Wittenberg grabs 31-6 win over Thomas More

CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - The Wittenberg Tigers have had their difficulties with slow starts in 2002. No such problems were encountered at Thomas More College on Saturday afternoon as the Tigers cruised to a 31-6 win despite muddy field conditions and a psyched up host team that was playing for its playoff life.

Wittenberg gained control from the outset, scoring touchdowns on its first four possessions while allowing the Saints just three first downs before halftime, let alone any points. The Tigers got three of those scores from senior tailback Daniel Grove (Uhrichsville, Ohio/Claymont), who now has 10 touchdowns in three games this season and 41 for his career, putting him fourth in school history in career scoring with 246 points, just eight behind Aaron Powers and one behind Ryan Walker. Grove, who entered the game leading NCAA Division III in rushing at 199.5 yards per game, finished the afternoon with 55 yards on 18 carries, ending his nine-game streak of at least 100 yards rushing.

Grove had the first, third and fourth touchdowns of the game on runs of two, three and eight yards. He was joined on the scoring stat sheet by sophomore fullbackRaymar Hampshire (Lima, Ohio/Elida), who pounded it in from one yard out in the first quarter.

What Wittenberg couldn't get done on the ground thanks to a field decimated by the remnants of Hurricane Isidore, the Tigers accomplished through the air. Wittenberg accumulated a season-high 316 yards passing, led by senior quarterback Greg Cornett (Franklin, Ohio/Franklin) and his 16-of-34 passing day for 297 yards. All four Tiger touchdown runs came on the heels of big passing plays.

Thomas More held the advantage in time of possession, 31:17 to 28:35, but the Saints could not make much headway against a Tiger defense that posted 12 tackles for loss, including four sacks, and intercepted three passes. Thomas More finally got some things going offensively in the second half, reaching the Wittenberg 24-yard line before missing a 40-yard field goal attempt late in the third quarter. The Saints finally broke through against the Tiger reserves with eight seconds left in the game, scoring on a two-yard run by Justin Frisk and ending the Saints' scoreless streak against the Wittenberg at 119:52, dating back to last year's 41-0 NCAA Division III tournament playoff victory by the Tigers.

Thomas More managed just 13 yards on 27 rushing attempts in the game, including 16 yards on six carries by freshman sensation Rufus Wilkins. Saints quarterbacks Matt Young and Scott Garver did combine for 201 yards passing, but almost all of that came between the 20s.

Defensively, Wittenberg was paced by senior safety Andy Waddle's (Springfield, Ohio/Greenon) seven tackles, including two for loss. Nick Rice turned in a game-high 14 tackles for the Saints.

Wittenberg, now 3-0 and ranked No. 4 in the country, got big days from several receivers as Cornett and reserve quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda) spread the ball around to eight different receivers in the game. Junior Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) led the way with six catches for 95 yards, senior Adrian Crane (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) added four receptions for 54 yards and freshman Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) contributed three catches for 78 yards, including a tremendous 65-yard catch-and-run that set up the Tigers third touchdown of the day in the second quarter.

The Tigers are back in action next Saturday at home at 1 p.m. against Denison University, the NCAC opener for both teams and a final tune-up before a Homecoming showdown opposite Wabash on Oct. 12. Wittenberg hasn't lost an NCAC game since 1997.