Season 5, Game 11: Carnegie Mellon at Kent State
Injuries, Late Score Dash Tartans’ Undefeated MAC Mark
Brock Fitzhenry’s five-yard score with 35 seconds remaining to an end to Carnegie Mellon’s unbeaten run in the MAC
CMU cornerback Rob Jones ran this interception back 60 yards to give the Tartans a 23-20 fourth-quarter lead. (Mark Frazier / Getty Images)
by Jayson Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter
KENT, Ohio -- Carnegie Mellon saw its perfect run in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play come to an end this afternoon, as Kent State used a five-yard touchdown run by Brock Fitzhenry with 35 seconds remaining to shock the previously MAC East-leading Tartans, 27-23, this afternoon from Dix Stadium.
Carnegie Mellon (7-4, 6-1 MAC) used three quarterbacks and made up a 20-2 deficit thanks to a pair of return touchdowns, only to see Kent State (7-4, 5-2 MAC) pounce on a late muffed punt and use three first downs to set up Fitzhenry’s game-winning score in the closing stages. With the defeat and Akron’s 28-20 win at Ohio on Wednesday, the Tartans fall into a first-place tie with the Zips in the MAC East and need a victory at Buffalo and an Akron loss to the Golden Flashes next week in order to secure a second consecutive MAC Championship Game berth.
“I thought we showed a lot of fight with Justin (Keyes) going down right away and struggling from there offensively,” said CMU head coach John Elliott. “It’s obviously tough playing without your captain against a team as good as Kent State, and not having Justin forced us to basically be perfect. We did well to come all the way back from that deficit and I don’t want to put the blame on any one guy on why we lost. I needed to be better as a coach, and we needed to make more plays as a team. It was almost an impossible situation and yet we still pulled it out. That’s not to say we’re taking a moral victory away from this, we’re clearly frustrated and now need some help to achieve our preseason goal.”
CMU lost senior captain Justin Keyes on its second drive, as he was slammed to the turf on an option keeper and departed holding his non-throwing shoulder. The Tartans punted it two plays later, but ended up with two points as a KSU player touched the ball trying to keep Travis Sledge from downing it inside the five, and ultimately had to fall on it in the end zone. Kevin Wilson entered the game for Keyes and was picked off by Monte Simmons dropping into coverage from his defensive end position, setting up a short field for Giorgio Morgan, who scrambled in from four yards out to cap a six-play drive.
The Golden Flashes made it 10-2 with a Kevin Mays field goal finishing a 10-play drive, and Wilson nearly had an answer with a 28-yard connection to David Young, only to see the junior tight end fumble it back to the hosts at the one-yard line. KSU then saw two of its starters leave the game with injuries, as Jacob Barnett dislocated his shoulder and Morgan left with broken ribs following a hit from Mark Toth. John Estes entered and converted a pair of third downs to keep the drive alive, only for him to depart briefly with a shoulder issue and forcing third-string Chris Moore into the game. Moore finished the 14-play drive with a 44-yard field goal from Mays to make it 13-2.
That looked to be halftime score, but Wilson missed Eddie Williams on an overthrow and found Golden Flashes safety Greg Fletcher instead. Moore then hooked up with Jay Robbins on a 46-yard deep ball to set up another Mays field goal attempt, only for Aaron Crosby to bust through and deflect the kick to keep the score as is.
Wilson’s struggles continued to begin the third quarter, as he missed a wide-open Williams on third down to force a punt. Estes checked back into the game and made an immediate impact, pitching it on the option to Fitzhenry, who raced 73 yards untouched to make it 20-2. Bobby Magnum tried to swing momentum in the visitors’ favor with an interception off a tipped pass, only for Wilson to toss his third pick of the day two plays later. That forced Elliott into another quarterback swap as he burned the redshirt of freshman third-stringer Gerald Culver, and Culver led the Tartans on a pair of drives that ended in Jon Foster field goals to cut the deficit to 20-8 entering the fourth quarter.
In between Culver’s scoring drives were a pair of KSU turnovers, as Rob Jones stripped Estes on a sack and fell on the loose ball, and Hayden Temple snagged an errant pass following Foster’s first field goal. The defense then forced a three-and-out, and a line drive punt gave Kelvin Butler plenty of space to work with, as the Randy Moss Award favorite added an 85-yard touchdown to his resume to cut the gap to 20-15. David Brown followed that up with his third sack of the day to force another Golden Flashes punt, only for a flag to be thrown for taunting to give the hosts another lifeline. That was short-lived however, as Jones jumped an Estes pass in the flat and ran 60 yards to paydirt to give the Tartans their first lead since the 5:41 mark of the first quarter. Culver scrambled into the end zone on the ensuing two-point play to make it 23-20 with 10:26 to play.
The offenses traded four three-and-outs following Jones’ pick six, and Andy Fitzhugh pinned KSU inside its own 10 with 1:48 remaining. Matt Burnsides seemed to seal the game with a sack three plays later, but Butler took off before corralling the ensuing punt and the Golden Flashes jumped on the muff to gain a second lifeline at their own 49. Estes led the hosts down the field with a pair of first-down throws and a 19-yard scramble, setting up Fitzhenry for a five-yard plunge on third and goal to put KSU ahead 27-23. CMU’s desperation drive lasted a single play as Culver overthrew Issac Schroeder for an interception, which marked the team’s sixth turnover of the day.
Without Keyes, the Tartans only managed 191 yards of total offense with just 13 of them coming on the ground. KSU, meanwhile, compiled 385 yards of total offense between its three quarterbacks with Fitzhenry’s 120-yard rushing performance spearheading the unit.
Wilson finished 6-of-18 passing for 108 yards and three interceptions, while Culver accumulated 39 yards through the air on 4-of-8 passing.
Carnegie Mellon concludes the regular season next Saturday, November 27 at Buffalo.
Injuries, Late Score Dash Tartans’ Undefeated MAC Mark
Brock Fitzhenry’s five-yard score with 35 seconds remaining to an end to Carnegie Mellon’s unbeaten run in the MAC
CMU cornerback Rob Jones ran this interception back 60 yards to give the Tartans a 23-20 fourth-quarter lead. (Mark Frazier / Getty Images)
by Jayson Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter
KENT, Ohio -- Carnegie Mellon saw its perfect run in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play come to an end this afternoon, as Kent State used a five-yard touchdown run by Brock Fitzhenry with 35 seconds remaining to shock the previously MAC East-leading Tartans, 27-23, this afternoon from Dix Stadium.
Carnegie Mellon (7-4, 6-1 MAC) used three quarterbacks and made up a 20-2 deficit thanks to a pair of return touchdowns, only to see Kent State (7-4, 5-2 MAC) pounce on a late muffed punt and use three first downs to set up Fitzhenry’s game-winning score in the closing stages. With the defeat and Akron’s 28-20 win at Ohio on Wednesday, the Tartans fall into a first-place tie with the Zips in the MAC East and need a victory at Buffalo and an Akron loss to the Golden Flashes next week in order to secure a second consecutive MAC Championship Game berth.
“I thought we showed a lot of fight with Justin (Keyes) going down right away and struggling from there offensively,” said CMU head coach John Elliott. “It’s obviously tough playing without your captain against a team as good as Kent State, and not having Justin forced us to basically be perfect. We did well to come all the way back from that deficit and I don’t want to put the blame on any one guy on why we lost. I needed to be better as a coach, and we needed to make more plays as a team. It was almost an impossible situation and yet we still pulled it out. That’s not to say we’re taking a moral victory away from this, we’re clearly frustrated and now need some help to achieve our preseason goal.”
CMU lost senior captain Justin Keyes on its second drive, as he was slammed to the turf on an option keeper and departed holding his non-throwing shoulder. The Tartans punted it two plays later, but ended up with two points as a KSU player touched the ball trying to keep Travis Sledge from downing it inside the five, and ultimately had to fall on it in the end zone. Kevin Wilson entered the game for Keyes and was picked off by Monte Simmons dropping into coverage from his defensive end position, setting up a short field for Giorgio Morgan, who scrambled in from four yards out to cap a six-play drive.
The Golden Flashes made it 10-2 with a Kevin Mays field goal finishing a 10-play drive, and Wilson nearly had an answer with a 28-yard connection to David Young, only to see the junior tight end fumble it back to the hosts at the one-yard line. KSU then saw two of its starters leave the game with injuries, as Jacob Barnett dislocated his shoulder and Morgan left with broken ribs following a hit from Mark Toth. John Estes entered and converted a pair of third downs to keep the drive alive, only for him to depart briefly with a shoulder issue and forcing third-string Chris Moore into the game. Moore finished the 14-play drive with a 44-yard field goal from Mays to make it 13-2.
That looked to be halftime score, but Wilson missed Eddie Williams on an overthrow and found Golden Flashes safety Greg Fletcher instead. Moore then hooked up with Jay Robbins on a 46-yard deep ball to set up another Mays field goal attempt, only for Aaron Crosby to bust through and deflect the kick to keep the score as is.
Wilson’s struggles continued to begin the third quarter, as he missed a wide-open Williams on third down to force a punt. Estes checked back into the game and made an immediate impact, pitching it on the option to Fitzhenry, who raced 73 yards untouched to make it 20-2. Bobby Magnum tried to swing momentum in the visitors’ favor with an interception off a tipped pass, only for Wilson to toss his third pick of the day two plays later. That forced Elliott into another quarterback swap as he burned the redshirt of freshman third-stringer Gerald Culver, and Culver led the Tartans on a pair of drives that ended in Jon Foster field goals to cut the deficit to 20-8 entering the fourth quarter.
In between Culver’s scoring drives were a pair of KSU turnovers, as Rob Jones stripped Estes on a sack and fell on the loose ball, and Hayden Temple snagged an errant pass following Foster’s first field goal. The defense then forced a three-and-out, and a line drive punt gave Kelvin Butler plenty of space to work with, as the Randy Moss Award favorite added an 85-yard touchdown to his resume to cut the gap to 20-15. David Brown followed that up with his third sack of the day to force another Golden Flashes punt, only for a flag to be thrown for taunting to give the hosts another lifeline. That was short-lived however, as Jones jumped an Estes pass in the flat and ran 60 yards to paydirt to give the Tartans their first lead since the 5:41 mark of the first quarter. Culver scrambled into the end zone on the ensuing two-point play to make it 23-20 with 10:26 to play.
The offenses traded four three-and-outs following Jones’ pick six, and Andy Fitzhugh pinned KSU inside its own 10 with 1:48 remaining. Matt Burnsides seemed to seal the game with a sack three plays later, but Butler took off before corralling the ensuing punt and the Golden Flashes jumped on the muff to gain a second lifeline at their own 49. Estes led the hosts down the field with a pair of first-down throws and a 19-yard scramble, setting up Fitzhenry for a five-yard plunge on third and goal to put KSU ahead 27-23. CMU’s desperation drive lasted a single play as Culver overthrew Issac Schroeder for an interception, which marked the team’s sixth turnover of the day.
Without Keyes, the Tartans only managed 191 yards of total offense with just 13 of them coming on the ground. KSU, meanwhile, compiled 385 yards of total offense between its three quarterbacks with Fitzhenry’s 120-yard rushing performance spearheading the unit.
Wilson finished 6-of-18 passing for 108 yards and three interceptions, while Culver accumulated 39 yards through the air on 4-of-8 passing.
Carnegie Mellon concludes the regular season next Saturday, November 27 at Buffalo.
| Carnegie Mellon Tartans at Kent State Golden Flashes | |||||
| Nov 20, 2010 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Carnegie Mellon Tartans (7-4, 6-1 MAC) | 2 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 23 |
| Kent State Golden Flashes (7-4, 5-2 MAC) | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Scoring Summary | |||
| FIRST QUARTER SCORING | CMU | KENT | |
| 5:41 | (CMU) Safety; Kent State recovers muffed punt in end zone | 2 | 0 |
| 1:22 | (KENT) Giorgio Morgan 4-yard run (Kevin Mays kick) | 2 | 7 |
| SECOND QUARTER SCORING | CMU | KENT | |
| 6:21 | (KENT) Kevin Mays 28-yard field goal | 2 | 10 |
| 0:43 | (KENT) Kevin Mays 44-yard field goal | 2 | 13 |
| THIRD QUARTER SCORING | CMU | KENT | |
| 14:01 | (KENT) Brock Fitzhenry 73-yard run (Kevin Mays kick) | 2 | 20 |
| 5:54 | (CMU) Jon Foster 43-yard field goal | 5 | 20 |
| 1:55 | (CMU) Jon Foster 34-yard field goal | 8 | 20 |
| FOURTH QUARTER SCORING | CMU | KENT | |
| 14:47 | (CMU) Kelvin Butler 85-yard punt return (Jon Foster kick) | 15 | 20 |
| 10:26 | (CMU) Rob Jones 60-yard interception return (Gerald Culver run) | 23 | 20 |
| 0:35 | (KENT) Brock Fitzhenry 5-yard run (Kevin Mays kick) | 23 | 27 |
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