Tigers Shut Out for First Time in 18 Years

SPRINGFIELD, OH - The Wittenberg Tigers put a scare into four-time defending North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) champion DePauw before falling, 28-0, on a sun-drenched Homecoming, Reunion and Family Weekend afternoon.

Wittenberg and DePauw played to a scoreless draw over the opening 30 minutes of the game, highlighted by an unlikely goal line stand by Wittenberg's defense on DePauw's opening drive. However, the home Tigers' bend-but-don't-break defense finally yielded to the 14th-ranked visiting Tigers, who put together two scoring drives in the third quarter and two more in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

The loss dropped Wittenberg to 2-2 on the season, heading into a road trip to Wooster next week. DePauw won its 28th consecutive regular season game and its 22nd straight NCAC game to improve to 4-0 on the 2025 campaign.

Wittenberg was held to just 136 yards of total offense in the game. The Tigers were held scoreless for the first time since 2007, when Capital kept Wittenberg off the scoreboard in a 13-0 win in the the season opener.

Wittenberg had three quarterbacks play in the game, and they combined to complete 15 of 24 passes for 128 yards. The leading receiver was Nikhai Daniel (Locust Grove, GA / Locust Grove) with four receptions for 44 yards, and the Tigers' leading rusher was Jaheim Hudson (Sun CIty, FL / Sumner) with eight carries for 30 yards.

Wittenberg punter Hayden Olcott (Delaware, OH / Olentangy) provided a highlight with a 67-yard effort late in the first half, the eighth-longest punt in program history. He finished the day with an average of 46.7 yards per punt.

Defensively, the host Tigers were paced by Tyre Smith (Sarasota, OH / Riverview) with 16 total tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass break-up. Isaiah Shuler (Riverview, FL / Jule F Sumner) and Luke Jackson (DeGraff, OH / Indian Lake) had seven tackles apiece, while Dalton Allen (Delaware, OH / Hayes) contributed five tackles, including a sack, in addition to a pass break-up and two quarterback hurries.

Written By: Ryan Maurer