Wittenberg Defeats Hiram, 74-0

HIRAM, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers made short work of the Hiram Terriers Saturday to improve to 3-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference and 5-1 overall. With all 65 players who made the trip getting into the game, the Tigers jumped on the winless Terriers from the outset and cruised to a 74-0 victory.

Wittenberg scored on its first two drives of the game, needing just six offensive plays and less than five minutes to jump ahead 13-0 on a pair of touchdown runs by sophomore fullback Tyler Harmon. Freshman linebacker Wade Laughrey went 23 yards to the end zone with an interception return just nine seconds after the second touchdown, and the route was clearly on. Wittenberg hung 54 points on the Terriers before halftime, adding scores on a three-yard run by junior tailback Tristan Murray, a nine-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Ryan Holmes to junior wide receiver Braden Freeman, a one-yard scoring burst by Harmon, an 18-yard scoring pass from sophomore quarterback Chris Clark to junior wide receiver Dymond McDonald and a one-yard run by freshman fullback Andy Vanover.

In the second half, Wittenberg attempted just two passes, completing one for two yards. The Tigers tacked on 20 more points in the final 30 minutes as freshman wide receiver Jason Alonso scored his first collegiate touchdown on a seven-yard end-around in the third quarter and Clark added scoring runs of seven and 37 yards in the fourth quarter.

The man who did the bulk of rushing work was junior tailback Will Block, who had a career-high 143 yards on 20 carries. Murray added 65 yards on nine carries, none after the first quarter, and Clark and Holmes combined for 116 yards rushing from the quarterback position on 13 carries. Wittenberg outrushed the Terriers 442-44 in the game, the first of many lopsided statistics.

Wittenberg gained 30 first downs in the game to just five for the Terriers, who have now been outscored 322-0 in five meetings with the Tigers since joining the NCAC in 2000. The total yardage differential was 564-136, while Hiram did have an advantage in time of possession at 38:54 to 29:32.

Hiram was led by running back Tim Anderson with 27 yards on six carries and wide receiver Michael Paes with three receptions for 18 yards. Quarterback Ryan McGee made his first start under center and was a respectable 11-of-26 for 92 yards, although he was hurt by two first-half interceptions, including Laughrey's that was returned for a score.

Eleven different Wittenberg players recorded at least one rushing attempt in the game, and six different players shared the eight receptions. Leading the way was junior tight end Nate Cherry with two catches for 23 yards, while Harmon had a 46-yard reception and junior wideout Jered Glover extended a long streak with one catch for 20 yards. He has caught at least one pass in every game since arriving on campus, now numbering 28 (including 2002 playoffs).

The Tigers get back into action at home next Saturday with a key NCAC game against Wabash College, which fell from the ranks of the unbeaten on Saturday at home against 12th-ranked Wooster, 33-30. Both teams are 5-1 overall, and both will be fighting for survival in the NCAC race.