RELEASED: September 21, 2009

DANVILLE, KY—The Centre College football team jumped out to a 27-3 lead in the first half and never looked back as the Colonels defeated No. 20 DePauw University 34-24 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) opener for both teams on Saturday, Sept. 19, in Greencastle, Ind.

With the win, the Colonels improve to 3-0 for the first time since the 2005 season and begin 1-0 in the SCAC.
The Centre defense quickly added to its streak of forcing at least one turnover as safety Matt Mazzanti ’10 intercepted DePauw quarterback Spud Dick on the Tigers' first drive of the game. Mazzanti ran the interception 75 yards for a touchdown. The extra point attempt failed, and Centre led 6-0.

Later in the first quarter, the Colonels added to that lead by going 80 yards on nine plays, capped off by a one-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore running back Jonathan Pinque. Centre went for two and was successful, bringing the score to 14-0.

DePauw scored its first points after recovering a fumble on a punt at the Centre 24-yard line. The Tigers drove to the Centre seven-yard line, but the Colonels' defense stepped up and forced a field goal to make the score 14-3.
On the ensuing drive, Centre went on another long drive, covering 73 yards on nine plays in 3:51, with quarterback Tyler Osterman ’12 finding sophomore receiver Jordan Albright for a 22-yard scoring strike that extended the lead to 21-3.

Junior linebacker Brian Hodge intercepted a pass on DePauw's next drive, setting up the Colonels’ fourth touchdown of the first half, a one-yard run by Pinque on fourth and one. The extra point attempt missed. At halftime, the score was 27-3.

The Colonels added another score early in the fourth quarter when Osterman found senior receiver Nick Edwards for a 43-yard strike, bringing the score to 34-3.

DePauw scored three touchdowns in the final quarter, but this wasn't enough as the Colonels snapped a two-game losing streak against the Tigers to finish with a 34-24 win.

For the second week in a row, Centre was out-gained in total offensive yards 395-367, but for the second week, the Colonels came away with the win. Osterman finished the day 22 of 33 for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Pinque ended the day with 58 yards rushing, 30 yards receiving and two rushing touchdowns. Edwards caught four passes for 91 yards and a score, while Albright added eight catches for 56 yards and a touchdown.

The Centre defense finished the day forcing four turnovers to extend their streak to 44 consecutive games of forcing at least one turnover. Senior linebacker Brian Sneed led the team with 11 tackles, two pass break-ups and an interception. Senior cornerback Zack Sloan and junior cornerback Jimmie Warren tallied eight tackles each. Sloan also had two pass break-ups while Warren broke up a pass and added an interception.

The Colonels will return home to host Austin College Saturday, Sept. 26. The SCAC contest is set to start at 7:30 p.m. at Farris Stadium in Danville, Ky.

Centre offers 10 intercollegiate sports for women and nine intercollegiate sports for men. The College will add intercollegiate lacrosse for both men and women in the fall of 2010.

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail leigh.ivey@centre.edu with your feedback.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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