BOX SCORE COLUMBUS, Ohio- Led by a running attack that amassed 316 yards on 48 carries, the Capital University football team won their home opener 46-32 over OAC opponent Heidelberg University.
The Crusaders dynamic offense tallied 530 yards of total offense, with Dominic D'Andrea (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley HS) and Matt Merritt (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill HS) combining for 233 rushing yards on 35 carries.
"I thought our offensive line did a fine job, and Dominic and Matt had very good days," head coach Jim Bickel said. "We showed we were able to establish the rush."
The duo combined to become the first Crusader individuals to rush for 100 yards in a single game since Nov. 25, 2006. In contrast, the Capital defense held Heidelberg to -2 yards rushing which was the first time that a CU defense had held the opposition to negative rushing yards since Nov. 3, 2007.
It was the passing game of quarterback Marty Assmann (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley HS), however, that scored the game's first points when the Columbus native found Matt White for an 18-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. Assmann turned in an efficient passing day, completing 14-of-23 passes for 214 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
"With each week, Marty is getting more adjusted to the offense, and doing a great job of keeping us out of trouble and keeping things balanced," Bickel said.
En route to his first career 100-yard rushing game, Merritt scored from four-yards out to give Capital a 14-0 lead as the first quarter came to a close.
Not to be outdone was D'Andrea, who scored from five-yards away to put Capital ahead 21-3 with 6:41 left in the half. D'Andrea led all backs with 132 yards rushing on 18 carries (a 7.3 average).
"Dominic is that big back that you love because he can deliver a wallop on a defender," Bickel said. "He's a lot of fun to watch, and there was a time in the game where he put us on his back and carried us."
Leading 21-10, Crusader kicker Garrett Bennington (Cambridge, Ohio/John Glenn HS) ended the first half with a 25-yard field goal, and then started the second half with a 38-yarder to increase Capital's lead at 27-10.
Capital's Troy Spiker (Ravenna, Ohio/Rootstown HS) gave the ball back to his offense after he intercepted Heidelberg quarterback Andrew Miller's pass and returned the pick back to the Student Prince's 22-yard line. On the next play, Merritt reeled off his longest run of a day, a 22-yard scamper to give the Crusaders a 33-10 lead with 5:20 left in the third quarter.
"The combination of getting a turnover and converting it into a quick touchdown was the key moment of the game," Bickel said.
The Crusaders put the game on ice when Assmann found Armando Ancona (Johnstown, Ohio/Johnstown-Monroe HS) for an 18-yard scoring strike to propel Capital to a 40-10 lead with 10:36 left in the game. The touchdown pass capped off a nine-play, 71-yard Capital scoring drive.
Merritt closed out the Crusader scoring with his touchdown run from a run out to put Capital in front 46-24 with 1:20 left. Merritt finished the game with 101 yards rushing on 17 carries (a 5.9 average) and scored a career-best three touchdowns.
"This is the first time since I've been here that we can run the ball to win games," Merritt said. "(Dominic) and I bring different talents to the offense, and together we could be a dangerous running back combination. The team is calling us ‘Thunder and Lightning.'"
D'Andrea added, "We were able to wear (Heidelberg) out with our running game, which was our goal coming in today. Our running game has been successful because of the depth we have at the position, plus the fact that we have a smart, experienced offensive line."
While the Crusader offense had success rushing the football, the Capital defense had just as much success stopping Heidelberg's group game. Capital's unit clogged the Student Prince's running lanes, limiting Heidelberg to -2 rushing yards on 21 tries.
"We did a good job on defense of making (Heidelberg) pass, especially when our offense gave us a good lead," linebacker Sam Jacobs (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson HS) said. "Coming into OAC play, we made it our first priority to take away the running game first, then put pressure on the other team's quarterbacks."
Bickel is pleased with the team's progress through two games, but knows there is still room for improvement.
"I think we need to finish better on defense, and on offense we need to continue to improve on execution, because with more games played, teams will be able to get more film on us," Bickel said. "But I think our kids understand how hard they have to work, which is one of the advantages of having a senior dominated team."