Tigers Overcome Slow Start To Defeat Hiram 27-10

HIRAM, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers remained undefeated all-time against the Hiram Terriers, but it was anything but easy in a 27-10 come-from-behind road victory.

Wittenberg spotted Hiram the game's first 10 points before storming back to take a seven-point lead by halftime. The Tiger defense took the lead from that point, keeping the Terriers scoreless over the final 30 minutes while Wittenberg's offense put the game out of reach with 10 more points in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers improved to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, while Hiram dropped to 1-6 overall and 1-5 in the league. Wittenberg has never lost in 16 all-time meetings with the Terriers, but the 17-point margin was the closest in series history.

Hiram took advantage of a short field twice in the first quarter, driving 53 yards and 44 yards to score 10 points in the first nine minutes of the game. From that point, however, the Terriers managed a meager 120 yards of total offense.

The rally started with a 30-yard field goal by senior Ty Smith (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) early in the second quarter, followed by an 11-play, 98-yard drive that was capped by a 17-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Zack Jenkins (Frostproof, Fla./Frostproof) to senior wide receiver Corey Stump (Lima, Ohio/Central Catholic). Wittenberg took the lead with 2:45 left before intermission as Jenkins and Stump hooked up again, this time from 21 yards.

Neither team put a dent in the scoreboard in the third quarter. Smith kicked his second field goal of the game at the start of the fourth, and junior Luke Bowling (New Lebanon, Ohio/Dixie) rounded things out with his first collegiate touchdown on a 15-yard pass from Jenkins.

Wittenberg outgained the Terriers 453 yards to 217 in the game. Jenkins finished with 316 yards passing, and Stump etched his name in the program record books again with a Wittenberg-best 16 receptions for 197 yards. Bowling added nine catches for 63 yards.

Defensively, the Tigers were paced by junior linebackers Dustin Holmes (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh) with 10 tackles and Josh Link (Granville, Ohio/Granville) with nine stops. Sophomore Chandler Ferko (Plain City, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) picked up two of Wittenberg's seven tackles for loss in the game, sophomore Keenan Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) was credited with a blocked punt, and freshman Miles Laboy (Gaithersburg, Md./Avalon), playing his first game as a defensive back, intercepted a pass.

Written By: Ryan Maurer