter before exploding for 28 straight points in the second and third quarters. Bolin caught an 11-yard TD pass and a 1-yarder in the second, while Turnbaugh had TD grabs of 24 yards and 1 yard in the third.
Tailback Larry Martin rushed for 135 yards on 18 carries as the Eagles piled up 277 yards on the ground. Brenner and Noah Martens each rushed for 44 yards.
Ashland limited the Panthers (2-9, 1-7) to 243 total yards and sacked Kentucky Wesleyan quarterback Christian Arrambide five times.
The Eagles will wait until Sunday to find out their postseason fate. AU was third in the most recent Super Region One rankings. The top seven teams in each of the four super regions qualify for the playoffs.
