Wabash College will look to bring home the Monon Bell from a new setting Saturday when the Little Giants face DePauw University in the 132nd Monon Bell Classic at Scheumann Stadium on the Ball State University campus in Muncie, Indiana.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:07 p.m. Wabash (5-4, 4-4 North Coast Athletic Conference) enters the regular-season finale seeking its first victory over the Tigers since 2021. DePauw (8-1, 7-1 NCAC) is ranked 16th in the D3football.com poll and 17th in the American Football Coaches Association poll.
Saturday’s game will be the rivalry’s first neutral-site meeting in 104 years and the first with the Monon Bell at stake. The teams played seven games in Indianapolis between 1915 and 1922, with Wabash posting a 4-2-1 record. The Bell became the rivalry’s trophy in 1932.
Wabash leads the all-time series 63-59-9 and holds a 44-43-6 advantage in games played for the Bell. DePauw has won the past four meetings, including a 41-20 victory last season at Little Giant Stadium. The Little Giants last claimed the trophy with a 42-35 win in 2021.
Wabash carries momentum from a 27-7 home victory over Kenyon last Saturday that snapped a four-game losing streak. The Little Giants scored the game’s first 27 points and limited the Owls to 204 total yards, including eight rushing yards on 36 attempts. Wabash recorded a season-high eight sacks, forced three turnovers and blocked a punt
Junior defensive end Camden Singer earned NCAC Defensive Athlete of the Week honors after leading Wabash with eight tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, and three quarterback hurries. The Little Giants held Kenyon scoreless for more than 58 minutes.
That performance reinforced a defense that ranks seventh in NCAA Division III with 3.44 sacks per game, 18th in rushing defense at 71.1 yards allowed per game and 19th in total defense at 249.1 yards per game. Wabash leads the NCAC in sacks and rushing defense while allowing 16.8 points per contest. Carson Foxen leads the team with 58 tackles, and Dakota Johnson has a team-high 6.5 sacks.
Junior running back Cole Dickerson enters Saturday needing 60 rushing yards for his first 1,000-yard season. He leads the conference with 940 yards and an average of 104.4 yards per game, totaling 13 rushing touchdowns on 204 carries. Dickerson has scored a touchdown in all nine games and rushed for 85 yards and a score against Kenyon. His 13 rushing touchdowns this season and 25 career rushing touchdowns both rank ninth in Wabash history.
Quarterbacks Brand Campbell and Jackson Gilbert have combined for 1,928 passing yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Campbell has thrown for 1,203 yards and four scores, while Gilbert has added 725 yards and six touchdowns. Campbell ranks seventh in school history with 5,263 career passing yards and needs one touchdown pass to tie Dave Broecker for seventh place with 45.
Luke Adams leads the Wabash receivers with 48 catches for 614 yards. He caught seven passes for 87 yards against Kenyon to surpass 1,500 career receiving yards. Adams also produced one of the top receiving performances in rivalry history last season, catching nine passes for 189 yards, the second-highest total in a Monon Bell game.
Nick Witte has added 20 receptions for 482 yards and two touchdowns. His average of 24.1 yards per catch leads the NCAC and ranks sixth nationally. Witte surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards with two catches for 63 yards last week.
DePauw brings a seven-game winning streak into Saturday’s matchup following a 41-28 victory at Wooster. The Tigers’ only loss came Sept. 12 at Washington University in St. Louis, 37-27. DePauw averages 42.4 points and 447.9 total yards per game, including 205.7 rushing yards.
Quarterback Jack Kazmierczak has completed 68.2% of his passes for 1,476 yards and 17 touchdowns with two interceptions. Luke Dockery leads the Tigers with 36 receptions for 585 yards and five touchdowns, while Carter Foran has 35 catches for 489 yards and a team-high six receiving touchdowns.
Carson Johnson leads DePauw’s rushing attack with 820 yards and eight touchdowns, and Logan Shoffner has added 479 yards and six scores. The Tigers allow 15.6 points and 284.3 yards per game, with linebacker Robert Pasinato leading the defense with 51 tackles.
Saturday also offers Wabash head coach Jake Gilbert an opportunity to become the first person to win the Bell as a player, assistant coach and head coach. Gilbert played in Wabash’s 7-2 victory in 1995 and later helped the Little Giants win the trophy as an assistant. The game will be Wabash’s 200th NCAC contest.
Tickets and parking remain available for purchase through Ticketmaster. The game will air on ISC Sports Network and the Wabash College Video Network. WCDQ (106.3 FM) will broadcast the game in the Crawfordsville area, while WMUN (92.5 FM and 1340 AM) will provide coverage in the Muncie area. Viewing parties are scheduled across the country. Locations and reservation information are available at wabash.edu/alumni/mononbell.
