Sept. 10, 2006
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -
By Ken Corbitt, The Capital-Journal
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- With the Washburn career rushing record in sight, Washburn's Trent Hearn saw nothing but a swarm of blue shirts.
Hearn needed 99 yards -- the same total he gained in last week's season opener -- to break Dino DeLisa's school record.
But the senior tailback was the focal point of Western Washington's defense and had to work hard for 68 yards on 22 carries in the No.15 Ichabods' 16-13 loss Saturday.
"It was very frustrating," Hearn said.
"They played pretty physical. I guess they had more riding on the game after they lost last week. They came out hard and we just didn't seem to have a lot of fire at the start."
Hearn's rough day only got worse. On his final carry, he fumbled and Western Washington free safety Steve Davis recovered on the 50.
That set up Robby Smith's game-winning 40-yard field goal with 2.7 seconds remaining.
"Trent ran hard all day," WU coach Craig Schurig said, "but for two weeks now the defense has had a bunch of guys in the box to stop him. Our passing game is there, but we couldn't score enough points today. We need to get the running game going."
Hearn couldn't find yards up the middle and the Vikings' pursuit kept him from getting outside. His longest run was 11 yards.
"We couldn't get to the second level," Hearn said.
"Their outside linebackers were quick and they were filling the gaps. It was just frustrating all day."
Quick kicks
? Fletcher Terrell fumbled the opening kickoff but it was recovered by WU's Bruce Ringwood. Terrell, the All-MIAA return specialist last year, lost a fumble at the end of the first half against Colorado Mines.
? Aaron Gardiner pulled up with an ankle injury on a fourth-quarter reverse but still mangaged to gain 12 yards and a first down on the play.
? Jordan Brill had to leave the game for a few plays in the second quarter when he was shaken up after being hit hard on an incomplete pass. Brandon Walker ran two plays at quarterback to complete the series.
? Western Washington coach Robin Ross picked up his first win. Ross spent more than 30 years as an assistant in Division I-A and the NFL but this is his first head coaching position.
Ichabods fumble away a win
Lost fumble with 1:06 left led to a last-second field goal for Vikings
By Ken Corbitt,The Capital-Journal
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- The mountains and tall trees in Washington provide a beautiful backdrop for football, but Washburn hasn't seen the beauty in two trips to the Great Northwest.
Last year the Ichabods lost their first game of the season in Week 4 at Central Washington, and Week 2 of the 2006 season saw them fall 16-13 at Western Washington on Saturday.
Vikings kicker Robby Smith's third field goal of the game was a 40-yarder with 2.9 seconds on the clock to beat the No. 15 Ichabods. The winning kick came after Washburn tailback Trent Hearn lost a fumble with 1:03 remaining.
"I like the scenery out here but we didn't get it done again," WU coach Craig Schurig said. "It was a different game than last year when we fell so far behind early. Today, we just couldn't get anything going.
"Offensively it was very frustrating. We had some big pass plays but again we couldn't get our running game untracked. We just couldn't get anything working consistently."
Quarterback Jordan Brill completed 15 of 29 passes for 330 yards but only one touchdown and two interceptions. Sam Sissom had seven receptions for 214 yards.
Hearn managed only 68 yards on 22 carries. His fumble came on a second-and-1 from the WU 43 after he had picked up about five yards.
"I thought I was down," Hearn said. "I was trying to get outside and everyone was bunched up. I thought I was down when I lost the ball, but that wasn't how it went."
Smith, who kicked a 33-yard field goal with 2:52 left to tie the score, got a chance after Vikings quarterback James Monrean hit Travis McKee with a 22-yard pass to the WU 46. After a Western Washington timeout, Smith lined up to attempt his game-winner but Schurig called three straight timeouts.
The ploy had no effect on Smith, a sophomore.
"It helped me mentally," Smith said. "My team got me in position and I came through."
The Ichabods trailed only 3-0 at the end of a mistake-filled first half. They had two touchdown plays wiped out by penalties and kept a Viking drive alive with a roughing the punter penalty.
Brill's first interception of the season led to the Vikings' field goal, a 24-yarder by Smith with 2:52 left in the first quarter. The pick set up the Vikings at the WU 47 and they drove to a first-and-goal at the 9, but linebaker Michael Krajicek's break-up of a third-down pass limited the damage to three points.
Washburn self-destructed on its next drive with penalties negating two touchdown passes. Sissom's 42-yard TD catch was wiped out by an illegal block penalty on tight end Ben Ramsey at the 3, and two plays later Jake Lebahn hauled in an 11-yarder in the end zone but he was flagged for offensive pass interference.
Washburn came away empty on the possession when Connor Sabel's 35-yard field goal attempt was short on the first play of the second quarter.
"Even with all our mistakes, we're only down three," Schurig said. "We thought if we came out strong in the second half, we'd be right in it."
And they did. Western Washington went three-and-out, and on WU's second play, Sissom had a 31-yard reception to the 1, then Hearn got the touchdown.
"That was just the start we needed," Schurig said. "We thought we had it rolling."
The teams traded touchdown passes, with the Ichabods regaining a 13-10 lead on Brill's 3-yarder to Ramsey. But the Bods botched the extra point when PAT holder Jarod Tetuan's pass on a fake fell incomplete.
"That was a communication error," Schurig said. "There was no reason to go for two but we had a miscommunication. It ended up being important at the end.
"Western Washington is a young team with talent. The lesson is when you let a young team hang around into the fourth quarter, then it's anybody's game."
