Wabash begins two weeks trying to tame North Coast Athletic Conference tigers when the Little Giants travel to Springfield, Ohio, for a Saturday afternoon contest at Wittenberg University. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
The series between Wabash and Wittenberg is tied at 13-13, dating back to a 42-7 victory by the Tigers in 1964. Wittenberg won the first four meetings between the two programs, including the first two NCAC matchups before the Little Giants scored a 46-43 overtime win in Springfield, Ohio, on Oct. 12, 2002. Wabash owns a one-game edge in conference games at 12-11 but is only 5-7 in games played in Springfield. The Little Giants won 42-35 at Wittenberg in 2022 and earned a 28-21 overtime victory in Springfield in 2018, giving Wabash wins in their last two trips to Edwards-Maurer Stadium. The two teams have split the last ten games in the series at 5-5.
Wabash wraps up the regular season with the 130th Monon Bell Classic against the DePauw University Tigers on Nov. 16, at Blackstock Stadium in Greencastle.
LAST WEEK
Sophomore quarterback Brand Campbell connected with fellow second-year receiver Tim Miller on an 80-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter to give Wabash a 24-23 lead over Denison. Junior cornerback Mike Holsclaw intercepted a Big Red pass in the game’s closing seconds to secure the one-point home victory. Holsclaw added a season-high seven solo tackles to earn NCAC Defensive Athlete of the Week honors. The interception extended the Wabash defense’s streak of consecutive games with at least one pick to nine dating back to last year’s Monon Bell Classic against DePauw.
Campbell posted career-highs with 18 completions for 345 yards. Wabash outgained Denison 132 to 67 on the ground. Junior Xavier Tyler ran for 81 yards on 21 carries. Freshman Cole Dickerson added 57 yards with one touchdown on nine attempts. Connor Thompson’s seven receptions for 130 yards led the Little Giants’ receivers. Miller hauled in two catches for 78 yards, and junior Kannon Chase finished with four receptions for 62 yards.
Sophomore defensive back Ayden Salpietra recorded a single-game-best eight tackles with six solo stops. Wabash made five tackles for losses of 27 yards. Sophomore Jordan Cree and junior Jerry McBee added one sack apiece.
BY THE NUMBERS
Wabash ranks fourth among DIII programs in red zone offense, scoring on 94% of its trips inside the 20-yard line. The Little Giants’ defense ranks ninth in the country by holding opponents to scores 55% of the time in the red zone, with opposing teams scoring on only 50% of their trips inside the 20. Wabash ranks 24th and is second in the conference in scoring defense, limiting the opposition to 13 points per game. The Little Giants rank 34th in Division III and second in the conference, averaging 38.4 points per game.
Brand Campbell leads the NCAC and is ninth among Division III quarterbacks in completion percentage at 72.1%. He has completed 93 of 129 pass attempts for 1,324 yards and 15 touchdowns, with one interception through seven games since replacing opening-day starter Blake White. Campbell is tied for second in the conference in touchdown passes, and is second in passing efficiency and fifth in the nation, with a rating of 188.7.
Junior running back Xavier Tyler leads the NCAC in rushing yards per game by averaging 100.4 in eight contests. His seven rushing TDs tie for second among conference runners, and his 55-yard run against Wooster is the fifth-longest run by a conference player this season.
Senior Connor Thompson ranks fifth among conference receivers with 40 catches, 489 yards, and seven touchdown receptions this season.
Junior kicker Brody Rucker is fourth in scoring in the conference, averaging 7.6 points per game. He is third in the NCAC in field goals with a 7-for-8 season performance and an average of 0.9 field goals per game.
Junior linebacker Gavin Ruppert added seven tackles in Saturday’s win over Denison to his all-time totals to move to 13th place on the Wabash career tackles list with 230. He ranks third in the NCAC in solo tackles with 38 for the season and fifth in tackles for losses with an average of 1.31 per game.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Wittenberg has won three of its last four games, with its only loss coming in a 44-10 final at DePauw. The Tigers rank third in the conference in scoring offense, averaging 28.7 points per game, and are also third in scoring defense, limiting opposing teams to 20 points a contest. Senior quarterback Max Milton has thrown for 915 yards and seven touchdowns in five games. He threw for 157 yards and two scores in the 2023 game against Wabash. Freshman Jayden Miller has played in three games this season with 637 yards on 41-of-65 passing with six touchdowns.
Sophomore Eric Rasheed tops the Wittenberg receiving list with 27 catches for 422 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Earl Pope adds 25 catches and 317 yards with two TDs to the Tigers’ receiving corps. The sophomore duo of Christian Manville and Omar Holloway are the top two rushers for Wittenberg this season. Manville leads the ground attack with 407 yards on 92 carries for a 67.8 yards-per-game average with four TDs this season. Holloway averages 41.2 yards per game with 206 yards on 67 attempts with three TDs. Miller is a mobile quarterback with 24 rushing attempts for 142 yards and three scores.
Senior linebacker Cameron Snurr is the Tigers’ leading tackler with 60 stops, including two sacks and 7-1/2 tackles for losses totaling 23 yards. Sophomore defensive end Dalton Allen is one of two Wittenberg players with double-digit tackles for losses this season. Allen has 12-1/2 tackles for losses totaling 57 yards, including 6-1/2 sacks for 43 yards lost. Junior defensive end Eli Renick adds another six sacks for 33 yards and 11 tackles for losses totaling 44 yards to the Tigers’ totals. Junior safety Luke Jackson leads the team with two interceptions.
