SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - If it was their final appearance on the home turf at Edwards-Maurer Field, it was certainly a sweet way to finish as the Wittenberg Tigers celebrated Senior Recognition Day with a dramatic 21-15 victory over arch-rival Wabash to clinch a share of the 2014 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title.
By winning their fifth NCAC championship in the last six years and a league-best 13th all-time, the Tigers earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament for the third straight year. Wittenberg improved to 8-1 overall and 8-0 in the NCAC, heading into the regular season finale at Allegheny on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Ninth-ranked Wabash dropped to 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the league, with a date against arch-rival DePauw remaining on the schedule. The Little Giants figure to be a top candidate for an at-large berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament with a win in that game.
Against Wittenberg, which won its 21st straight NCAC game, the Little Giants held the upper hand in total offense with 348 yards to 211 for the Tigers. But a pair of blocked kicks and a pair of turnovers proved to be difference-makers for the Tigers, who came into the game ranked 14th by D3football.com and 16th by the American Football Coaches Association.
The first block came on a punt on Wabash's opening drive, and it set the Tigers up with the ball at the Little Giants' 23-yard-line. Wittenberg cashed in four plays later with a two-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Zack Jenkins (Frostproof, Fla./Frostproof) to junior wide receiver Corey Stump (Lima, Ohio/Central Catholic).
Wabash responded immediately, taking advantage of a penalty on a punt to drive 71 yards, culminating with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Michael Putko to Drake Christen. The ensuing point-after attempt was blocked, however.
On the next play, Wabash's kick-off was fumbled out of bounds at the six-yard-line and Jenkins was sacked in the end zone on the next play for a safety.
The Little Giants held an 8-7 advantage until the 4:17 mark of the second quarter when the Tigers, who lead the NCAC in turnover margin, came up with a big defensive play. Putko was sacked by sophomore linebacker Dustin Holmes (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh) and senior defensive end Dwight Hill (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) scooped up the resulting fumble and rumbled 58 yards to paydirt for his first career touchdown.
Once again, Wabash came up with an immediate answer, putting together a seven-play drive that covered 55 yards and ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Mason Zurek to re-establish the Little Giants' one-point edge going into the locker room at halftime.
A tense second half featured just one score but plenty of drama. Wittenberg's longest drive of the entire game consumed 4:53 on the clock in the third quarter and ended with a spectacular diving catch by Stump in the corner of the end zone. The scoring pass play from Jenkins only covered seven yards, but it wound up providing the final difference on the scoreboard.
In the closing moments, Wabash saw one drive stall at the Wittenberg 34-yard-line on an incomplete pass at the 3:19 mark and saw their final opportunity end with an interception by junior cornerback Ryan Myers (Palm Harbor, Fla./University) with 28 seconds remaining.
Jenkins finished the game 15-of-29 for 157 yards. His favorite target was junior wide receiver Zach Culvahouse (Fort Myers, Fla./Estero), who hauled in seven passes for 95 yards to move within three receptions of the school record of 67 catches in a season. Stump added five receptions for 39 yards.
The ground game was limited once again as junior Sean Gary (Indianapolis, Ind./Decatur Central) picked up 34 yards on 13 carries and junior Jimmy Dehnke (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) added 33 yards on 12 carries.
Senior linebacker Nick Gibson (Marysville, Ohio/Fairbanks) was credited with 16 tackles, including eight solo stops, while Holmes added 15 tackles.