BEXLEY – The Wilmington College football team committed five turnovers Saturday in dropping their Ohio Athletic Conference opener to Capital, 34-21, at Bernlohr Stadium.
"Today's game showed us who we were," said Wilmington head coach Stacey Hairston. "The guys played very physical. We gave up 300 yards rushing, but that is what they do. I'm not overly disappointed, but there are some things that we have to straighten out.
"We are going through what I expected," Hairston continued. "You have to go through a learning curve. You hope to gets some wins while going through the learning curve. We need to learn how to win; learn how to prepare through the week."
Adding insult to injury, two of Wilmington's miscues came in the redzone, and one of them was return 93 yards for a touchdown on the first drive of the game. For the game, the Fightin' Quakers converted just two of their five redzone opportunities.
In addition to the turnovers, Hairston pointed to the nine penalties for 114 yards as a sign of "immaturity".
Sophomore Chase Manica (Shelbyville, KY/Shelby County) gained a career-high 119 yards on 19 carries, becoming the first Wilmington running back to eclipse the 100-yard plateau since Marc Otte on October 9, 2010. He helped lead a rushing attack that finished with 261 yards on the ground.
It was the first time Wilmington has gained over 200 yards in a game since reaching 211 yards against John Carroll on October 3, 2009, and the most yards in a game since tallying 272 yards against Heidelberg on November 1, 2008.
Both quarterbacks sophomore Austin Jarbo (Gratis, OH/Preble Shawnee) and freshmanBrandon Mitchell (Pittsburgh, PA/Fox Chapel) each recorded rushing touchdowns for Wilmington. Jarbo finished with 63 yards on eight carries, while Mitchell added 47 yards on 11 carries in his first extended action of the season. Mitchell finished 8-of-10 passing with 135 yards and one touchdown for the Fightin' Quakers.
Junior Jeremy Duncan (Cincinnati, OH/Archbishop Moeller) hauled in four passes for 74 yards and one touchdown, while junior Justin Lee (Middletown, OH/Madison) recorded a team-high six receptions for 69 yards.
After Capital took the lead with the pick-six, Wilmington retaliated with a drive of its own. Mitchell capped the 16-play, 85-yard drive with a two-yard rush on fourth down. Three of WC's five third-down conversions came on that drive.
Capital added another score to take a 14-7 lead, and then both teams traded fumbles by the quarterbacks. Junior Jacob Fugate (Yellow Springs, OH/Yellow Springs) recovered Capital's fumble at midfield. The Fightin' Quakers capitalized on the Crusaders' miscue by traveling 50 yards on eight plays for the tying score, a five-yard run by Jarbo.
Wilmington kept CU off the board on the ensuing drive with a blocked field goal. However, they couldn't capitalize on the momentum, and eventually punted the ball away. Capital took the lead they wouldn't relinquish on a 2-yard plunge with less than a minute remaining in the first half.
Juniors Tarrell Starckey (Richmond, VA/Highland Springs) and Nick Williams (Cleveland, OH/Fairview) finished with 10 tackles each. Fugate ended the game with five tackles, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, while sophomore Brent Rountree (Ocala, FL/Vanguard) also tallied a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
Junior Linden Ayoki (Cincinnati, OH/LaSalle) added a sack for Wilmington.
Wilmington (0-2 overall, 0-1 OAC) comes home for the first time this season 7 p.m. Saturday, September 27, hosting Otterbein. It will be Community Day at Williams Stadium, and Wilmington will also honor – by decade – every player to done a Quaker uniform during their 100 seasons of existence.