O'Brien's Career Day Leads Bears Past Rhodes, 23-0

RHODES-WASHU BOX

St. Louis, Mo., October 3, 2009 – Junior Jim O’Brien rushed for a career-high 146 yards and eclipsed 1,000 yards for his career to lead the Washington University in St. Louis football team to a 23-0 victory over Rhodes College on Saturday afternoon at Francis Field in St. Louis, Mo.

Washington University, which evened its record at 2-2, returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 10, at No. 12 ranked Wabash College. Game time is set for 1 p.m. (ET) in Crawfordsville, Ind. Rhodes dropped its third-straight game to fall to 2-3.

Washington U. struck first in the opening quarter as O’Brien scored from two-yards to make it 7-0. The two-yard carry for O’Brien pushed him over 1,000-yard mark for his career. He had a 37-yard run earlier in the drive that set up the TD score.

The Bears took advantage of a short field late in the first quarter after a fake punt by Rhodes was unsuccessful. Junior quarterback Stephen Sherman found sophomore Easton Knott streaking down the middle of the field for a 27-yard touchdown reception to make it 14-0.

Senior defensive back Tim Machan led the defensive unit in the first half with six tackles and an interception, the 10th of his career. WU’s defense allowed 135 yards of total offense in the opening 30 minutes of play, including forcing four punts. O’Brien had 78 yards on nine carries in the first half.

The Bears put together a seven-play, 76-yard drive midway through the third quarter to put the game out of reach. WU picked up all 76 yards on the ground, including a one-yard plunge by senior Greg Lachaud for the touchdown. The key play in the drive was a 38-yard run by junior wide receiver Tom Gulyas on a reverse.

Sophomore Brandon Rogalski nailed a 29-yard field goal with 3:20 left in the contest to round out the scoring. It was the Bears’ first field goal in seven games dating back to last season.

Washington U. had a 378-273 advantage in total offense, including a season-high 222 yards on the ground. Sherman was 11-for-17 for 113 yards and touchdown, while Knott had two receptions for 55 yards and a TD. Washington University also had a 33:39-26:21 advantage in time of possession.

The Bears’ defense forced six punts in the victory, and allowed just 78 yards rushing. Washington U., who entered the game ranked fourth in Division III in third-down efficiency at 16.7 percent, held Rhodes to 5-of-16 on third downs. Machan led the defense with eight tackles, while juniors Kyle Huber and Greg Larson added seven stops. Washington U. had a season-high four interceptions in the win.

Sophomore Austin Morman continued his consistent punting averaging 43.2 yards per kick, including a season-long 56 yard punt. Morman leads the conference and is 35th in Division III averaging 39.8 yards per punt.

Bear Notebook: Washington U. picked up its first shutout since Sept. 6, 2008, a span of 13 games … Rhodes leads the all-time series against Washington U., 23-22-1 … Senior co-captain Matt Glenn saw action in the fourth quarter, his first since the season-opening loss to Greenville … The Bears improved to 45-8 since 1999 when rushing for more yardage than its opponent.