DANVILLE, Ky. – Centre football closed out the 2023 regular season as the program honored its 20 senior student-athletes and hosted the Birmingham-Southern Panthers. The game belonged to both defenses, but the Colonels prevailed by a score of 10-6 to finish the year at 6-4 and on a five-game win streak.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Centre's second drive of the game was one of their longest of the season, as the Colonels took the final seven minutes off the clock in the first quarter.
Keaton Martin and
Christian Billiter converted key third downs and
Cam Tegge booted a 44-yard field goal to open the scoring for the Colonels.
- The Panthers responded with a long drive of their own as they went 84 yards in 15 plays, taking six minutes off the clock and ending with a nine-yard touchdown pass to give BSC a 6-3 lead.
- Centre followed with an even longer drive with a good balance of run and pass.
Gabe Walker converted a short third down, and then
Jack Gohmann found
Joey Deshler over the middle on fourth down to keep the drive alive. Facing third down in the red zone, Gohmann moved the sticks with a dash to the sideline, and then on third & goal, Martin ran it up the middle to get to the end zone and put Centre back on top by a 10-6 margin.
- Senior
Dallas Douglas jarred the ball loose with a sack and senior
Kirsci Vincent recovered the loose ball to give Centre one more shot at scoring before the break, but the Panthers blocked the Tegge field goal attempt and Walker made a touchdown-saving tackle on the runback to preserve the 10-6 lead at the half.
- Both defenses dominated the second half. An early interception gave BSC its best field position of the day, but a sack by
Will Zabel stalled the drive and
Brooks Sapone stopped the Panthers on fourth down to give possession back to the Colonels.
- Near the end of the third quarter, a long pass gave BSC the ball on the Centre 6, but the defense held strong.
Duerell Bard and
Ethan Humphries stuffed the run on first down, and then after an incomplete pass and penalty,
Jack Mileham and
Isaiah Stevenson delivered consecutive sacks to end the drive.
- After a series of punts, the Panthers picked up a couple of first downs and reached the Centre 30, but the defense forced three straight incomplete passes and then Sapone picked off the fourth down throw. Four rushes by Martin produced 22 yards and a pair of first downs as Centre ran out the clock the rest of the way.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Martin had the best game of his career in his final game, rushing for 111 yards on 24 with what proved to be the winning score and also helping run out the clock in the fourth quarter.
- Ten different Centre players recorded tackles for loss and five different players sacked the quarterback for the Colonels.
Colton Wessel led the Colonels with 2.5 tackles for loss in final college game.
- The six points allowed by Centre are the fewest allowed by the defense since holding Millsaps to a field goal in last year's season finale.
- After starting the year 1-4 and 1-2 in conference play, the Colonels' six straight victories puts them in sole possession of third place in the Southern Athletic Association behind nationally ranked Trinity and Berry.
