Granville, Ohio – The Oberlin College football team got off to a fast start, but in the end the high-powered offense of Denison was too much for the Yeomen to handle as the Big Red earned a 45-17 win over the Yeomen on Saturday afternoon at Piper Stadium.
 
Entering the game with the nation's top-ranked offense, the Big Red attack was once again on display as they racked up 569 yards, led by senior quarterback Cannan Gebele who finished with 366 yards passing and a school-record six TD tosses.
 
Playing without starting quarterback Zach Taylor, the Yeomen turned to backup Christian Flynn who turned in a solid performance under center by going 11-of-22 for 155 yards. He also had one touchdown and one interception.
 
The Yeomen relied heavily on their ground attack, rushing 37 times for 133 yards. Senior Khalil Rivers led the way with 61 yards on 15 carries, while sophomore Melvin Briggs added 51 yards on 16 attempts to go along with his first-career touchdown.
 
The Big Red started with the ball, but it wouldn't take long for the Yeomen to get it in their hands as defensive back Devin Wilkins stripped David Weimar and Jabree Hason jumped on it to put Oberlin's offense in business.
 
Flynn would march the team 65 yards on 13 plays with Briggs capping the drive with a 5-yard TD run right up the middle. A key 4^th-and-1 run by Briggs for four yards extended the jaunt and a 13-yard connection between Ryan Gleeson and Flynn set the Yeomen up with a 1^st-and-goal to go.
 
The Big Red would answer back with a 10-play, 81-yard drive to tie the game at 7-7. Denison was facing a 4^th-and-1 from the Yeomen 17-yardline and elected to go for it. On the play, the Yeomen front four broke through and appeared to have Gebele in big trouble, but he was able to escape free and find Charlie Muller for a touchdown.
 
The second quarter is when the Yeomen's offense sputtered while the Big Red would create some separation with 17 points in the frame to take a 24-7 lead into the half.
 
Oberlin made some adjustments in the locker room, scoring on its first two possessions of the third quarter to get back within striking distance at 24-17. After starting deep in their own territory on the first drive of the half, a 27-yard catch-and-run by Corey Fussinger gave the Yeomen some breathing room. Three snaps later, Oberlin struck for a big play as Flynn found Gleeson for a 52-yard touchdown. The junior from Seattle, Washington, ended with a team-high 82 yards on five catches, while Fussinger snagged three balls for 65 yards.
 
On their next opportunity, Oberlin had great field position as a personal foul on the Big Red gave the Yeomen a first down at the Denison 40-yardline. Oberlin would work its way down to the Big Red 11-yardline, but Briggs would get stuffed on 3^rd-and-3 and the Yeomen would ultimately settle for a 33-yard Michael Leshchyshyn field goal.
 
Sensing the threat, the Big Red would regroup by answering back with two touchdowns on their next two drives to take a 38-17 lead into the fourth quarter. Gebele would later throw his record-setting sixth touchdown to Weimar from just 1-yard out in the fourth quarter to cap the game's scoring.
 
Von Wooding led the Yeomen defense with 12 tackles, while senior co-captain Bennett Jackson added 11. Jabree Hason had seven stops and a forced fumble in the setback.
 
Oberlin, which finished with 288 yards off offense, dropped to 2-2 on the year and is now 1-2 in the NCAC. Denison remained unbeaten at 3-0 and 2-0 in league play.
 
The Yeomen are idle next week and will return to action on Saturday, October 7 at DePauw University.