Waynesburg Second-Half Comeback Spoils Scots' Home Opener

Austin Holter, photographed here about to launch a first-half touchdown pass, ended up completing 16-of-28 for 255 yards.

WOOSTER, Ohio – Austin Holter (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) threw three long touchdowns and rushed for another, leading The College of Wooster to a 28-7 halftime lead, but Waynesburg University, led by tailback Robert Heller, turned the tables and then some in the second half, scoring five touchdowns and spoiling the Fighting Scots’ 2007 home debut with a 45-35 comeback victory Saturday afternoon.

It was a wild game, with several big plays throughout, at a humid, overcast John P. Papp Stadium.

Waynesburg (2-0) took its initial lead of the game early in the fourth quarter at 31-28 after a bad snap on a punt attempt resulted in a short field, with Heller running it in two plays later from eight yards out.

Wooster (0-2) answered with its best drive of the second half, marching 59 yards over 12 plays, capped by a Dustin Sheppard (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) one-yard touchdown run to go back ahead (35-31).

On the ensuing kickoff, the Yellow Jackets appeared they may be returning it for a touchdown, but right after the returner crossed midfield, Scot kicker Kevin Friedman (Pepper Pike, Ohio / St. Peter Chanel) forced a fumble and recovered it himself with 7:34 to go.

Wooster attempted to work the clock a little bit, but turned it over on downs when Waynesburg stopped a 4th-and-inches play. The two teams then exchanged punts after neither offense accomplished much over the next two possessions.

It appeared the Yellow Jackets would have one more opportunity, getting the ball back around midfield with a little over two minutes remaining, but it only took them two plays to go the distance. Heller took a swing pass from Kyle Kyper and turned it into a 52-yard touchdown, giving Waynesburg a 38-35 lead.

The Scots then had one more chance, taking over on their own 38-yard line with 1:50 left and all three timeouts. However, penalties on two of the first three plays of the series pushed them back, and they eventually turned the ball over on downs.

Heller added a 28-yard rushing touchdown with :32 left to seal it.

The first half was all Wooster. On the Scots’ second drive, Holter threw a deep ball down the left sideline, which was tipped first by a Yellow Jacket defender and then hauled in by Jordan Ferns (Canfield, Ohio / Canfield) for a 37-yard touchdown.

Waynesburg tied it right back up, when Heller gave a preview of what was to come, getting free down the left sideline for a 30-yard scoring run to complete a five-play, 79-yard drive.

Three offensive plays later, Holter again found Ferns on a deep pass, connecting for a 51-yard touchdown, which completed the scoring in the first quarter.

On the second play of the second quarter, Wooster extended its lead to 21-7 when Holter made another big play, this time a 44-yard touchdown pass to Will Miska (Hillsborough, N.J. / Hillsborough) on 3rd-and-8.

The Scots had another quick drive on their next possession, as they went 63 yards in five plays, with Holter running it in himself from 13 yards out for a three-touchdown advantage.

The Yellow Jackets appeared to blow a golden opportunity to get back in the game late in the first half. First, Heller made his only mistake of the game, fumbling the ball on the Wooster 1-yard line. Waynesburg got it right back on a fumbled pitch by the Scots, but turned it over again on the next play via an interception, and it remained 28-7 at halftime.

Waynesburg, with the assistance of two blocked punts scored three times in the third quarter – a Heller two-yard touchdown run, a Heller 14-yard touchdown run, and a Kyle McBride 27-yard field goal.

Individually for the game, Holter ended up completing 16-of-28 passes for 255 yards and was also the Scots’ leading rusher, netting 21 yards. Ferns had a career-high 117 yards, becoming the first Wooster player to go over 100 receiving yards in 14 games.

Heller ended up with 359 all-purpose yards, including a school-record 277 rushing yards on 46 attempts. He also caught three balls out of the backfield and turned those into 82 yards.

The Scots will have a chance to regroup, as they’re off from competition until Sept. 22, when they travel to Case Western Reserve University (1-0) for the annual Baird Brothers Trophy game.