Wheaton’s Seth Kortenhoeven catches a last second touchdown pass in Saturday’s CCIW football game against WashU. (Photo courtesy: Wheaton College Athletics)

NCAA Football	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
WashU (6-3, 5-3)	7	6	7	15	35
#12 Wheaton (8-1, 7-1)	0	14	7	15	36

Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer

WHEATON, IL — The Washington University football team suffered a heart-breaking last second loss on Saturday.

The Bears led 35-28 with just seconds remaining, but their opponent, the Wheaton College Thunder threw and caught a last-second Hail Mary pass and then converted a two-point conversion on the final play of the game to hand WashU a 36-35 loss.

WashU had just taken the lead on a three-yard touchdown run by Kenneth Hamilton with 1:10 to go in the fourth quarter and looked like it might pull off its best road win of the season, after storming back from a 28-20 deficit.

But on a play that began with just four seconds left on the clock, Wheaton QB Ben Thorson threw up a Hail Mary that tight end Seth Kortenhoeven caught over four defenders and one of his own teammates for a touchdown that coupled with an extra-point could have tied the game. Instead though, Wheaton called a timeout and elected to go for two, which they got on a short run by Giovanni Weeks, to win the game.

Weeks’ score set off a wild celebration by the Wheaton fans, while the WashU players and coaches were forced to walk off the field stunned, following such a dramatic loss.

The loss was especially tough to take for the Bears because their gameplan coming into the day worked. WashU outgained Wheaton 468 to 443 and they controlled time of possession by holding the ball for 32 minutes and 37 seconds, while Wheaton had the ball for just 27:23.

WashU QB Matt Rush completed 28-of-35 passes for 350 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t throw any interceptions and was only sacked once.

Hamilton and fellow RB Fred Ware combined for 103 yards on 24 carries and each scored a touchdown. WR Collin Goldberg caught 15 passes for 197 yards, including a leaping 29-yarder that set up Hamilton’s go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.

But it wasn’t enough, as Wheaton — the No. 12-ranked Division III team in the country — drove the field in just over a minute to set up the final two dramatic and game-winning plays.

WashU is now 6-3 on the season and will play its regular season finale, next Saturday, November 11, against Carroll College. That contest at Francis Olympic Field is set to kick off at 12 p.m.

Scoring Summary

Qtr	Time	Scoring Play	WASHU	WHEAT
1st	02:37	WASHU – Hoyhtya,Collin 7 yd pass from Rush,Matt (Vartanian,Chris kick) 13 plays, 77 yards, TOP 06:42	7	0
2nd	12:35	WHEAT – Titherington,Caleb 3 yd pass from Thorson,Ben (Jesch,Mateo kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:56	7	7
2nd	07:37	WASHU – Vartanian,Chris 22 yd field goal 12 plays, 69 yards, TOP 04:50	10	7
2nd	06:05	WHEAT – Kortenhoeven,Seth 48 yd pass from Thorson,Ben (Jesch,Mateo kick) 3 plays, 65 yards, TOP 01:32	10	14
2nd	00:00	WASHU – Vartanian,Chris 38 yd field goal 10 plays, 59 yards, TOP 02:03	13	14
3rd	11:55	WASHU – Moore,Levi 5 yd run (Vartanian,Chris kick), 6 plays, 78 yards, TOP 02:59	20	14
3rd	02:34	WHEAT – Bonga,Ben 29 yd pass from Thorson,Ben (Jesch,Mateo kick) 7 plays, 76 yards, TOP 02:51	20	21
4th	08:57	WHEAT – Kortenhoeven,Seth 23 yd pass from Thorson,Ben (Jesch,Mateo kick) 6 plays, 59 yards, TOP 02:54	20	28
4th	04:55	WASHU – Ware,Fred 8 yd run (Sirek,Gabriel 2 -pt pass from Matt Rush), 8 plays, 78 yards, TOP 03:56	28	28
4th	01:10	WASHU – Hamilton,Kenneth 3 yd run (Vartanian,Chris kick), 4 plays, 48 yards, TOP 01:49	35	28
4th	00:00	WHEAT – Kortenhoeven,Seth 34 yd pass from Thorson,Ben (Weeks,Giovanni 2-pt rush) 8 plays, 65 yards, TOP 01:07	35	36

2023 WashU Bears Remaining Football Schedule

Date	Time	At	Opponent	Location
November 11, 2023	12 p.m.	Home	Carroll University	Francis Olympic Field