WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The first day of October did not prove welcoming to the Capital University football team as they let a 28-21 lead slip late in the fourth quarter, eventually falling to crosstown rival Otterbein University by a final of 35-28. 

The Comets got strong offense going, particularly in the first half as they led 21-14 by halftime. Those first half touchdowns came courtesy of a 29-yard pass from Trevor Harrison-Rawn to Aralius Walters Jr., a 54-yard pass from Harrison-Rawn to Sam Pickett and a 24-yard pass from Ben Everson to Mike Elmore. 

The third touchdown of the game for the Comets came on the heels of a great defensive play by Jack Blaisdell. The defensive end got up and gobbled up a pass from Otterbein quarterback Kaden Doup leading to great field position for Capital. 

Despite the big plays coming in clutch for the Comets in the first half, Otterbein found their way into the endzone for a score in each of the first two quarters. The first came on the game's opening drive as Doup connected with Pataky in the corner of the endzone. The second came on a five-yard run from Siraj Muhammad in the second quarter. 

After halftime, the Cardinals were able to work their way back into a tie game as Ahjay Cody tied the game on a one-yard score with 8:22 left in the third. 

Capital responded in force as the Comets once again benefited from a huge defensive play by Jack Blaisdell. After Tyler Terrell bombed a 51-yard punt to the Otterbein 15-yard line, a illegal block moved the Cardinals back to their own seven. There, Bost-Floyd mishandled the hand-off from Doup and Blaisdell pounced on the loose ball, setting up the Comets just six yards from the endzone. 

There, Trevor Harrison-Rawn needed just one play to get the Comets back ahead 28-21. Harrison-Rawn connected with Dom Glenn for the score, allowing Tyler Terrell to tack on the extra point with 5:55 left in the third quarter.

After some empty possessions by both teams, the Cardinals found a way to tie the game in the fourth quarter as they capped off a 10-play, 72-yard drive with a 11-yard pass completion from Doup to Armani Burton on fourth down. 

The next drive by the Comets did not go as desired as the kickoff from Caleb Meade pinned Capital on their own three yard line. From there, three straight incomplete passes forced CU to punt. The wind held the ball up at the Capital 30-yard line, giving the Cardinals the ball back with 2:55 left and short field. Seven plays later, the Cardinals got in the endzone on Ahjay Cody's two-yard score, going ahead by seven with just 23 seconds left. 

On the ensuring possession, the Comets ran out of time to respond, with the game going to the Cardinals 35-28. 

THE NUMBERS
Trevor Harrison-Rawn connected 12 passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing one interception. Ben Everson came in for six pass attempts and was good for 32 yards and a score. 

Harrison-Rawn led the rushing game with a net of 37 yards. Drew Engle collected 17 yards on six tries. 

Sam Pickett made two catches for 65 yards and a score. Aralius Walters Jr. ended with four catches for 53 yards and a score. Mike Elmore ended with two catches for 29 yards and a score. Dom Glenn also made two catches for 20 yards and a touchdown. Drew Engle (2), Zach Combs and Tyson Shutler accounted for the other receptions for a combined 22 yards. 

In defense, Griffin McKinney had a career-day as he racked up 14 tackles including a solo sack. He also added a pass break-up. Fellow freshman Quentin Gehm also had a solid day with 10 tackles. Tanner Wollenberg made eight stops. Jack Blaisdell had the aforementioned "big-play" day. He made six tackles and also came up with the fumble recovery and the interception. 

James Curtis, Louie Hoersten, and Balor Appiarius each made five stops. 

Tyler Terrell had a good special teams day as he punted five times for 187 yards. These punts included a long of 51 yards and three that pinned the Cardinals inside their own 20-yard line. He was also 4-for-4 on PAT tries, while kicking off five times for a total of 282 yards which included two touchbacks. 

THE OPPONENT
Kaden Doup was 17-for-30 in passing with 201 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. 

Siraj Muhammad gained 110 yards on the ground including one touchdown. 

Damien Whaley led the receiving corps with seven catches for 64 yards. 

Justin Bartlett made a team-high eight tackles. Max Walden, Colton Doup, and Max Bruckner were just behind with six stops each. 

Caleb Meade was 5-for-5 on PATs but missed a 33-yard field goal try to end the first half. 

UP NEXT
The Comets will take their bye week on October 8th as they prepare for their next contest which will take place on Saturday, October 15th at Bernlohr Stadium as Capital will host Mount Union for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.