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Football: Centre edges Bluffton 14-9 in season opener

September 02, 2007

BLUFFTON, Ohio - Centre College prevailed in a defensive struggle in its season opener, limiting Bluffton to less than 200 yards in a 14-9 victory Saturday at Salzman Stadium.

Two first-half touchdowns were enough for the Colonels to secure their eighth opening-day victory in the last nine years, as they kept Bluffton out of the end zone for more than 57 minutes.

It was a matchup of two offenses with little experience - Centre returned five starters, Bluffton returned four - and it resulted in just the sort of low-scoring game that Centre coach Andy Frye had anticipated.

"It was what we expected," Frye said. "We knew our offense was going to take a little time."

So Centre's defense carried the day, allowing only 179 yards and sacking Bluffton's quarterbacks five times.

Linebacker Matt Johnson led the charge with 10 solo tackles and 13 assists.

"He was all over the field," Frye said.

Adam Hay had three tackles for losses and 13 total tackles, and fellow linebacker Tyler Boron intercepted a pass in the closing minutes to end Bluffton's final series and seal the victory.

After scoring with 2:46 to play, the Beavers got the ball back with 1:41 left at its own 3-yard line, having been pinned deep in their own territory by Chris Zimmerman's 40-yard punt. On the next play, a pass by Bluffton's Brock Miller was tipped, then picked off by Boron.

Conservative in second half

Centre's offense managed only 202 yards. Running backs Josh Ware and Chase Porter combined for 107 yards and each rushed for a touchdown, and wide receiver Tyler Hinkel caught four passes for 72 yards.

Jarrod Williams, making his first start at quarterback, played all but one series and was 6-for-17 for 79 yards with one interception and one sack.

"Jarrod played well at times," Frye said.

Bluffton (0-1) took a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter, but Centre (1-0) answered immediately with a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by Porter's 6-yard scoring run.

Ware scored on a 7-yard run on Centre's next possession to cap a 16-play, 67-yard drive. Mercer County High School alumnus Jason Chadwick went 2-for-2 on extra-point kicks to give Centre a 14-3 lead.

Frye said the Colonels were more conservative on offense in the second half as they tried to protect their lead and their defense.

"We didn't want to put ourselves in a bad position because our defense was playing so well," he said. "It's always tough to win on the road, especially an opener, so it was a good win."

At Bluffton, Ohio

First Quarter

Bluffton - FG 29 Jonathan Thompson, 3:26.

Centre - Chase Porter 6 run (Jason Chadwick kick), :37.

Second Quarter

Centre - Josh Ware 7 run (Chadwick kick), 7:18.

Fourth Quarter

Bluffton - Joel Sienicki 9 pass from Brock Miller (pass failed), 2:46.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING-Centre, Josh Ware 11-61, Chase Porter 13-46, Aaron Hay 2-4, Jarrod Williams 1-minus 5, Grant Conliffe 3-minus 7. Bluffton, Cameron Campeau 22-43, A.J. Ramthun 8-22, Edward Jackson 3-7, Kyle Coleman 6-minus 2, Brock Miller 9-minus 7.

PASSING-Centre, Williams 6-17-1-79, Conliffe 2-5-0-23. Bluffton, Miller 7-15-1-78, Coleman 5-9-0-38.

RECEIVING-Centre, Tyler Hinkel 4-72, Ware 1-12, Kyle Barnette 1-7, Justin Moore 1-6, Chris Zimmerman 1-5. Bluffton, Joel Sienicki 4-36, Andrew Lovelace 4-35, Mike Brown 3-31, Ramthun 1-14.

CENTRE7700-- 14BLUFFTON3006-- 9CBFirst Downs1014Rushes34-10048-63Passing102116Total Yards202179Comp-Att-Int8-22-112-24-1Fumbles - Lost0-00-0Penalties4-301-7

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