10.8.16 #15 Wittenberg vs. DePauw

SETTING THE SCENE

After big wins against Wabash and Wooster, head coach Joe Fincham has his Tigers pointed in the exact direction that he wants them. The Tigers are now 4-0 in 2016 and 3-0 in NCAC play, as the team welcomes a fellow unbeaten opponent to Springfield on Saturday, the DePauw Tigers. 

Week-to-week, sophomore gunslinger Jake Kennedy has shown solid growth, as the Bellfontaine native has thrown three touchdown passes in back-to-back games. Kennedy's favorite target has turned into senior wide-out Luke Landis, who has caught ten passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns in the past two victories. Kennedy and Landis hooked up for six catch-and-throws a week-ago at Wooster, as the Brookville native finished with 127 yards receiving in the 41-13 rout. 

Defensively, the Tigers rank nationally in multiple categories: 4th in scoring defense, 4th in red zone defense, 20th in rushing defense, and 40th in total defense. DePauw enters Saturday's contest with wins over opponents who have combined to go 7-12 thus far in 2016 and an offense that has been firing on all cylinders, averaging 529 yards of offense a game. Wittenberg's defense has faced the task of squashing a high-powered offense earlier in the year versus Wabash, as the unit has held opponents to 289 total yards, including 72.5 on the ground overall.

SERIES HISTORY 

• Wittenberg and DePauw have met on the gridiron ten times, with the Wittenberg Tigers holding a 7-3 advantage. 
• The series actually started way back in 1893 with a 30-6 DePauw victory, but it didn't resume again until 1958, the first of three straight Wittenberg wins. 
• After DePauw won in 1989 and Wittenberg won in 1995, the Tigers have claimed victories in three of the first four games as NCAC rivals. 

RANKINGS

• Wittenberg enters the battle of the "undefeated Tigers" ranked #15 in the AFCA Coach's Poll as well as #16 in the d3football.com poll. 
• DePauw enters Saturday sitting in the "other's receiving votes" category of both the AFCA and D3football.com poll.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

• With Wittenberg's passing attack in full effect, the Tigers have seen three viable candidates emerge as running backs in recent weeks. 
• Freshman Jaheem Washington has been hard to bring down when carrying the ball all season, as the Floridian found the end-zone last week against Wooster for his first collegiate score. 
• DeShawn Sarley still sits atop the depth chart for the red and white, but the sophomore back has been nursing an ankle injury that sidelined the Cincinnati native last week. 
• Nick Kendall has seen his workload increase week after week, putting together his best game thus far against the Fighting Scots a week ago. Kendall went for 97 yards on the ground last week, breaking off a 36 yard run in the process. 
• Luke Bowling has paced the Tiger offense with 20 receptions, while Landis is not far behind with 16 catches. 
• Landis has hauled in four touchdowns for the Tigers and leads all receivers with 302 yards total. 

DEFENSIVE NOTES

• Defensively, the Tigers rank nationally in multiple categories: 4th in scoring defense, 4th in red zone defense, 20th in rushing defense, and 40th in total defense.
• Dustin Holmes is averaging 12.3 tackles per-game in 2016, with Terrance Crowe right behind him at 12.0.
• Both Tiger linebackers have earned NCAC Defensive Player of the Week Honors in 2016. 
• Bobby Saul has emerged as a captain for the Tigers unit, as the defensive lineman has accounted for 3.5 tackles for-a-loss on the year and one sack. 
• The Tigers defense has only allowed five touchdowns on the year, holding opponents to 8.5 points per-game. 

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• Will Gingery currently leads the nation at the Division III level with an average of 2.25 field goals per-game. 
• The Bexley native also leads the country in average yards per punt at 47.1 yards a boot 
• The senior has amassed 19 punts for 895 yards in four games.  

AMONG THE ELITE 

• Wittenberg Head Coach Joe Fincham has won 182 games in his career, putting him at No. 9 among active NCAA Division III coaches in terms of total victories. Rick Giancola of Montclair State leads the list with 232.
• Interestingly, the other coaches on the list all have at least 23 years as a head coach coming into the 2015 season. Fincham has 20 seasons under his belt as Wittenberg's head coach.

THE COACH

• Wittenberg: Joe Fincham (Ohio University 1988); 185-41 overall; 130-18 NCAC
• 11-11 NCAA Division III Tournament record
• Wittenberg has won 11 conference titles under Fincham, including four in the last six years
• NCAC Coach of the Year 9 times
• 1998 AFCA District IV Coach of the Year honors in 1998 and 2009
• d3football.com North Region Coach of the Year in 2009