Trailing by five points with two minutes left to play, the Centre College football team drove to the DePauw 38-yard line, but a fourth down pass fell incomplete and the Colonels fell 21-16 to DePauw University in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) opener for both teams Saturday, Sept. 18 at Farris Stadium in Danville, Ky.

The loss drops Centre to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the SCAC, while DePauw remains unbeaten at 2-0 overall and 1-0 in league action.

The Colonels got on the scoreboard on their first drive. Needing 14 plays to drive 80 yards in 6:31, junior quarterback Tyler Osterman (Monroe, Ohio) found freshman Rob Melillo (Louisville, Ky.) from 10-yards out for 7-0 lead. It was Melillo's first career touchdown in a Centre uniform.

DePauw tied the game in the second quarter, but the Colonels answered on their next drive with a 30-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Jordan Gay (Danville, Ky.) to give Centre a 10-7 lead.

Trailing by three points with 4:12 left in the opening half, the Tigers used all but 27 seconds on the clock to go 86 yards on 13 plays to take a 14-10 lead into the break.

Centre was forced to punt on its first possession of the second half and DePauw took over on its own 26-yard line.

The Tigers, again went on a long drive using 11 plays and 5:49 to go 74 yards and take a 21-10 lead late in the third quarter.

With 6:08 left in the fourth quarter, the Colonels took over on their own 43-yard line thanks to a 28-yard punt return by junior Jordan Albright (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Osterman drove the offense down the field, capping the drive with an eight-yard run to pull within 21-16. Centre went for the two-point conversion but was unsuccessful.

The Colonels forced DePauw to punt and got the ball back with two minutes to play. Albright, again had a big return, taking this punt back 23-yards to the Centre 38-yard line.

Osterman drove the team to the DePauw 38-yard line, but a penalty and a sack put the Colonels back at the DePauw 46. Osterman ran for two yards on third down and his fourth down pass attempt to Albright fell incomplete and the Tigers ran the clock out for the win.

DePauw out-gained Centre 346-316 in total yards. The Colonels had the edge in rushing yards 211-94, but the Tigers had the advantage in the passing game throwing for 252 yards to 105 for Centre.

Osterman completed 14 of 27 passes for 105 yards with a touchdown pass. He was also the team's leading rusher with 147 yards on 23 carries and another score.

Melillo caught three passes for 48 yards and a touchdown, while Albright caught five passes for 31 yards.

Sophomore defensive back Thomas Kent and junior linebacker Jared Ferguson (Monroe, Ohio) led the defensive with nine tackles each.

Centre will take to the road next week traveling to Sherman, Texas to play Austin College. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. CST.