ASHLAND — In a season of close calls, some good some bad, it’s about time the Ashland University football team enjoyed a healthy spread.
The Eagles controlled Michigan Tech 27-7 on Saturday at Martinelli Field to earn a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory. AU is noww 4-3 overall, 4-1 in the GLIAC.
Five of Ashland’s first six games were decided by single digits, but the Eagles didn’t allow this one to become a seat-squirming affair.
Coach Lee Owens’ squad drove 75 yards in 12 plays, capped by Austin Brenner’s 8-yard TD dash, to take a 7-0 first-quarter edge.
In the second period, Luke Ogi’s 8-yard scoring dash finished an 8-play, 66-yard march for a 14-0 halftime advantage.
The onslaught continued in the third quarter when Satchel Denton drilled a 25-yard field goal to make it 17-0. He tacked on a 23-yard field goal to goose the bulge to 20-0 early in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles put the game away with an 83-yard touchdown drive, capped by Ronald Lee’s 2-yard plunge.
The Huskies (3-5, 1-5) averted the shutout when Will Ark tossed a 10-yard scoring strike to Jordan Janssen with 3:17 remaining in the game.
“Any time you can hold a team scoreless for 58 minutes, you’ve really played well,” Owens said. “We just keep getting better and better on the defensive side of the ball.”
Ogi finished with 105 yards on 15 carries, the first time he’s cracked the century barrier at AU.
“I thought we ran the ball pretty well,” Owens said. “Luke went in and played well.”
Brenner, a redshirt freshman, was 23-for-32 for 198 yards.
“Austin, again, had a good day,” Owens said. “Took care of the football, was accurate with his throws.”
The Eagles return to action next week at Davenport in a noon kickoff, while Michigan Tech travels to Northern Michigan.
