Gambier, Ohio - The Oberlin College football team held a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter but couldn't make it stand up as the Kenyon College Lords rallied back to earn a 24-21 win over the Yeomen on Saturday afternoon at McBride Field. 

The Yeomen won the statistical battle, out-gaining the Lords 401 to 317 and had 20 first downs compared to Kenyon's 16 but in the end it was the Lords who held on for a Homecoming victory. 

Chris Allen Jr. finished with 276 yards on 22-of-36 passing with three touchdowns and was not intercepted for the first time this season. Allen also added a team - and career-high 72 rushing yards. Playing just second career game on offense, senior wideout Christian Arnold snagged eight passes for 107 yards and two scores. 

Kenyon's first drive of the game was turned away at the doorstep as freshman defensive back Kason Sunderland picked off Ryan O'Leary's pass at the 1-yard line to keep Kenyon off the board. 

The Yeomen responded with a 9-play, 99-yard scoring drive that took 3:58 off the clock. The march down the field featured a 28-yard completion to Jack Diskin and a 30-yard catch by Brandon Davies. It was ultimately capped off with an 11-yard scoring strike to Arnold for his first-career TD to make it 7-0. 

Following a field goal from the Lords early in the second quarter, Oberlin would increase its lead out to 14-3 as the connection between Allen Jr. and Arnold continued to blossom as they finished off a 7-play, 79-yard jaunt with a 35-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Allen also had a clutch 28-yard run on 3rd-and-4 before finding Arnold on the very next play. 

However, the rest of the way went the Lords' way as Drake Lewis found the end zone from 3-yards and 1-yard out to give Kenyon a 17-14 halftime advantage. The 3-yard plunge capped a 92-yard drive for the Lords but the second one was a gift as Sam Bingaman fumbled a punt snap deep in Yeomen territory that allowed the Lords to take over on the Oberlin 6-yardline. 

Oberlin fumbled on its first possession of the second half and Kenyon would eventually score the lone points of the third quarter when Lewis snuck in from 5-yards for his third TD of the game to make it a 24-14 Kenyon advantage.

However, the Yeomen wouldn't go down without a fight as Allen led Oberlin on a 12-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard TD reception by Davies with 3:24 left to play.

The Yeomen defense would then do its job, forcing a three-and-out by the Lords, and just a 23-yard punt put Oberlin in business at its own 48-yardline with 2:23 left on the clock. Unfortunately, after gaining just four yards on their first three plays, the Yeomen were facing a 4th-and-6. Allen completed his pass to Maurice Wickware but he was tackled a yard short of the line to gain to effectively end the game as Kenyon took over on downs and milked away what was left on the clock. 

The Yeomen defense had nine tackles for loss, led by freshman Luca Friedman who had a team-high nine stops and 3.5 TFL's.

The loss dropped the Yeomen to 0-4 on the year and 0-3 in the NCAC. Kenyon, which has now beaten Oberlin in two straight games, is 1-3 and 1-2 in conference play.

The Yeomen return home to host The College of Wooster Fighting Scots next week at 1 p.m.