Round Up: Young Tigers Team Takes Control Against Albion
With just nine starters and 24 letterwinners back in the fold, nothing about the 2003 season was too clear for the Tiger football program when preseason practices began.
With just nine starters and 24 letterwinners back in the fold, nothing about the 2003 season was too clear for the Tiger football program when preseason practices began. Things are much clearer after the Tigers opened with a 34-7 win over Albion and a 38-12 victory over Urbana.
Against Albion, the Tigers were outstanding from the outset, driving 60 yards on 10 plays on their first drive to set the tone with a one-yard Raymar Hampshire (Lima, Ohio/Elida) plunge into the end zone. The rest of the first half was dominated by Wittenberg's defense and special teams as the Tigers allowed just 87 total yards and scored a second TD on a blocked punt recovered by freshman Ryan McCoart (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn).Conrad Hindert (Terrace Park, Ohio/Mariemont) added a pair of 37-yard field goals.
In the second half, Wittenberg again controlled the action. Hampshire scored his second touchdown of the day in the third stanza and freshman Joe Brumfield (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge) scored on a fourth-down play in the fourth quarter.
Individually, Wittenberg got 99 yards on 13 carries from Hampshire, 83 yards on 17 carries from Brumfield and 62 yards on 12 totes for sophomore starting tailbackAdam Hewitt (Piqua, Ohio/Lehman Catholic). Junior quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda) was an efficient 13-of-22 for 148 yards in his first college start. Among his receivers, sophomore Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) caught five passes for 40 yards and senior Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) hauled in three passes for 53 yards.
Defensively, Wittenberg was paced by sophomore safety Yusef Abdul-Zahir (Canton, Ohio/McKinley) and senior linebacker Gary George (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) with nine tackles each. Freshman linebacker Serge Thebaud (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast) had a fantastic debut with seven tackles and the blocked punt that led to the touchdown.
In recognition of his performance against Albion, Raymar Hampshire was named NCAC Offensive Player of the Week.
Against Urbana, the Tigers overcame a slow start to pull away for a 38-12 victory.
Wittenberg took the opening kickoff 55 yards in 11 plays and scored the game's first three points on a Hindert 33-yard field goal. Down 12-3 after struggling to score the rest of the first half, Glover got the Tigers moving back in the right direction as he caught a screen pass that covered 42 yards to the end zone with just 53 seconds remaining before halftime.
In the second half, the Tigers looked like a different team, yielding just 59 yards to Urbana's offense and scoring 28 unanswered points. Wittenberg took the lead on a 42-yard touchdown hook-up between Ivery and Holmes in the third quarter. Hampshire went 31 yards for a touchdown, Ivery added a 38-yard TD reception from Holmes and freshman fullback Tyler Harmon (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) recovered a Hampshire fumble in the end zone. Harmon had set that score up with a 54-yard run.
Wittenberg outgained Urbana 437-200 for the game, although the Blue Knights had the ball for more minutes. Individually, Hampshire finished with 158 yards on 20 attempts, both career highs. Holmes was efficient again, completing 12 of his 20 pass attempts for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Ivery had six catches for 107 yards and Glover added 67 yards on three receptions.
Defensively, Abdul-Zahir, who finished with 15 tackles and one tackle for loss, was the star of the game. Defensive tackle Jarrett Brown (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles) was also outstanding with nine tackles, including three for a loss of 17 yards.
In recognition of his performance against Urbana, Abdul-Zahir was named NCAC Defensive Player of the Week.
Wittenberg returns to action on Sept. 27 against Thomas More, a final nonconference game before the NCAC schedule commences on Oct. 4. The Tigers are ranked in the top 20 in all three weekly polls, including No. 11 in the first American Football Coaches Association poll.