The Kenyon football team faced No. 22 DePauw University (Ind.) on Saturday in the Homecoming game at McBride Field, where a strong defensive performance kept the Owls within arm’s reach of the Tigers for the majority of the game. Despite holding DePauw to only 14 points in the first three quarters, the Tigers ran away with the game in the fourth quarter. The loss dropped the Owls’ record to 1-3 (0-3 NCAC).

DePauw struck first and early, driving 73 yards on the opening possession and scoring a touchdown just two and a half minutes in. However, Kenyon quickly recovered as Drew Morgan ’29 connected with Joey Tramontana ’29 for a 52-yard gain on the Owls’ first play. Four plays later, Tyler Bell ’27 converted a 40-yard field goal to put Kenyon on the board and cut the deficit to 7-3. 

The high-intensity scoring came to an abrupt halt in the second and third quarters. DePauw added one touchdown in the second quarter, but neither team got its offense downfield to score in the third. Kenyon’s defense had the team’s back and continued to build momentum, with Michael Kerr ’27 recording four tackles, including a sack, as well as forcing and recovering a fumble and two pass breakups. Sam Finnerty ’27 also recorded a 19-yard interception return. 

DePauw’s defense limited Kenyon’s offense throughout the afternoon. The Tigers recorded six sacks, forced three turnovers and held the Owls to minus-45 rushing yards on 27 attempts. Kenyon finished with 86 total yards and six first downs compared to DePauw’s 350 yards and 26 first downs. The Tigers pulled away in the fourth quarter, scoring on each of their final three possessions, making the final score 31-3. 

Despite the loss, Kenyon saw several strong individual performances. Dominic Simpson ’27 totaled 151 yards on four kickoff returns, while Alex Jurch ’30 punted 10 times for an average of 35.5 yards per punt. 

The Owls look to rebound on Saturday when they travel to Springfield, Ohio, where Kenyon hopes to defeat Wittenberg University for the very first time in program history.