With the game on the line, Valparaiso University’s Jarrett Morgan remembered that fellow senior Ryan Clarke already told him how things would end.
“Clarke said to me before the game that we were going to win on that play,” Morgan said. “It was crazy that it happened that way.
That play called for Morgan, a 5-foot-11 running back, to take the shotgun snap from center, move forward a few steps, then fire a jump pass into the end zone to Clarke, a 6-5 tight end.
The execution was perfect, with Clarke making the catch for a decisive 2-point conversion and an 8-7 win over Dayton, ending 2017 as the Crusaders’ first winning season since 2003.
“That ball was in the air forever,” Clarke said. “I just had to make sure I didn’t drop it.”
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The first three quarters between VU (6-5) and Dayton (5-6) were scoreless as the teams struggled to move the ball on a frigid, windy and rainy Saturday at Brown Field.
Dayton broke the deadlock on a 30-yard touchdown pass with 13:54 left in the game. The Crusaders had two other fourth-quarter drives into Dayton territory, but came away without points.
Valparaiso’s final drive started at the Dayton 39 after a 16-yard punt return by senior Frank Catrine, who later caught a 28-yard pass that put the Crusaders a yard from the end zone.
Morgan scored on the next carry and Valparaiso immediately huddled for the 2-point conversion — something the Crusaders had been planning to do since offensive coordinator Jason Miran suggested it at the start of the fourth quarter.
“This was a play we’d put in a couple of weeks ago,” VU coach Dave Cecchini said. “It just felt right. It was a tough decision, but I defaulted back to knowing it was right to put the game in the hands of those two guys.
“It was poetic. It was a wonderful way to cap off a great season.”
Valparaiso’s defense helped keep the game close by preventing Dayton from scoring on all three of its red-zone possessions, a marked improvement for a unit that gave up 90 points in its first two games.
“It was their finest hour,” Cecchini said. “With the weather conditions, we knew it was going to be a defensive battle and a battle for field position. Our defense stepped up time and time again.
“We’ve gotten so much better from the start of the season to where we are now.”
Saturday’s win capped Cecchini’s fourth season at VU, with this year’s senior class being the first group of players he had recruited to VU. That was on his mind after the win.
“These guys made a tremendous leap of faith,” Cecchini said. “For them to come to Valpo from all over the country based on the word that we were going to turn this program around … it’s a magical feeling.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.