Injuries, Turnovers Combine to Derail Wittenberg's National Title Hopes

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. - 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 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. The 11-point loss, Wittenberg's second this season against undefeated North Coast Athletic Conference champion Wabash, ended the Tigers' season at 10-2 overall. The Little Giants earned themselves a Round of Eight berth opposite two-time defending national champion Mount Union next weekend in Alliance, Ohio.

The playoff match-up was Round 2 this season in what is becoming a terrific NCAC rivalry between Wabash and Wittenberg. The first game was a shootout on the astroturf and relatively benign weather conditions at Edwards-Maurer Field on Oct. 12, won by Wabash 46-43 in overtime. The playoff game, played on natural grass and in weather conditions that included winds gusting to nearly 40 miles per hour, was much different.

Following a scoreless first quarter in which both teams moved the ball fairly well but came up empty, Wittenberg got on the board first, striking on the first play after a short Wabash punt with 9:32 remaining in the second quarter. Freshman wide receiver Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) made a great diving catch in the end zone on a perfectly thrown pass by senior quarterback Greg Cornett (Franklin, Ohio/Franklin) that covered 31 yards. Wabash responded with an 18-yard touchdown pass from record-setting NCAC Player of the Year Jake Knott to wide receiver Josh Bronaugh with 5:44 left in the half on a fourth-and-15 play. Similar to the play Glover and Cornett connected on, the Wabash connection was a thing of beauty at both ends.

Wittenberg had a field goal blocked at the end of the first half that proved costly for a variety of reasons. Following a fantastic diving interception by senior linebackerAndy Pope (Hamilton, Ohio/Lakota East), the Tigers drove 65 yards in 12 plays to set up a short attempt that would have given the Tigers the same kind of edge on the scoreboard that they had established in almost every statistical category. Wittenberg had rolled up a 139-33 rushing advantage, had almost twice as many first downs as Wabash and had controlled the ball for more than 19 minutes of the first 30. Yet Cornett had lost two fumbles and had another pass intercepted, harkening back to the Oct. 12 game that turned in the second quarter on back-to-back Tiger turnovers after the team had taken a 14-0 lead.

The second half was a dramatic affair until the last five minutes, when the biggest Tiger injury yet and several more turnovers turned the tide for good. Wabash took a 13-7 lead on a five-yard run by Chris Morris with 2:34 left in the third quarter, but Tiger senior defensive back John Hauser (Columbus, Ohio/Hartley) blocked the extra point. On the ensuing possession, Wittenberg drove methodically upfield once again but on fourth down, Wabash defensive back Dustin Deno made an interception and returned it 20 yards. On that play, Cornett finally succumbed to biceps tendonitis, unbeknownst to most of the nearly 3,000 spectators and game officials onhand.

After Tiger senior linebacker Ryan Gresham (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor) made a clutch interception at his own 14-yard-line, Wittenberg turned to back-up quarterback Kurt Forrest (Mechanicsburg, Ohio/Mechanicsburg), who was immediately blitzed and fumbled the ball away at his own nine. Two plays later, Wabash scored on an 11-yard pass from Knott to wide receiver Nick Dawson.

With Wittenberg now in a treacherous pass-first mode, Forrest was again blitzed on the first play of the next possession. His pass was knocked down in the backfield and scooped up by Wabash's Blair Hammer, who returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. In just 20 seconds, a tense defensive struggle had turned into a shocking 25-7 lead for the Little Giants. Wittenberg never quit, however, rounding out the scoring on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Forrest to junior wide receiverSkip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) with 2:30 remaining, but the Tigers couldn't convert on their final possession as Forrest was sacked again and fumbled at his own 35-yard-line with 22 seconds left in the game.

For the game, Wittenberg outperformed Wabash in nearly every statistical category, much as Hanover had done a week earlier to the Tigers in a thrilling 34-33 first-round playoff win for Wittenberg. The Tigers had 23 first downs to Wabash's 17, put up 180 yards rushing against 44 for the Little Giants, totaled 370 yards of total offense to 260 for Wabash and had the ball for nearly 35 minutes of the game. But the turnover battle was the most lop-sided of all - eight for Wittenberg to two for the Little Giants.

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 145 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 to lead the receiving corps. Wittenberg allowed just 25 net yards to Morris, one of the top running backs in the conference, and held Knott to 19 of 39 for 216 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

On defense, Greshman 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.