LIBERTY, Mo. – The Ohio Dominican football team hit the road for the first time in 2021 and a 425-yard and 35-point first half pushed the Panthers to a 35-25 triumph at William Jewell Saturday afternoon.

After dropping their season opener, the Panthers improve to 2-1 this fall with the win on Saturday. ODU has now won seven consecutive road games. William Jewell dropped its 16th consecutive game and fell to 0-3 in 2021.

BOX SCORE NOTES

• A strong first half led the Panthers to 506 yards on 68 offensive plays. In comparison, WJC ran 91 plays in the game for 433 yards.
• Evan Ernst (Mason, Ohio) completed 26-of-40 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns.
• Saturday marked Ernst's first 300-yard game since Nov. 3, 2018 against Ky. Wesleyan.
• All three of Ernst's touchdown tosses went for 13 or more yards.
• ODU averaged 5.4 yards per carry on the ground, a rushing attack spearheaded by Travis Whittaker (Gahanna, Ohio) and Frederick Pitts V (Huber Heights, Ohio).
• Whittaker rushed 16 times for 99 yards and one score. The sophomore also caught two passes for 49 yards.
• Pitts averaged 7.0 yards per carry, gaining 56 yards on just eight attempts, while also finding the end zone once.
• James Morgan (Columbus, Ohio) led a balanced receiving attack with five catches for 97 yards and one touchdown.
• Drysten Crallie (Columbus, Ohio) tied for the team high with a personal-best five receptions.
• Leading the defense with nine tackles was Dauson Dales (Defiance, Ohio).
• Jaylin Garner (Shaker Heights, Ohio) registered three sacks, becoming the first Panther to do so since Di'Andre Harrison at Malone in 2016.
• Jayden Hill (Gahanna, Ohio) and Dante Abrams (Maple Heights, Ohio) each added seven or more tackles as well.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Panthers scored on all four of their first quarter offensive possessions, including the first play of the game, as Ernst and Morgan connected on a 75-yard touchdown.
• ODU had 10 first downs on 18 first quarter plays and with 296 yards of offense, led 28-10 after 15 minutes of play.
• Whittaker and Pitts both found pay dirt in the opening quarter, while DeAndre Clark (Dover, Ohio) caught a 25-yard scoring throw from Ernst on the final play of the period.
• William Jewell closed its deficit to 11 points in the second quarter, 28-17, but with less than 15 seconds remaining before halftime, Ernst's third scoring toss found Ty Wiley (Pickerington, Ohio) in the back left corner of the end zone.
• Ohio Dominican had 425 offensive yards and 16 first downs over the first 30 minutes and led 35-17 at the intermission.
• Neither side could add to their total in the third quarter, leaving the score at 35-17 heading into the final 15-minute period.
• Despite only four first downs in the second half, ODU was able to rely on its defense, which conceded just eight points to secure the win.
• The Cardinals had possession near midfield with two minutes to play and down 10, but Abrams made a stop on fourth down to give ODU the ball and the opportunity to run out the rest of the clock.

UP NEXT

• The second week of the G-MAC and GLVC crossover will have ODU hit the road again, this time traveling to Indianapolis.
• The Panthers and #12/10 Greyhounds are slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff, Saturday, Sept. 25.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu