Tartans Drop Tough UAA Contest on Homecoming
(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team dropped its second straight game Saturday in a 14-7 loss to Washington University in St. Louis. Head coach Rich Lackner's Tartans fall to 4-4 on the season and are now 0-1 in the University Athletic Association (UAA) while Washington improves to 5-3, 1-0.
Half way through the first quarter the Tartans struck first. Carnegie Mellon led a methodical 10-play, 65-yard touchdown drive. Senior Chris Garcia (Albuquerque, N.M./Valley) capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Sophomore quarterback Rob Kalkstein (Monroeville, Pa/Gateway) was a perfect 5-5 on the drive throwing for 50 yards.
Kalkstein finished the day 15-of-21 for 171 yards and one interception. His favorite target Saturday was senior tight end Zach Gallup (Bronson, Mich./Bronson). Gallup caught a career-high four balls for a career-high 61 yards.
With 1:03 remaining in the half, Washington quarterback Dan Burkett completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Drew Sexton. The Bears' drove the ball 80 yards to the touchdown on nine plays. Washington's late first half touchdown knotted the game up at 7-7 heading into halftime.
The Tartan's defense made a big play on the Bears second possession of the second half, when junior cornerback Sam Thompson (Alcoa, Tenn./Alcoa) intercepted Burkett's pass.
The Tartans were unable to capitalize on the Thompson's pick as they turned the ball of over on downs. Following the fourth down stop by the Bears, Burkett found his top receiving target, senior Easton Knott, for a 77-yard touchdown. Washington took its first lead of the game, 14-7.
On the ensuing possession for the Tartans, Kalkstein made his first error of the game on a pass across the middle that was intercepted by the Bears' freshman defensive back Ryan Bednar. Washington took over the ball in Carnegie Mellon's territory at the 40-yard line and it ended Kalkstein's perfect start of completing his first ten passes.
The Bears' head coach Larry Kindbom dialed up a trick play when he called a reverse pass thrown by backup quarterback Eric Daginella. Once again, the ball would be intercepted by Carnegie Mellon's Thompson for his UAA leading fifth of the season. His two interception performance was the best of his career.
Thompson's five interceptions tie him for third in Carnegie Mellon history for single-season interceptions. The record is seven set by Andy Helms in 1991. With two games remaining in the season, the record is within the junior defensive back's reach.
Late in the game, head coach Rich Lackner's defense stepped up for his team once again with an important stop. Lackner used all three of his timeouts, and the Tartans' offense took over the ball on their own 9-yard line with 2:39 remaining in the game.
With 91 yards needed to tie the game Kalkstein led the Tartans to the 30-yard line on 4-of-6 passes for 59 yards and added a rush for eight with 18 ticks remaining on the clock. With a pass needed to be thrown, Kalkstein was sacked for the fourth time of the game and the Bears held on for the 14-7 victory as the clock expired.
The Tartans' defense performed well in the loss. Washington has averaged 316.1 yards this season, but the Carnegie Mellon defense held them to 284. The Bears also came into the game averaging 22 points, yet they could only muster 14 against the Tartans' defensive performance.
Other than Thompson, the Cardinal and Gray were led by junior linebacker Nick Karabin (Ruffs Dale, Pa.,/Greensburg Central Catholic). Karabin tallied 12 tackles, breaking his previous single-game record of 11 while getting his first sack of the 2011 season.
Offensively, the Tartans failed to get their 14th nationally-ranked rushing attack going. The Bears' defense held Carnegie Mellon to 134 yards on the ground, which was its lowest rushing total on the season.
The Tartans will return to action next Saturday when they head to Chicago to take on the University of Chicago Maroons in a 12:00 pm CT matchup.