Round Up: Tigers Lose to Wabash Thanks to Many Turnovers
If turnovers are a football coach's worst nightmare then Wittenberg Head Coach Joe Fincham likely has some sleepless night ahead.
If turnovers are a football coach's worst nightmare then Wittenberg Head Coach Joe Fincham likely has some sleepless night ahead. He will surely be reliving Saturday's 25-14 loss at Wabash College in the swirling snow and chilling winds of Byron P. Hollett Stadium for some time to come.
Wittenberg controlled most of the statistics in the game and put up nothing short of a valiant effort, especially on defense. But, their ranks thinned to the point of no return by a slew of debilitating injuries, the Tigers couldn't overcome eight turnovers, including five fumbles and three interceptions, the last of which was returned for the clinching touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
Following a scoreless first quarter, Wittenberg got on the board first. Freshman wide receiver Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) made a diving catch in the end zone on a perfectly thrown pass by senior quarterbackGreg Cornett (Franklin, Ohio/Franklin) that covered 31 yards. Wabash responded with an 18-yard touchdown pass with 5:44 left in the half on a fourth-and-15 play.
After a diving second-quarter interception by senior linebacker Andy Pope (Hamilton, Ohio/Lakota East), the Tigers drove 65 yards in 12 plays to set up a short field goal attempt that was blocked and stunted some momentum the Tigers had generated. Despite dominating the halftime statistics, Wittenberg went into the locker room tied at seven thanks to two fumbles and an interception.
The second half was dramatic until the last five minutes, when the biggest Tiger injury yet and more turnovers turned the tide. Wabash took a 13-7 lead with 2:34 left in the third quarter, but senior defensive back John Hauser (Columbus, Ohio/Hartley) blocked the extra point. On the ensuing possession, Wittenberg put together another long drive but committed another turnover and lost Cornett on the play to biceps tendinitis.
After senior linebacker Ryan Gresham (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor) made an interception at his own 14-yard-line, Wittenberg back-up quarterback Kurt Forrest (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg) was blitzed and stripped of the football on his first two pass attempts, leading to two Wabash scores in just 20 seconds. Wittenberg never quit, however, rounding out the scoring on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Forrest to junior wide receiver Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) with 2:30 remaining.
Individually, it was a fitting performance for senior tailback Daniel Grove (Uhrichsville, Ohio/Claymont), who became the first person to go over 100 yards against Wabash this season. He finished with 147 yards on 30 carries, the fourth time in his career that he had surpassed the century mark in an NCAA Division III Playoff game. Cornett finished 18-of-31 for 142 yards and touchdown, and Glover had 10 receptions for 87 yards.
On defense, Gresham showed the way with 10 total tackles, including three for loss, an interception and two quarterback hurries. Senior linebacker Dustin Goldsbury (Columbus, Ohio/Ready) finished with eight tackles, including one for a loss of six yards, and senior defensive end Jim Lackmeyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) chipped in with six total tackles, including 3.5 for a loss of 13 yards.