The Case Western Reserve University defense held Westminster College to just 104 yards as the Spartans rang in Homecoming Weekend with a 31-6 win over the Titans on a rainy Saturday afternoon at DiSanto Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
CWRU has now won four-straight games and improved to 5-1 overall on the season, Westminster, which entered the day on a two-game winning streak, fell to 3-3 overall for the season.
Just a year removed from holding the Titans to just four first downs in a one-point loss, the Spartans nearly repeated the defensive effort, keeping Westminster to just five first downs, this time in a victory. CWRU limited the Titans to 51 passing yards and 53 rushing yards, including just 35 yards on the ground for Ryan Gomes, who entered the contest as the Presidents' Athletic Conference's second leading rusher with 85.2 yards per game.
CWRU totaled nine tackles for loss in the game, including 2.5 for sophomore linebacker Henry Busch, who also paced the squad with eight tackles (five solo). Graduate student defensive lineman J.T. Cooper added two tackles for loss, and junior defensive back Dominic Sais picked off his team-leading fifth pass of the season, while graduate student defensive back D.J. Wolf added his first interception of the campaign.
On the offensive side of the ball, senior quarterback Alex Fromberg accounted for four touchdowns, completing 20-of-37 pass attempts for 203 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, while running for a team-high 77 yards and a score. Junior running back Gage Duesler finished the game with 39 rushing yards and caught three passes for 21 yards and two touchdowns. Senior tight end Dominic Wade added a career-best performance with three catches for 64 yards and a score.
It was also a strong game for the Spartans' offensive line, which did not allow a sack in the contest and helped the team record 350 total yards, including 147 on the ground.
The Spartans were also aided by strong special teams play, particularly from junior Joseph Rhodes V, who helped the team win the field position battle with four punts for an average of 47.2 yards, including three inside the 20-yard line, and a made field goal on his only attempt of the day.
CWRU opened the scoring with an eight-play 74-yard drive to start the game, which included a 32-yard catch-and-run by senior running back Sean-Michael James and a seven-yard touchdown pass from Fromberg to Duesler that put the team ahead 7-0 with 11:08 left in the first quarter. Later in the quarter, Sais intercepted a pass at the Spartan's 39-yard line and returned it to the Westminster 29, and Fromberg connected with Wade for a 29-yard touchdown on the next play, extending the team's lead to 14-0.
A fumble recovery off a muffed punt early in the second quarter set up a short field for the Titans, who scored their only touchdown of the game four plays later, cutting the lead to 14-6 with a missed extra point. The Spartans remained ahead by eight until a 34-yard field goal by Rhodes with 36 seconds left in the half set the score at 17-6 heading into halftime.
CWRU extended its lead further on its first drive of the third quarter, going 65 yards on seven plays and scoring on a six-yard pass from Fromberg to Duesler with 9:16 left in the frame to go ahead 24-6. Fromberg capped off the scoring with a seven-yard touchdown run with 7:55 to play in the game to put the Spartans ahead by 25 and put the game out of reach for the Titans.
The Spartans will be back at DiSanto Field next weekend, hosting Waynesburg University on Saturday, October 21 at 2:00 p.m.