(CLEVELAND, Ohio.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team, ranked 13th nationally, headed to Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday to play Case Western Reserve University and left with a share of its 10th Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship in program history. A late surge from Case Western Reserve was held off by the Tartans with a last-minute touchdown to win 37-30 in the 38th Academic Bowl.  

Game Information
Carnegie Mellon 37, Case Western Reserve 30
Records: Carnegie Mellon (9-1, 9-1 PAC), Case Western Reserve (6-4, 6-4 PAC)
Location: Clevland, Ohio (DiSanto Field)

How it Happened

• Carnegie Mellon opened the scoring with a 13-yard scramble for a touchdown from graduate student quarterback Ben Mills, capping a seven-play, 39-yard drive of 3:36 to go ahead 7-0 with 9:58 left in the first quarter.
• Case Western Reserve responded with an eight-play, 78-yard drive of 3:54, concluded by a two-yard dive from graduate student running back Andy Kavcic to level the score at 7-7 at the 5:54 mark.
• Early in the second quarter, the Tartans took the lead behind the leg of junior kicker Justin Caputo, who connected on a 32-yard field goal to set the score at 10-7 with 14:09 left in the half.
• With 2:39 left in the half, Carnegie Mellon once again found the endzone, this time behind the legs of junior quarterback Joey McGinnis IV on a 3-yard dash to the pylon, wrapping up a seven-play, 33-yard drive of 2:57 to extend the lead to 17-7 with 2:41 left in the half.
• On the last play of the half, Spartan sophomore kicker Gabriel Petrozzi connected on a 32-yard field goal to narrow the lead to 17-10 and closed the scoring for the half.
• The Tartans opened the second half with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from McGinnis IV to cap a six-play, 65-yard drive of 2:45 to widen the gap to 24-10 at the 12:11 mark in the third.
• On the ensuing Case Western Reserve offensive drive, a high snap led to a Spartan safety, adding two points to Carnegie Mellon's score and increasing the lead to 26-10 with 10:48 left in the quarter.
• Case Western Reserve responded with a 9-yard touchdown scamper from junior quarterback Aaron Filips, closing a massive nine-play, 80-yard drive of 4:33 to close the gap to 26-16 with 4:43 left in the third quarter.
• The Spartans struck again when Filips scrambled in the pocket to find senior running back Sean-Michael James in the corner of the endzone, capping a nine-play, 65-yard drive of 3:28 to further close the gap to 26-23 with 14:05 left in the game.
• On the following drive, the Tartans answered with a 33-yard field goal from Caputo, finishing a nine-play, 51-yard drive of 2:42 to extend the lead to 29-23 with 11:17 left in the game.
• Case Western Reserve fired back with an 8-yard strike from Filips to junior wide receiver Alec Angello, closing a 13-play, 77-yard drive of 7:05 to take a 30-29 lead with 4:14 left in the game.
• With the clock winding down, the Tartans, after having converted a 4th-and-long earlier in the drive, found the endzone on a two-yard touchdown scamper by Mills, coupled with a two-point completion from Mills to sophomore wide receiver Brendan McCullough. That set the score at 37-30 in favor of the Tartans, with 1:21 left in the game.
• After a four-and-out by the Spartan offense, Carnegie Mellon kneed out the final 1:21 of the game.

Stats

• Case Western Reserve outgained Carnegie Mellon to the tune of 408-370 on 67 and 70 plays, respectively, but the Tartans held the Spartans to 93 yards on the ground.
• For the Tartans, Mills passed for 193 yards on 17-30 completions. He also added 62 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns on the ground.
• Graduate student running back Tre Vasiliadis led the Tartans on the ground with 111 yards on 20 carries.
• Sophomore wide receiver Reece Kolke led the Tartan receiving corps with six catches for 91 yards.
• Tartans linebackers senior Evan Roper, graduate student Robert Coury and graduate student Thomas Coury along with junior defensive back Jacob Franze led the Tartans' defense. Roper had 10 tackles with a sack. Robert Coury had nine tackles with one for loss, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hurry. Thoms Coury and Franze had six tackles a piece.
• Caputo finished the game perfect on PATS connecting on all three attempts and was perfect on field goals as hitting both attempts. on field goals with 2/2.

Game Notes

• The Tartans PAC Championship is the 10th in program history and second under Head Coach Ryan Larsen.
• The Tartans share the PAC Championship with Washington & Jefferson and Grove City, but W&J will earn the conference's Pool-A (automatic) bid into the NCAA Tournament.
• This was the 53rd meeting between the two institutions with Carnegie Mellon leading the all-time series 34-19.
• It was the 38th time playing for the Academic Bowl Trophy, which is more than a trophy, as it emphasizes a "Commitment to Academic and Athletic Excellence," with the Tartans holding a 23-15 all-time advantage.
• The Tartans have now won eight of the last nine over the Spartans.
• Vasiliades turned in his 15th career 100-yard game for the Tartans.
• The Tartans have won 45 straight games when leading after three quarters of play.
• Carnegie Mellon has now held nine of its 10 opponents to under 100 yards rushing.

Thoughts From Head Coach Ryan Larsen

• "I couldn't be prouder of how our guys stuck together and battled for the complete 60 minutes of the game! All three phases stepped up at different times to make huge plays today. We are honored to be both PAC and Academic Bowl Champions and look forward to what is next for the postseason."

Up Next

• Carnegie Mellon will wait to find out if its season continues when the NCAA announces the selections to the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, November 17 at 5:00 p.m. on NCAA.com.