PAINESVILLE — Nationally-ranked Ashland dodged a bullet Saturday.
Quarterback Austin Brenner threw a pair of second-half touchdown passes to Logan Bolin and the Eagles avoided the upset with a 31-23 win over Lake Erie at Jack Britt Memorial Stadium.
AU (8-1, 6-1 Great Midwest Athletic Conference) trailed 23-17 when Brenner connected with Bolin on a 14-yard scoring strike with 10:07 remaining in the third quarter. A.J. Rhodes’ extra-point gave the Eagles a 24-23 lead.
Brenner hooked up with Bolin again midway through the fourth on a 9-yard TD pass, giving AU a 31-23 advantage with 7:32 remaining. The Storm (3-7, 3-5) drove deep into Ashland territory on their ensuing possession, but quarterback Gerald Gardner’s pass for Jovohn Tucker fell incomplete on fourth-and-10 from the AU 18.
The Eagles regained possession with 5:15 remaining and ran out the clock to preserve the win. AU picked up four first downs on the clock-killing drive, including a fourth-down conversion near midfield with less than two minutes remaining on a 7-yard run by Larry Martin.
Brenner completed 12-of-20 passes in blustery conditions for 179 yards and three touchdowns. Garrett Turnbaugh had four catches for 62 yards, including a 20 yard touchdown in the second quarter that tied the game at 10-10. Martin rushed for 226 yards and a touchdown on 40 carries. Eli Potts added 56 yards on 11 carries.
Safety Justin Moore led the AU defense with five tackles and a sack.
Gardner threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns on 19-for-32 passing. Peyton Brown led the Storm with six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. Nate Dantley had six receptions for 97 yards.
The Eagles will close out the regular season at 1 p.m. Nov. 12 against Kentucky Wesleyan at AU’s Jack Miller Stadium. A win would give Ashland at least a share of the GMAC title.
