[Careless Whisper]

Tartans Red-Hot in Second Half, Beat Up Bobcats, 49-26
CMU sophomore quarterback Gerald Culver accounts for six touchdowns (5 pass, 1 rush) in return to MAC action



CMU wide receiver Travis Sledge finds space between two Ohio defenders to catch this first-quarter touchdown. (Ashley Black / Getty Images)

by Alicia Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- In a de facto elimination contest for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division title, Carnegie Mellon outscored Ohio, 28-6, in the second half to come away with a 49-26 victory over the Bobcats from Gesling Stadium.

Both Carnegie Mellon (5-5, 5-1 MAC) and Ohio (4-5, 3-2 MAC) entered the afternoon with one conference loss each, as they chase No. 25 and MAC-unbeaten Kent State in the standings. Bobcats runningback Vince Davidson became the first runningback since Maryland’s Da’Rel Scott on Nov. 14, 2009 to rush for over 200 yards against the Tartans, but the hosts withstood Davidson’s efforts thanks to a six-touchdown performance from new starting quarterback Gerald Culver.

“I’m really happy with our team after this one,” said CMU head coach Jules Nottingham. “We weren’t perfect by any means, but I thought our pass game was the best it showed all season, and our defense really buckled down in the second half. Gerald (Culver) had a lot riding on his shoulders after he earned the starting nod this week, and he excelled and never let it go to his head. This was a big game and one we had to have if we want to reach our goals this season.”

It took just 52 seconds for CMU to strike as, after an Ohio three-and-out, Kelvin Butler brought back the ensuing punt 72 yards to paydirt. The Bobcats responded with a Matt Schulte 36-yard field goal, but on their next drive Mark Toth forced a fumble on Davidson and it was recovered by Zac Hood on the visitors’ 18-yard line. On the next play, Culver threw his first of five touchdown passes by connecting with Travis Sledge to make it 14-3.

Ohio tacked on another field goal to cut into the deficit, then Davidson made up for his fumble in a big way by breaking away with a stiff-arm of Erik Sellers for an 88-yard touchdown to make it 14-13. The Bobcats then forced a red zone interception of Culver, and followed that up with a 10-play, 85-yard drive that concluded with another Davidson score. Ohio’s lead would only hold for 51 seconds however, as Culver came back and led a quick six-play, 71-yard drive that ended in a 29-yard strike to Eddie Williams with 12 seconds remaining in the half.

Culver carried that momentum into the Tartans’ first drive of the second half, finding Lawrence McIntire wide open on a wheel route for a 47-yard touchdown to make it 28-20. Davidson answered for the Bobcats with another long touchdown run – this one of 46 yards – but the two-point pass failed and kept CMU ahead. Williams then made a brilliant diving catch on fourth down to extend the Tartans next drive, and the hosts cashed in when Culver fooled the defense on the option and scored from 22 yards out.

Looking to take full control of the game, the Tartans defense bent on Ohio’s next trip but didn’t break, forcing an incompletion on fourth down to regain possession. That led to another touchdown drive on offense, with Culver finding Nate Satele out of the backfield for a 37-yard score to push the advantage to 42-26. Sellers then stripped LaVon Brazill after a catch to give CMU a chance at securing the win, and it did just that with Culver’s fifth touchdown pass – an 18-yard strike to Butler with 11:32 remaining.

Culver threw for 319 yards on 16-of-26 passing with the aforementioned five touchdowns, adding 53 yards on 13 carries and a score on the ground. Williams was his top target once again, finishing with six receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown.

Davidson finished with 224 yards and three scores on 27 carries for the Bobcats.

Carnegie Mellon will enjoy a bye next week before returning to action on Saturday, Nov. 19 for Senior Day against Western Michigan.

Ohio Bobcats at Carnegie Mellon Tartans
Nov 5, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Ohio Bobcats (4-5, 3-2 MAC)	6	14	6	0	26
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (5-5, 5-1 MAC)	14	7	21	7	49

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		OHIO	CMU
14:08	(CMU) Kelvin Butler 72-yard punt return (Jon Foster kick)	0	7
8:34	(OHIO) Matt Schulte 36-yard field goal	3	7
6:04	(CMU) Gerald Culver 18-yard pass to Travis Sledge (Jon Foster kick)	3	14
0:43	(OHIO) Matt Schulte 38-yard field goal	6	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		OHIO	CMU
12:27	(OHIO) Vince Davidson 88-yard run (Matt Schulte kick)	13	14
1:03	(OHIO) Vince Davidson 3-yard run (Matt Schulte kick)	20	14
0:12	(CMU) Gerald Culver 29-yard pass to Eddie Williams (Jon Foster kick)	20	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		OHIO	CMU
13:30	(CMU) Gerald Culver 47-yard pass to Lawrence McIntire (Jon Foster kick)	20	28
11:39	(OHIO) Vince Davidson 46-yard run (pass failed)	26	28
7:19	(CMU) Gerald Culver 22-yard run (Jon Foster kick)	26	35
0:06	(CMU) Gerald Culver 37-yard pass to Nate Satele (Jon Foster kick)	26	42
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		OHIO	CMU
11:32	(CMU) Gerald Culver 18-yard pass to Kelvin Butler (Jon Foster kick)	26	49

Ohio Bobcats PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brian Sweeney 14/26 203 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Vince Davidson 27 224 8.2 3 Brian Sweeney 6 5 0.8 0 Bryan Harris 3 2 0.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD LaVon Brazill 5 76 15.1 0 Jahan Olyaie 3 52 17.3 0 Matt Wade 1 22 22.0 0 Andrew Ross 1 13 13.0 0 David Ellerbee 1 12 12.0 0 Vince Davidson 1 11 11.0 0 Mark Jefferson 1 8 8.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt Roberts 9 1 0 0 Bobby Armstrong 8 0 0 0 Billy Gonzales 6 0 0 0 Jerome Zeppuhar 5 0 0 0 Kyle Crawford 5 0 0 0 Andrew Ross 3 1 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Matt Schulte 2/2 2/2 8 38 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Matt Schulte 2 83 41.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD LaVon Brazill 5 90 18.0 0 Jahan Olyaie 2 45 22.5 0 Mark Veach 1 13 13.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jahan Olyaie 1 5 5.0 0 Matt Wade 1 0 0.0 0

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Gerald Culver 16/26 319 5 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Gerald Culver 13 53 4.0 1 Nate Satele 8 26 3.2 0 Lawrence McIntire 12 15 1.2 0 Kelvin Butler 2 13 6.5 0 Eddie Williams 2 5 2.5 0 Kyle Holland 1 4 4.0 0 Brandon Brewer 1 1 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Eddie Williams 6 118 19.6 1 Travis Sledge 5 65 13.0 1 Kelvin Butler 3 52 17.3 1 Lawrence McIntire 1 47 47.0 1 Nate Satele 1 37 37.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD David Brown 8 1 0 0 Mark Toth 7 0 0 0 Zac Hood 5 1 0 0 P.J. Ryan 5 0 0 0 Charlie Cohen 5 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jon Foster 0/0 7/7 7 -- PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Andy Fitzhugh 3 125 41.6 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Kelvin Butler 4 80 20.0 0 Kyle Holland 2 49 24.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Kelvin Butler 2 73 36.5 1