WashU QB Levi Moore (6) scrambles upfield for a key first down during Saturday’s road win at Wittenberg. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
| NCAA Football | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #22 WashU (3-0, 2-0) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Wittenberg (0-3, 0-2) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
SPRINGFIELD, OH — The No. 22-ranked Washington University football team won its first ever North Coast Athletic Conference road game on Saturday, when it defeated Wittenberg University, 31-24, in a matchup at Edwards-Maurer Field.
The teams traded scores and the lead in the first half, before WashU took control in the second half and held on late to clinch the victory.
Quarterback Levi Moore completed 13-of-18 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 93 yards and another score to lead the Bear offense. Teammate Brayden Lewis also had a huge day, with a game-high 126 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown of his own.
WashU QB Levi Moore launches a deep pass during Saturday’s D3 football game against Wittenberg. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
Moore got the scoring going, when he broke free on WashU’s fifth offensive play, for a 36-yard touchdown run that put the Bears on the board. It was the senior from Nashville, Tenn.’s NCAC-leading fifth rushing touchdown of the season.
Wittenberg answered back later in the quarter, when running back Gerald Banks broke a 65-yard touchdown run that tied the score at 7. The Tigers then took the lead on field goal with just under minutes left in the half.
WashU struggled to move the ball after Moore’s touchdown, but found its groove late in the half, when it drove 75 yards on nine plays for a touchdown that gave WashU a 14-10 lead at halftime.
The final play was a 27-yard touchdown toss from Moore to fellow senior Makael Carter.
WashU DB Brett Kersemeier (5) attempts to bring down Wittenberg RB Gerald Banks during Saturday’s D3 football game in Springfield, Ohio. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
WashU’s biggest play of the day came early in the third quarter, when Lewis faked out two Wittenberg defenders, then outran the rest for a 64-yard touchdown that put the Bears up 21-10.
Wittenberg responded, following a turnover, with a touchdown of its own to pull back to within 21-17, but that was as close as the Tigers would get, WashU got a field goal from Matias Adrogue and a second touchdown catch by Carter in the fourth quarter to go back ahead by two touchdowns.
Wittenberg scored a touchdown with a minute to go to make the score 31-24, then attempted an onside kick to try to get the ball back. But WashU defended it perfectly to gain possession of the ball, before eventually running out the clock to win the game.
The Bears are now 3-0 on the season, while Wittenberg fell to 0-3.
WashU RB Brayden Lewis tries to get away from Wittenberg defenders during the first quarter of Saturday’s D3 football game in Springfield, Ohio. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
WashU will be on the road again next week, when it will be in Ohio again, for a matchup against Oberlin College.
That contest at Dick Bailey Field will kickoff at 11 a.m., and will be streamed live on the North Coast Network.
WashU’s next home game will come in two weeks, on Saturday, October 3, when the Bears will host No. 7-ranked John Carroll. Kickoff at Francis Olympic Field that day is slated for 1 p.m. That game will also be streamed live on the North Coast Network.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | WASHU | WITT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 11:31 | WASHU – TOUCHDOWN – Levi Moore 36 yd run (PAT good) | 7 | 0 |
| 1st | 00:12 | WITT – TOUCHDOWN – Gerald Banks 65 yd run (PAT good) | 7 | 7 |
| 2nd | 03:38 | WITT – FIELD GOAL – Nico Razo 31 yd field goal | 7 | 10 |
| 2nd | 00:44 | WASHU – TOUCHDOWN – Levi Moore 37 yd pass to Makael Carter (PAT good) | 14 | 10 |
| 3rd | 13:36 | WASHU – TOUCHDOWN – Brayden Lewis 64 yd run (PAT good) | 21 | 10 |
| 3rd | 00:15 | WITT – TOUCHDOWN – Josiah Payne 1 yd run (PAT good) | 21 | 17 |
| 4th | 08:53 | WASHU – FIELD GOAL – Matias Adrogue 18 yd field goal | 24 | 17 |
| 4th | 04:18 | WASHU – TOUCHDOWN – Levi Moore 13 yd pass to Makael Carter (PAT good) | 31 | 17 |
| 4th | 01:14 | WITT – TOUCHDOWN – Ryan Counts 11 yd pass to Dre Jackson (PAT good) | 31 | 24 |
2026 WASHU BEARS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5, 2026 (Saturday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Rhodes College | Memphis, Tenn. / Crain Field | W, 73-0 (1-0) |
| September 12, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | #15 DePauw University* | Francis Olympic Field | W, 37-27 (2-0) |
| September 19, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Away | Wittenberg University* | Springfield, Ohio / Edwards-Maurer Field | W, 31-24 (3-0) |
| September 26, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Away | Oberlin College* | Oberlin, Ohio / Dick Bailey Field | |
| October 3, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | #7 John Carroll University* | Francis Olympic Field | |
| October 17, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Away | Kenyon College* | Gambier, Ohio / McBride Field | |
| October 24, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Away | Wabash College* | Crawfordsville, Ind. / Little Giant Stadium | |
| October 31, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | Denison University* | Francis Olympic Field | |
| November 7, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Away | Ohio Wesleyan University* | Delaware, Ohio / Selby Stadium | |
| November 14, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | The College of Wooster* | Francis Olympic Field |