Tigers Shut Down Hiram In 48-0 Victory

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - In the first nine minutes, Wittenberg had negative yardage on offense but a 17-0 lead on the scoreboard. The Tiger offense eventually got on track, but it was clearly Wittenberg's defense that deserved the lion's share of credit in a 48-0 victory over Hiram.

The Tigers forced seven turnovers, including fumbles on each of Hiram's first three possessions, en route to the dominating home win. It marked the second time in three weeks that Wittenberg's defense forced seven turnovers as the Tigers improved to 3-1 overall and 3-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC).

Wittenberg improved to 15-0 all-time against Hiram, including 14 straight lop-sided victories since the Terriers joined the NCAC in 2000. The Tigers also ran their NCAC winning streak to 16 straight, dating back to 2012, while Hiram dropped to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in the league.

The tone was set in the opening minutes as senior linebacker Nick Gibson (Marysville, Ohio/Fairbanks) scooped up a fumble and returned it 34 yards for a score at the 11:51 mark of the first quarter. Five minutes later, it was senior linebacker Evan Killilea (Westerville, Ohio/DeSales) getting into the scoring act on special teams as he pounced on a loose ball in the end zone after a fumbled punt.

After another Hiram miscue deep in its own territory, Wittenberg was forced to settle for a 38-yard field goal by junior Evan Grissom (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua), who added a 29-yard field goal to make it 20-0 on the final play of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, as Hiram's offense continued to sputter, the Tiger offense came to life with a pair of drives that ended with touchdown passes by junior quarterback Zack Jenkins (Frostproof, Fla./Frostproof). The first one covered 24 yards to senior Zac Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) and the second went for 19 yards to junior Zach Culvahouse (Fort Myers, Fla./Estero).

The Tigers tacked on one touchdown apiece in the third and fourth quarters as Jenkins scored on a three-yard run and sophomore running back Ryan Jordan (New Lebanon, Ohio/Dixie) struck paydirt for the first time in his collegiate career with a 16-yard touchdown run.

For the game, Wittenberg finished with a modest 320 yards of total offense, including 168 through the air and 152 on the ground. Jenkins struggled in the unseasonably cold, wet, windy conditions, finishing 11-of-17 passing for 152 yards. Culvahouse and sophomore Luke Landis (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) were the Tigers' leading receivers with 36 yards each, and Jordan led the rushing attack with 77 yards on 13 carries, all in the fourth quarter.

Hiram was limited to a mere 192 yards of total offense. Gibson had himself a big day with 11 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Senior linebacker Caden Leichty (Versailles, Ohio/Versailles) added nine tackles, including a sack, and Killilea chipped in with eight tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception.

Written By: Ryan Maurer