Junior Michael Boyle matched a career-high with four touchdown passes and threw for 362 yards in The College of Wooster football team's season-opening 59-35 loss at Wilmington College on Saturday evening.

Wooster started to click offensively late in the second quarter, thanks to the play of senior wideout Tate Journell. Journell turned a deep Boyle pass into a 66-yard touchdown catch to put Wooster on the board for the first time at the 4:30 mark of the second quarter. On the play, he beat a Wilmington corner to the inside, secured the catch, spun, and raced off to the end zone.

Later, Journell had receptions of 9, 28, and 14 yards before sophomore running back Bryson Douglas capped a 7-play, 65-yard touchdown drive with a 2-yard run to the right.

As time expired in the first half, Boyle threw up a deep ball to the end zone, where sophomore wide receiver Chance Bennett came down with the 35-yard touchdown reception. First-year Nolan Hendricks' extra point had the Fighting Scots within 42-21 at halftime.

Boyle went right back to Bennett on the first offensive play of the second half, and that went for a 34-yard reception, which moved Wooster to Wilmington's 36-yard line. Four plays later, Journell was in the end zone for the second time, catching a Boyle pass there on a fourth-and-6 snap.

In the fourth, Boyle threaded a fine pass through double coverage to senior wideout Jordan Lewis for a 34-yard touchdown. Hendricks' extra point capped Wooster's scoring and had the Scots within 56-35 with 10:54 remaining in the game.

Senior linebacker Brandon Torres logged Wooster's first defensive stop, blowing up a run-pass option keep by Isaac Ross for a 4-yard loss on a third-and-1 play inside the final minute of the first quarter. Sophomore defensive back Charlie Scoggin added a sliding interception on a third-down play in the third quarter at Wilmington's 38-yard line.

Boyle completed 23-of-35 passes en route to the career-best 362 yards and four touchdowns. Journell logged a big game with eight catches for 177 yards and two scores. Lewis finished just shy of 100 receiving yards on seven receptions, while Bennett debuted with 68 yards on three receptions. Douglas was the leading rusher with 46 yards on 15 carries.

Senior defensive back Brock Sivon was in on 13 tackles for Wooster, which marked the game-high. He was followed by eight tackles from Linsday and seven each from senior linebacker Braydon Hudson, Lindsay, and Scoggin.

Wooster continued its strong return game, with five different Scots having at least a 20-yard runback on the night. Sophomore Damion Cunningham led the way with a 24.3 average over three returns, headlined by a long of 39.

Kai Smith powered Wilmington's offense with a 9.2 per-carry average. He finished with 166 yards on 18 carries and scored twice. Ross completed 13-of-23 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns. De'Anta Sanon turned a 74-yard touchdown reception into the team-high in receiving yards at 96.

Nathan Nemeth had high honors in tackles for Wilmington at nine.

Wilmington had 514 yards of offense to 408 for Wooster. The Quakers had 26 first downs to the Scots' 17. Wilmington finished 7-of-14 on third down, while Wooster converted just one of its nine chances.

Next, Wooster has its home opener, with that slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13 at John P. Papp Stadium against Saint Vincent College (1-0).