Christiaan Williams runs for a school-record 407 yards, 3 TDs as Football downs Capital 51-21
By Tim Glon
ADA -- Sophomore Christiaan Williams (Sidney/Anna) ran for a school record 407 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Ohio Northern football team to a 51-21 victory over Capital on a rainy, windy Saturday night at Dial-Roberson Stadium.
The Polar Bears improve to 3-2 overall and are 2-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, while the Crusaders fall to 1-4, 1-3.
Williams' 407-yard effort came on 29 rushing attempts and surpassed the previous record of 307 yards set in 2000 by All-American, 6-year NFL veteran and ONU Hall of Famer Jamal Robertson against Marietta.
Williams also caught one pass for five yards and had 412 all-purpose yards, breaking Robertson's record of 406 set in the same Marietta game in 2000.
Strong winds blew throughout the game and heavy rains set in midway through the second quarter, adding an extra layer of difficulty into the passing game for both teams.
So the Polar Bears stayed on the ground, rushing for 470 yards on just 39 carries.
"We thought the weather could cause a problem, so we wanted to get off to a quick start," ONU head coach Dean Paul said. "We also planned on running the ball a little bit more. Williams was terrific, 407 yards is a great effort obviously. We just kept giving him the ball and he had a great night."
Williams got the Polar Bears off to their desired quick start, scoring on runs of 1 and 43 yards to make it 14-0 after the first quarter.
Sophomore Anthony McFadden (Chillicothe/Paint Valley) ran in from 7 yards out and junior Chase Watson (Lima/Elida) nailed a 44-yard field goal in the second quarter as ONU led 24-0 at halftime.
Junior quarterback Will Freed (Carlsbad, Calif./San Marcos) hit Caleb Saalfeld (Modesto, Calif./Fred Beyer) on a 25-yard touchdown pass just 3:18 into the second half and it was 31-0 Polar Bears.
After Capital got on the board, Freed hit junior Chad Rex (Bradenton, Fla./Lakewood Ranch) on a 45-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter to make it 37-7.
Williams broke Robertson's record with a 62-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter to give ONU a 44-14 lead.
Sophomore Rodney Holmes (Miami, Fla./Hallondale) capped the scoring with a 2-yard run with 5:20 left in the game.
Freed finished the day 11-for-21 passing for 173 yards and two scores.
Defensively, senior Cyler Caldwell (Wadsworth) had 10 tackles and a PBU for Ohio Northern.
ONU out-gained Capital 643-317 in total offense, including a 470-74 advantage on the ground.
The Polar Bears will return to action next Saturday with a 1:30 pm contest at John Carroll.
