Round Up: Tigers Lose to Wabash
It was nothing short of a stunner. Wabash defeated the Tigers 41-14 to hand Wittenberg its first NCAC road loss since 1997.
It was nothing short of a stunner. Wabash defeated the Tigers 41-14 to hand Wittenberg its first NCAC road loss since 1997.
Wabash, the defending NCAC champion and winner of two 2002 games against Wittenberg, outgained the Tigers 476-301 for the game and held the ball for 36 minutes, compared to 23 for the Tigers. In the first quarter, the Little Giants set the tone immediately, taking the opening kickoff and methodically driving downfield to the first of three first-half scores. Wabash outgained the Tigers, 299-40, had possession of the ball for nine more minutes and gained 18 first downs to Wittenberg's three in the first half.
The Tigers finally got on the scoreboard with 3:37 left in the third quarter as junior tailback Raymar Hampshire (Lima, Ohio/Elida) wrapped up a 68-yard, 12-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The Tigers concluded their scoring with a 34-yard touchdown hook-up between junior quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda) and senior wide receiver Skip Ivery (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison).
Individually, Holmes finished with 249 yards on 19 completions in 39 attempts. He had one touchdown and his first three interceptions of the season. Hampshire finished with 49 yards rushing on 16 attempts and sophomore wide receiver Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) led the receivers with 104 yards on eight receptions. In three career games against Wabash, Glover has a whopping 28 receptions.
Defensively, senior linebacker Gary George (Cincinnati, Ohio/Purcell Marian) led the way with 11 total tackles, including two for a loss of 11 yards. Freshman safetyMitch Fonseca (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) added 10 tackles and sophomore safety Yusef Abdul-Zahir (Canton, Ohio/McKinley) wound up with eight tackles, including one for loss, and a fourth-quarter interception.