WashU running back Brayden Lewis rushed for 217 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Bears’ win over Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
| NCAA Football | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #7 WashU (9-0, 8-0) | 7 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 45 |
| Ohio Wesleyan (5-4, 4-4) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
DELAWARE, OH — The Washington University football team clinched at least a share of its first conference championship on Saturday, when it defeated Ohio Wesleyan, 45-24, in an NCAA Division III football game at Selby Stadium.
This year marks WashU’s first season as members of the North Coast Athletic Conference and for the first time since 2016, the Bears locked up at least a share of the league title by knocking off OWU.
Sophomore running back Brayden Lewis had the best game of his college career, rushing for 217 yards on 23 carries, which included three touchdown runs. Lewis also had a 33-yard catch and run, which helped set up another score.
It was the third time this season Lewis had more than 100 yards in a game and the third time he scored two touchdowns or more.
WashU QB Levi Moore leads the NCAC with 15 rushing touchdowns this season. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
WashU quarterback Levi Moore also had a fine. The senior signal caller completed 13-0f-18 passes for 214 yards and carried the ball 11 times for 68 yards and three touchdowns.
It was the sixth time this year that Moore scored two touchdowns or more and the second straight week in which he had three. Moore now leads the NCAC with 15 rushing touchdowns this year.
WashU led 17-3 at halftime and took firm control of the game in the third quarter, when it scored a pair of quick touchdowns from Lewis and Moore.
Lewis broke free for a 28-yard jaunt early in the third. Then later, after a long drive down the field, Moore punched one in from 2 yards out to put the Bears up 31-3.
OWU drew its first spark of the day on a 65-yard touchdown pass late in the third. But Lewis took back all the momentum when he broke through a wide hole and raced 78 yards for a score — the longest run of his career — which put WashU up 38-10 early in the fourth.
The teams traded scores in the final minutes, but WashU’s lead was too much for OWU to overcome.
The Bears are now 9-0 on the season — the first time WashU has ever been 9-0 in its program history — and 8-0 in the NCAC. No other team in the conference will be able to surpass eight league wins, which means the Bears will finish no worse than tied for first in the conference.
WashU can win the conference title outright next Saturday, when it hosts its regular season finale against the College of Wooster. Kickoff at Francis Olympic Field is set for 1 p.m.
With a win next week, the Bears can also clinch a spot in the NCAA Division III football playoffs for the first time since 2016.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | WASHU | OWU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 12:22 | WASHU – TOUCHDOWN – Brayden Lewis 4 yd run (Matias Adrogue kick) | 7 | 0 |
| 2nd | 08:29 | WASHU – TOUCHDOWN – Levi Moore 7 yd run (Matias Adrogue kick) | 14 | 0 |
| 2nd | 01:54 | OWU – FIELD GOAL – Stanly Scandell 28 yd field goal | 14 | 3 |
| 2nd | 00:00 | WASHU – FIELD GOAL – Matias Adrogue 27 yd field goal | 17 | 3 |
| 3rd | 12:13 | WASHU – TOUCHDOWN – Brayden Lewis 28 yd run (Matias Adrogue kick) | 24 | 3 |
| 3rd | 04:00 | WASHU – TOUCHDOWN – Levi Moore 2 yd run (Matias Adrogue kick) | 31 | 3 |
| 3rd | 03:31 | OWU – TOUCHDOWN – Quin Schroeder 65 yd pass from C.J. Jackson (Stanly Scandell kick) | 31 | 10 |
| 4th | 14:35 | WASHU – TOUCHDOWN – Brayden Lewis 78 yd run (Matias Adrogue kick) | 38 | 10 |
| 4th | 14:12 | OWU – TOUCHDOWN – Jordan Ghant 47 yd run (Stanly Scandell kick) | 38 | 17 |
| 4th | 06:53 | WASHU – TOUCHDOWN – Levi Moore 7 yd run (Matias Adrogue kick) | 45 | 17 |
| 4th | 01:50 | OWU – TOUCHDOWN – Quin Schroeder 26 yd pass from C.J. Jackson (Stanly Scandell kick) | 45 | 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 | W, 79-0 (4-0) |
| October 3, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | #8 John Carroll University* | Francis Olympic Field | W, 35-25, (5-0) |
| October 17, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Away | Kenyon College* | Gambier, Ohio / McBride Field | W, 65-0 (6-0) |
| October 24, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Away | Wabash College* | Crawfordsville, Ind. / Little Giant Stadium | W, 27-17 (7-0) |
| October 31, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | Denison University* | Francis Olympic Field | W, 37-14 (8-0) |
| November 7, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Away | Ohio Wesleyan University* | Delaware, Ohio / Selby Stadium | W, 45-24 (9-0) |
| November 14, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | The College of Wooster* | Francis Olympic Field |
* – denotes North Coast Athletic Conference game