Sewanee, Tenn., Oct. 17, 2015 – The Washington University in St. Louis football team broke open a seven-point game with 24 points in the second quarter as the Bears rolled to a 38-14 win at Sewanee: University of the South Saturday afternoon in Sewanee, Tenn.
WashU improved its overall record to 4-2, 3-2 in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA), while Sewanee suffered its fifth-straight defeat and dropped to 1-5, 0-4 in the SAA. The Bears moved into fourth place in the SAA standings, and sit two games behind first-place Berry College (6-1, 5-0 SAA) with four games remaining.
Junior quarterback J.J. Tomlin finished the day 26-of-33 for 287 yards and tied his career-high with four touchdowns. Tomlin, who connected with 11 different receivers, leads the SAA in passing yards (1,935) and touchdowns (17).
He moved into a tie for second in WashU all-time passing touchdowns (35), and also moved past Buck Smith (2005-08) and Steve Sides (1983-85) into fourth on the all-time passing yardage list (3,839).
It took WashU just 1:25 to take the lead on its first possession. Tomlin connected with junior wide receiver Hank Childs for a 1-yard TD to make it 7-0. Senior running back Cody Ratermann had 31-yard run during the drive, which put him over 1,000 yards for his career.
Tomlin tossed his second TD of the day, a one-yarder to junior wide receiver Kevin Hammarlund, to extend the lead to 14-0 with 8:17 left in the second.
After WashU forced its third punt of the opening half, it took the Bears just 18 seconds to push the lead to 21-0. Tomlin connected with Hammarlund for a 28-yard reception, and then junior running back Austin Smestad scored from 17-yards out.
Special teams came up big for WashU after sophomore Mark McMillin blocked a punt and the Bears recovered on the Sewanee 15-yard line. On ensuing play, Tomlin tossed a 28-yard TD to senior tight end Max Elliott to push the lead to 28-0.
Senior Alex Hallwachs added a 42-yard field goal with 23.6 seconds left to make it 31-0 at half. The field goal for Hallwachs was his SAA-leading eighth of the season
Tomlin was 21of-26 for 229 yards and three touchdowns in the opening half as WashU had a 310-132 advantage in total offense. The Bears' defense forced four punts and a turnover in the opening half.
Tomlin tossed his fourth TD of the game with a 10-yard strike to senior tight tend Mitch McMahon to extend the lead to 38-7 with 1:07 left in the third quarter.
Elliott had four catches for 60 yards and a TD, while Hammarlund caught five passes for 60 yards and a TD. Smestad led the rushing attack with 14 carries for 55 yards and a TD.
Sophomore defensive back Nate Lowis tied his career-high with eight tackles and added a tackle for loss, while sophomore defensive back Nick Doctors added five tackles and two pass break-ups. Sophomore defensive lineman Jared Lake had a career-high five stops and 1.5 tackles for loss in the win.
WashU had a 445-363 advantage in total offense, and limited Sewanee to 6-of-16 passing for 89 yards. Senior running back Devante Jones ran for a career-high 133 yards on 19 carries for Sewanee.
WashU returns home to host Millsaps College (1-5, 0-4 SAA) on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. The Bears will be wearing green jerseys to promote WashU's Green Dot bystander intervention program.
BEAR NOTEBOOK: Sewanee leads the all-time series with WashU 13-9, and the teams met for the first time since 1977 … The Bears snapped an eight-game losing streak on the road dating back to 2013 … The victory for WashU was its 510th all-time in the 119th year as a college football program … Hammarlund moved into a tie for 10th on the WashU all-time career receptions list with 100, while Childs recorded his 100th career reception … The Bears have scored 79 of 198 points (39.9 percent) this season in the second quarter.