Wittenberg Slips Past Earlham, 28-14
It wasn't the Homecoming work of art that Wittenberg fans have long been accustomed to, but it was a win nonetheless.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — It wasn't the Homecoming work of art that Wittenberg fans have long been accustomed to, but it was a win nonetheless. The Wittenberg Tigers pulled out to a 19-7 halftime lead and coasted to a 28-14 victory over Earlham.
Earlham, which has not beaten Wittenberg since 1909 while dropping to 8-25 all-time against the Tigers, is now 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the NCAC.
Wittenberg enjoyed a strong enough start to the game, scoring twice in the first quarter on a six-yard run by senior tailback Tristan Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) and a 30-yard catch by junior fullback Andy Vanover (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe). In the second quarter, the Tigers responded to Earlham's first score, a touchdown hook-up between quarterback Justin Rummell and wide receiver Joe White, with another Vanover TD reception, this time covering 38 yards.
After taking a 19-7 advantage into the locker room at halftime, Wittenberg extended the lead on a third-quarter field goal by junior Mark Porter (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) and Vanover's career-best third touchdown catch of the game, which covered 18 yards and staked the Tigers to an insurmountable 28-7 lead with 26 second left before the end of the third quarter.
After battling their way through blocked kicks and punts, turnovers and penalties through the first three quarters, things finally stalled for the Tigers in the fourth quarter. However, Earlham only managed a touchdown on a broken fourth-and-seven play with 3:01 remaining in the game.
For the game, Wittenberg managed just one extra point in four attempts, and the Tigers had their fourth punt blocked already this season. In addition, the offense committed a season-high three turnovers - fortunately for the Tigers, the defense came up with two of their own, including an electrifying interception and 27-yard return by freshman Brandyn Brown (Louisville, Ky./Male) in the fourth quarter. The game also featured plenty of yellow as Wittenberg was flagged for a season-high 12 penalties for 118 yards and Earlham absorbed eight penalties for 72 yards.
The Tigers have now won three straight games, in large part thanks to a rejuvenated defense and the hard work of the offensive backfield tandem of Murray and Vanover, who accounted for a whopping 327 of Wittenberg's 447 yards of total offense in the game. Murray topped the 100-yard mark for a fourth straight game - in the process moving into fifth place on the school's career rushing list. His 189 yards on a season-high 35 carries pushed Murray past Aaron Powers on that list.
Vanover had the best game statistically in his Wittenberg career, including a game-high 107 yards and three touchdowns on four catches. He added nine yards on four carries. Interestingly, freshman quarterback Aaron Huffman (Newark, Ohio/Newark) passed for more yards (228) than his all-conference, fifth-year senior counterpart from Earlham (200). Freshman Chris Jones (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) had his best day as a collegian, finishing with six catches for 59 yards.
Rummell did complete 26 passes, but without the threat of running attack - Earlham managed just 34 yards on 14 carries - the Tiger defense managed to keep the Quaker receivers bottled up most of the day. Wittenberg was led defensively by senior linebacker Tyler Harmon (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) with eight tackles, including six solos, and an interception.