GRANVILLE – The Kenyon College football team finished off the 2022 campaign Saturday with a 49-12 loss at Denison University.
The result cemented the Owls’ final records at 3-7 overall and 2-6 within North Coast Athletic Conference play.
Kenyon, which had been effective on the offensive side of the ball for most of the season, couldn’t find much room to move against the host Big Red. The Owls managed 89 yards on the ground and 194 yards through the air. The team’s total offensive output of 283 yards was outweighed by Denison’s 495 yards, which included 260 on the ground and 235 in the air.
Most of Kenyon’s offense was generated by sophomore receiver Zachary Kim, who hauled in 10 passes for 114 yards. Those numbers put Kim’s season tallies at 69 receptions for 1,196 yards and 13 touchdowns. His touchdown tally fell one short of the Kenyon single-season record, while his yardage total now ranks as the fifth best in program history.
In between Kenyon’ first two possessions of the game, Denison scored seven on its first play of the game. When Denison got its second possession, the Owls put the Big Red in a punting situation. As they tried to punt, Kenyon defensive lineman Andy Canonico broke through the line and blocked it. The ball then bounced all the way into the end zone, where Cole Garrison fell on it to pull Kenyon within a point at 7-6.
The Owls could not build off that momentum and never got closer the rest of the way. Denison scored another touchdown in the quarter to move ahead 14-6 and then tacked on one more in the second quarter to take a 21-6 lead at the break.
In the third quarter, Denison’s Jeff Moore picked off Kenyon quarterback Ryan O’Leary and returned it 34 yards for a 28-6 advantage. This time, however, Kenyon had an answer. The Owls put together a 10-play, 81-yard drive that ended with O’Leary and Finn Murray connecting on a 10-yard touchdown pass.
Denison (8-2, 6-2 NCAC), powered by 206 rushing yards from Trey Fabrocini, went on to score two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Fabrocini wound up carrying 28 times and scoring twice.
In the air, Denison quarterback Drew Dawkins went 15-of-22 for 235 yards and four scores. His top target was Mack Marston, who snared five balls and took them for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
For Kenyon, O’Leary was 19-of-38 for 187 yards. He had the one touchdown and was picked off three times. The Owls running game was paced by Jack Provenza, who ran 11 times for 60 yards.
