Wabash faces Kenyon College in North Coast Athletic Conference football action at 1 p.m. Saturday at Little Giant Stadium.
The Little Giants enter the game with a 5-1 overall record and a spotless 4-0 mark in NCAC contests. Kenyon is 4-3 with a 3-2 NCAC record.
Wabash enters the weekend tied with DePauw for first place in the NCAC standings with four games remaining in the regular season. The Little Giants play the top-five conference teams over the next four weeks, with games against Kenyon, Denison (4-1 NCAC), Wittenberg (2-1 NCAC) and DePauw (4-0 NCAC) on the horizon.
Wabash is 18-1 in its 19 previous meetings versus Kenyon. The two teams first met in Gambier, Ohio, in 1942, with Kenyon claiming a 7-0 victory. The Little Giants won the next 18 contests, including all 13 NCAC games between the two squads since first playing as conference foes in 2002. Wabash is 9-0 at home versus Kenyon and earned a 49-25 victory in the last game played at Little Giant Stadium in 2022.
LAST WEEK
Wabash scored 28 points in the first half and outscored Hiram 28-7 in the second half to claim a 56-7 victory in the final NCAC meeting between the two schools. Kannon Chase scored on a five-yard run and two-yard pass reception to stake the Little Giants to a 14-0 lead in the first period. Connor Thompson added a pair of touchdown catches to go with rushing touchdowns by Xavier Tyler and Cole Dickerson, along with the first career rushing TD for Tanner Brooks. Brand Campbell completed 13 of 20 passes for 137 yards and three scores.
The Little Giants’ defense limited Hiram to 163 yards of total offense (65 rushing, 106 passing) and intercepted three passes. Michael Hegwood returned a pick 29 yards for a score in the third quarter, and freshmen Nick Page and Tanner Crouch both posted their first collegiate interceptions.
TO THE HOUSE
Hegwood’s interception extended the Little Giants’ defensive streak to seven consecutive games with a pick dating back to last year’s Monon Bell Classic against DePauw. It also marked the first time since 2016 that a Wabash player returned an interception for a touchdown since Ryan Walters ‘18 posted a 26-yard return for a score against Oberlin. The Little Giants returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Oberlin in 2016, with Austin Brown ‘17 adding a 53-yard INT return for a TD earlier in the contest.
BY THE NUMBERS
Wabash has scored 50 or more points in its last three football games, starting with a 55-19 victory at Wooster. The Little Giants followed with a 52-0 road win at Oberlin and last Saturday’s 56-7 home victory against Hiram. Wabash put together three consecutive 50-point games last season against Kenyon, Wittenberg and Hiram after defeating Oberlin 59-6 in the second week of the season. The Little Giants have never scored 50 or more points in four consecutive games in the program’s 137 seasons.
The Little Giants are second in the conference and 28th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 40.8 points per game.
Tyler turned in the third 100-yard rushing game of the season Saturday with a 176-yard effort on 19 carries against Hiram. He ranks 18th among Division III players and leads the conference with an average of 110.7 yards per game. Tyler enters Saturday’s game against Kenyon with a career- and conference-best 664 rushing yards.
Quarterback Brand Campbell ranks second in the NCAC and 18th among Division III quarterbacks in completion percentage at 69.8 percent. He has completed 60 of 86 pass attempts for 780 yards and 12 touchdowns with one interception through five games. Campbell is tied for second in the conference in touchdown passes and second in passing efficiency with a rating of 189.7.
Junior kicker Brody Rucker is fourth in scoring in the conference, averaging 7.8 points per game. He is second in the NCAC in field goals with a 5-for-5 season performance for an average of 0.8 field goals per game. Rucker is one of six players in Division III that have not missed a field goal attempt this season.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Kenyon comes to Little Giant Stadium enjoying its best start to a season since 2013. The Owls are 4-3 under third-year head coach Ian Good and are trying to finish at least .500 for the first time since a 6-4 season in 2012.
Kenyon’s defense has been its calling card through the first six games of the 2024 campaign. The Owls are second in the NCAC and 26th in Division III in total offense allowed, holding opponents to 248.1 yards a game. Kenyon has limited opponents to 15.4 points a game, third-best in the NCAC and 39th among DIII programs. The Owls’ red-zone defense has been superb, with opposing teams only scoring 56.3 percent of the time, ninth-best in the nation, and second-best behind Wabash at 50 percent in the conference.
Sophomore safety Dominic Simpson leads the Kenyon defense with 53 tackles, including 39 solo stops. Freshman linebacker Andrew Conney has 46 tackles and 19 solos with 8-1/2 tackles for losses totaling 31 yards. Junior defensive end Andy Canonico has a team-best 4-1/2 sacks for 34 yards. The Owls have 19 sacks for 132 yards as a team. Kenyon has also recorded eight interceptions this season with three from sophomore safety Jackson McCullough.
Senior quarterback Park Penrod is third among conference quarterbacks with 1,263 passing yards. He has completed 114 of 237 passes with six touchdowns and eight interceptions. Sophomore wideout Brendon Comerford is the top receiver with 26 catches for 236 yards. Junior Dylan Carlquist adds 22 catches for 300 yards and two touchdowns to the receiving corps.
Drake Lewis, a senior running back, averages 53.3 yards per game on the ground, carrying the football 88 times for 320 yards and four scores. Penrod has scored five rushing touchdowns on 64 attempts with an average of 6.6 yards per carry.
