ASHLAND — Lee Owens knew what question awaited him and Ashland University’s veteran coach wasn’t going to duck it.
“I screwed up,” Owens said as he began his postgame remarks after the 15th-ranked Eagles dropped a 21-17 heart-breaker to No. 4 Indiana (Pa.) on Thursday at Jack Miller Stadium. “We should have gone for two.”
Trailing 21-10 midway through the fourth, AU pieced together an 11-play, 74 yard drive that included a pair of long fourth-down conversions. Luke Ogi capped the march with a 21 yard run to cut the Crimson Hawks’ advantage to 21-16 with 4:25 remaining.
Instead of attempting a two-point conversion to potentially make it a three-point difference, Owens sent kicker Satchel Denton onto the field for the PAT.
“We got caught up in the excitement of that score. We had 10 coaches in the box with a chart in front of them and we all missed it,” Owens said. “As we were getting ready to kick it, I knew it right then.”
The decision turned out to be a critical one as the Eagles forced a three-and-out on the Crimson Hawks’ ensuing possession. AU took control of the ball at its own 35 with 3:12 remaining. The Eagles moved the ball to the Indiana 31 yard line but couldn’t convert on fourth down.
“That was a big coaching mistake. It maybe changes how we approach the hurry-up offense,” Owens said. “That’s on me. I apologized to the team for that. It can’t happen.”
The loss tempered an impressive performance against one of the top teams in Division II. The Crimson Hawks advanced to the national semifinals last year.
“I was impressed with the fight of the players,” Owens said. “I thought we played a physical football game and that was the goal.
“I think we found out a lot about our football team, particularly offensively. When you play one of the best teams in the country, it’s going to reveal who you are.”
Quarterback Billy Bahl, a transfer from Division I Miami (Ohio), completed 15 of 21 passes for 115 yards in his AU debut. Bahl was sacked five times behind the most inexperienced offensive line in Owens’ 15 year tenure.
“It’s a big adjustment for him but for the most part I thought he managed things pretty well out there,” Owens said of Bahl. “He kept his composure and gave us a chance. He’s got a high ceiling. I think he’s got a chance to be pretty good.”
The highlight of the night offensively was AU’s running game. The Eagles piled up 216 yards on the ground. Andrew Vaughn led the way with 133 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
“We game-planned to come out running,” said Vaughn, a graduate of nearby Black River High School. “Our offensive line responded really well. They were coming off the ball hard and we really ran the ball well.”
Ashland’s defense limited the Crimson Hawks to 353 yards of total offense. Dual threat quarterback Lenny Williams completed 19 of 28 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns, all to Ricky Rogers. Williams led the way with 63 rushing yards.
“He’s a great player. He’s a fifth-year guy and he’s been through it,” said AU linebacker Clay Shreve, who had a game-high 10 tackles. “We had a good game plan and played well. We just didn’t make the play when we needed to.”
The Eagles dropped last year’s opener to the Crimson Hawks before reeling off 11 straight wins. AU won a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crown and advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs.
“We’ve been through this before. We’ll get it figured out,” Owens said. “We’ll coach better and have a better plan.”
