Tigers close season with win at home

Monday, November 10, 2008
DePauw wide receiver Bryan Mulligan goes up for a catch during Saturday's game with Rhodes. Mulligan caught 11 balls for 118 yards and a score in the 28-12 win.

Junior quarterback Spud Dick completed 32-of-38 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns and became DePauw's all-time passing leader in a 28-12 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference win over visiting Rhodes on a cold and blustery day at Blackstock Stadium.

The Tigers improved to 7-2 overall and finished SCAC play with a 5-2 record and no worse than a second-place finish. Rhodes dropped to 3-6 overall and 1-5 in the conference.

Dick, who established DePauw's total offense record last Saturday, broke the school's career mark of 6,035 yards held by Jeff Voris (1986-89) and now has totaled 6,300 yards.

DePauw wasted little time in reaching paydirt as it took the opening kickoff and marched 62 yards in eight plays in 3:14 with Dick tossing a 25-yard scoring pass to Bryan Mulligan.

After recovering a Rhodes fumbled punt return at the Lynx 35, DePauw made it 14-0 with 2:48 left in the first on Jon Ellis' 4-yard run. Ellis scored from one yard out with 2:16 remaining in the first half which extended the lead to 21-0.

The Lynx, which had just one first down prior to the final series of the half, closed the gap to 21-6 on Matt Gilbert's 2-yard run with 51 seconds remaining in the half.

With Rhodes driving on its first possession of the second half, Paul Gbur picked off Matt Ungashick's pass in the end zone and ended the threat. On the fourth play of the ensuing drive, Dick teamed with Alex Koors for a 61-yard score with 9:23 left in the third which extended the lead to 28-6.

Rhodes put the game's final points on the board with 5:18 left in the fourth when Kendral Ellison picked off Michael Engle's pass at the DePauw 10 and ran it in for the score.

Dick completed 13 straight passes from the second quarter through the fourth and established the DePauw career passing mark on a 16-yard completion to Mark Branigan in the first quarter.

His top targets included Mulligan who caught 11 passes for 118 yards and a score and Koors who finished with nine catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. Ellis rushed for 63 yards and two scores on 25 carries.

Rhodes' Charles Hoggard rushed for 58 yards on 12 carries, while Matt Ungashick totaled 85 passing yards and David Firth had 78. Jake Jackson and Matt Gilbert each caught three passes.

Thomas Wrona paced the DePauw defense with seven tackles, while Tarren Collins and Joshua Sturek each had five. Gbur, Adam Hawkins and Steve Valdiserri each had one interception in the win. Mason Mosby led Rhodes with 11 tackles, while Desmond Hendricks added 10 and Tom Oliver had nine. DePauw outgained the Lynx, 423-253 and possessed the ball nearly twice as long.

DePauw junior Nick Etzcorn eyes a tackler during Saturday's contest with Rhodes. Etzcorn hauled in two balls for 17 yards.

The Tigers wrap up the 2008 regular season on November 15 when they travel to Crawfordsville for the 115th matchup with Wabash for possession of the Monon Bell.

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