GAMBIER – On the day Kenyon College celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1972 football team, the only undefeated squad in program history, and in a game in which Zachary Kim set a school record for receiving yards, the Owls fell to DePauw University (7-1, 5-1 NCAC), the North Coast Athletic Conference leaders, 58-35, dropping to 3-5 overall and 2-4 in the NCAC.
The Owls fell behind early after DePauw scored 14 first-quarter points, eventually falling into a 21-0 hole midway through the second frame. Kenyon battled back late in the second quarter thanks to two massive plays through the air. Kim, the reigning NCAC Athlete of the Week, made catch-and-run plays of 75 and 77 yards and reeled in a two-point conversion to help the Owls rattle off 14 straight points. Kim’s solid route running and hands helped quarterback Ryan O’Leary find the sophomore wideout, but Kim’s athleticism and football IQ after the catch turned the big plays into touchdowns.
The first Owls’ score came on a route across the middle, where Kim reeled in O’Leary’s pass before seemingly getting tackled by a DePauw defender. However, the defender was underneath Kim on the would-be tackle, so the speedy wide receiver popped up and took the ball to the house after no whistle was blown. The second score was much easier after Kim beat a Tigers’ defensive back down the left side of the field, where O’Leary found him for an aerial touchdown.
Kim finished with nine catches for 280 yards and four touchdown receptions, breaking the Kenyon record for receiving yards in a game. Kim’s output was a single yard more than Chris Myers, who racked up 279 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 1969 against Centre College. Kim’s four touchdown catches are tied for second in program history behind only Myers, and the sophomore has now compiled 32 catches, 597 yards and 10 touchdown grabs over his last three games. On the season, Kim has 1,021 yards on 53 catches with 12 receiving scores.
O’Leary was the arm behind Kim’s big receiving day, and the signal caller had a record-setting day himself. O’Leary finished with 466 passing yards, good for the second-most in a single game in Kenyon history. He narrowly missed passing Thomas Merkle’s 468 yards in 2017, which also came in a game against DePauw. The senior has thrown for 2,232 yards and 20 touchdowns this year, which are both top-eight marks in Kenyon history. His 20 touchdowns are tied for third all-time, and his current completion percentage of 62.5 is the top mark in program history.
The Tigers scored 31 consecutive points from the end of the second quarter to the end of the third, but the Owls made things interesting in the fourth frame by outscoring the visitors 21-6 in the final period. Jordon Benjamin, a first-year running back, broke free for a 25-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, and O’Leary connected with Kim for a 56-yard score on the ensuing possession after Darryl Shands intercepted a pass to get the ball back to the offense quickly.
O’Leary and Kim had one more big play left in them, a 20-yard aerial touchdown, but DePauw held a 58-35 advantage when the clock hit 00:00, winning the high-scoring game.
The game featured more than 1,200 yards of total offense, with DePauw notching 619 and Kenyon tallying 609. The Tigers held a 282-136 edge on the ground, but the Owls flew high with a 466-337 aerial advantage.
Senior wide receiver Finn Murray had a big game, catching 10 passes for 121 yards, maintaining his spot as the team’s receptions leader. Defensively, Andy Canonico had five tackles, including two for loss, one sack and a forced fumble.
The Owls celebrated 18 seniors before the game, as it was the last time the crop of Owls got to suit up in front of their home crowd. The graduating class is composed of Andrew Schnarre, Ryan O’Leary, Joe Gorte, Mychael Leno, Finn Murray, Isaiah Mann, Rocco Danese, Nathan Junk, Jack Provenza, Sean Goodman, Darryl Shands, Jason Kessler, Trenton Scherger, Taso Sdregas, Will Koslo, Jack Baulig, Sebastian Winther, and Sam Ronchetti.
