Wittenberg Falls In Season Finale At Allegheny

MEADVILLE, Pa. — The Wittenberg Tigers had been on a roll since the start of North Coast Athletic Conference action on Oct. 1, and with only a road trip to struggling Allegheny left on the schedule, uninformed observers incorrectly assumed that Wittenberg would close out the 2005 season with a win.

Those assumptions were proven to be most incorrect Saturday as the Tigers dropped a 31-21 decision at Allegheny, falling to 5-5 overall and 5-2 in the NCAC. It is Wittenberg's first non-winning season since 1991 and just the third since Bill Edwards turned the Tigers into a football powerhouse in 1955. The Tigers also finished third in the final NCAC standings, behind unbeaten and nationally ranked Wabash and surprising Kenyon, which did not have to play either Wittenberg or Wabash in 2005 thanks to a power-rated scheduling system. It was the first time Wittenberg has dropped out of the top two in the NCAC standings since 1991.

Allegheny, on the other hand, finished the season with three wins in its last four games, small consolation for a team that lost six games by a touchdown or less in 2005 en route to a 3-7 overall record. The Gators finished the NCAC loop with a 3-4 mark.

Wittenberg fell behind 14-0 to start the game but rallied to within a touchdown on a 13-yard run by senior tailback Tristan Murray with 6:01 left in the second quarter after the two teams traded turnovers. First, Wittenberg junior wide receiver Ryan McCoart blocked a punt, but junior quarterback Geron Stokes threw the first of his two interceptions to hand Allegheny possession again. On the next play, Wittenberg senior cornerback Mike Freeman recovered a fumble to set up the one-play drive.

Wittenberg tied the game on a six-yard touchdown pass from Stokes to senior wide receiver Jered Glover early in the third quarter and momentum seemed to have shifted the Tigers' way. Wittenberg's defense was coming up with big stops and Glover, who finished his career as the Tigers' all-time leading receiver in terms of both catches and yards, was helping the offense get in gear.

Allegheny responded, however, with a seven-play, 77-yard drive, the first of three long, time-consuming second-half drives that made the difference in the game. The Tigers could get no closer than three points the rest of the way, with the back-breaking score coming on a seven-yard touchdown pass with just 2:13 remaining. That third and goal play capped a 12-play, 83-yard drive that consumed a whopping 6:32 off the clock. The Tigers had just closed to within 24-21 on Murray's second touchdown run.

Murray, the conference leader in rushing yards, all-purpose yards and scoring per game, finished with 105 yards on 23 carries and 24 yards on four catches in the game. Stokes finished 20-of-33 for 146 yards. Allegheny's Mario Tarquinio led all players with 111 yards on 27 carries, while the Gators' picked up 204 passing yards from quarterback Jimmy Savage.

Defensively, the Tigers got another monstrous game from junior linebacker Tyler Harmon, who finished with a game-high 15 tackles. Senior linebacker Ken Bibb added 12 tackles and senior linebacker Anthoni Fazio chipped in with seven tackles and two forced fumbles.