#14 Wittenberg Holds Kenyon to Negative Rushing Yards in 48-11 Victory

Wittenberg moved to 3-0 with minimal issues from the Lords, as the Tigers wound up on top, 48-11.

#14 Wittenberg Holds Kenyon to Negative Rushing Yards in 48-11 Victory
September 23, 2017
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GAMBIER, Ohio-- #14 Wittenberg football continued to roll on Saturday, as the Tigers squared off against Kenyon in their second NCAC league game. Wittenberg moved to 3-0 with minimal issues from the Lords, as the Tigers wound up on top, 48-11. The Tiger defense showed up again in a big way, holding Kenyon to -14 total rushing yards in the contest. Kenyon's opening drive resulted in a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion, as the Tiger defense would hold Kenyon to second quarter field-goal before shutting them out in the second half.

HOW IT HAPPENED: Trailing 8-0, the Tigers found the end-zone with 9:07 remaining in the first quarter, as Jake Kennedy split through Kenyon's defense for an eight-yard run. On the Tigers next drive, Kennedy would do more of the same, rushing for nine yards, and his second rushing touchdown of the opening quarter. Wittenberg jumped out to a 21-8 lead in the second quarter, after DeShawn Sarley took a handoff eight yards up the middle to cap off an 11 play, 95-yard Tiger touchdown drive. With a 28-11 lead going into halftime, Adam Acquista extended the Tigers lead to 31-11 with a 25-yard field goal early in the third. Minutes later, Jeff Tiffner caught his second touchdown pass of the game from Kennedy, as the senior Kenton Ridge product hauled in a nine-yard strike to move the lead to 38-11. Tyler Everidge put an exclamation point on the win for Wittenberg, as the senior tight-end hauled in his second career receiving touchdown on a 25-yard pass from Ryan Fallon, as the Tigers took a 45-11 lead. Acquista capped off the end of the game with another 25-yard field goal, as the Tigers then led 48-11.

WHO STOOD OUT: The Tigers defense stood out on Saturday as a unit, holding Kenyon to -14 yards rushing, including ten tackles that went for a loss. Chandler Ferko was a force early on Saturday, making the defensive play of the game, picking off a Kenyon pass with one hand at point-blank range early in the contest. Ferko would go on to record two sacks, recover a fumble, and record a quarterback-hurry in the lopsided-victory. Jonathan Seay and Terrance Crowe led the Tigers with eight tackles and one pass-breakup each, while Michael Fiessinger recorded seven tackles and one interception. On offense, Tiffner was a man on a mission, pulling in eight passes for 99 yards and two scores. The senior wide-out recorded 12.4 yards per reception in the win. Kennedy did a little bit of everything under center on Saturday for the Tigers, as the junior quarterback accounted for four total touchdowns, two by air and two on the ground.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN: Wittenberg's win is the 26th consecutive over Kenyon, as the Tigers now turn to their most challenging portion of the NCAC schedule in the upcoming weeks. Wittenberg faces Denison at home next week, before traveling to Hiram the first week of October. Wittenberg then faces Allegheny at home, before back-to-back weekends in Indiana for games against DePauw and Wabash.

UP NEXT: Wittenberg returns home for a week of practice before taking on the Big Red of Denison at home on Saturday, September 30 at 7:00PM.