(Top) Lloyd Hudson (98) was part of a Tiger defense that once again rose to the challenge last week against Wooster. (Bottom) Quarterback Greg Cornett (4) stretches out for the extra yards during the first half of last week's 47-13 win over Wooster.

Setting the Scene

The Wittenberg University Tigers return home for the first time in three weeks Saturday for one of the biggest games of the 2001 season. The four-time defending NCAC champions play host to nationally ranked and undefeated Ohio Wesleyan at Edwards-Maurer Field in Springfield.

The Tigers, ranked 15th in the latest American Football Coaches Association poll, are 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the NCAC after last week's 47-13 road win over Wooster. It was Wittenberg's second straight comfortable victory over a conference opponent after three games that went to the wire against Alma, Wabash and Allegheny.

Ohio Wesleyan figures to be a stern test for the Tigers as they attempt to become the first team ever to win four straight outright NCAC titles and five in a row overall. After opening the season with lop-sided back-to-back home victories over Urbana and Heidelberg, the Tigers lost at Alma to snap a 33-game regular season win streak. Since the start of conference action, however, the Tigers have shown their mettle by defeating Wabash and Allegheny in low-scoring home games and Denison and Wooster in blowout fashion on the road.

With more than 40 starters returning this year and senior tailback Matt Capone back after missing the 2000 campaign, OWU knew it had the potential to compete for the NCAC title. The Bishops have done little to dispel that notion, ripping off non-conference blowouts over Elmhurst, Waynesburg and Olivet and NCAC victories over Wooster, Earlham and Denison to arrive at 6-0 heading into the biggest game of the season. The only close game OWU has played was against Wooster, a 36-30 win that came down to the final play.

Scouting the Tigers

Wittenberg is 6-1, ranked No. 15 in the nation, and situated in its customary position atop the NCAC with a 4-0 record. But make no mistake, it has not been easy, despite four blowout victories among the team's six wins in 2001.

Junior tailback Daniel Grove leads the team with 683 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns after topping 100 yards for the third time in 2001 last week against Wooster. Senior wide receiver Michael Aljancic has been sensational with 41 catches for 608 yards and eight touchdowns, including the game-winner with 16 seconds left against Allegheny. Junior quarterback Greg Cornett has played well in his first season under center, completing 97 of 162 passes for 1314 yards and 14 touchdowns. His efficiency rating of 151.59 puts him second in the NCAC and 19th in the nation.

Defense, expected to be a strength for the Tigers in 2001 after they led the NCAC in total defense for the eighth time in nine years in 2000, has risen to the challenge recently. Junior linebacker Ryan Gresham leads the Tigers with 32 tackles. Senior defensive end Tim Daoust tops the squad and ranks among the NCAC's best in sacks with 7.5. Senior defensive tackle Juan Howard is among the best in the conference with 14 tackles for loss, including a pair in last week's win in his hometown of Wooster. And senior safety John Hauser leads the team and is among the best in the NCAC with three interceptions, including one that set up a touchdown last week against Wooster.

Scouting the Bishops

The Ohio Wesleyan football program has been a consistent winner over the years, entering the 2001 season as the 10th winningest in Division III history with 506 wins. With six wins already, the Bishops are guaranteed of a fourth straight winning season in 2001 and are in position for a shot at the school's first conference title since 1989. Since then, OWU hasn't finished lower than fifth in the conference but hasn't broken through for a championship.

The Bishops have built the highest scoring offense in the NCAC around its trademark rushing attack. Leading the charge is senior tailback Matt Capone, who ranks 10th in the nation with 136.7 rushing yards per game. As a team, OWU is ranked third nationally at 342 rushing yards per game, 12th in scoring offense at 41.2 points per game and ninth in total offense with more than 490.3 yards per game.

Five running backs have 25 or more carries already in 2001, and each is averaging more than five yards per carry. Capone leads all runners in the conference with an average of 7.1. Bolstering the rushing attack is the efficient play of senior quarterback Mike Jonesco, who has completed 53.8 percent of his passes for 786 yards and eight touchdowns. His leading receiver is Brian Cromwell, who has 19 receptions for 263 yards.

Defensively, OWU is allowing just 16 points per game, led by Matt Lavish's 31 tackles and Chad Marlatt's and Steve Siefert's 28 tackles each.

The Bishops are coached by Mike Hollway, who is in his 15th season at the helm of OWU. Hollway has an overall record of 97-48-1, including last year's 6-4 record and this season's 6-0 start. His record against the Tigers is 4-9.

Last Meeting with Ohio Wesleyan

The Tigers made it eight straight wins in the 2000 campaign and took another step toward earning a third straight outright NCAC championship and NCAA Division III playoff berth by defeating host OWU 37-7 at Selby Field in Delaware.

Wittenberg jumped out to leads of 17-0 by the end of the first quarter and 27-7 at the end of the second by way of a balanced, patient offense and its usual suffocating physical defense. Wide receiver Labon Storts opened the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Anthony Crane, and wide receiver Michael Aljancic tacked on a 37-yard touchdown reception from Crane six minutes later.

The Tiger ground game was led as always by tailback Casey Donaldson. Donaldson struck paydirt for the 63rd and 64th times in his career, tallying six points late in the second quarter and another six early in the third quarter. Donaldson, who went for 147 yards in the game on 27 carries. Lending welcome support was fullback Gary Henson, who provided a perfect third option to the downfield passing attack and the record-setting running of Donaldson, Henson pounded the Bishops for 105 yards on 13 carries.

To round things off on the offensive side of the ball, senior placekicker Ryan Walkerhad perhaps his best of the 2000 season. Walker was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts and 4-for-4 on extra-point attempts. Defensively, it was another day at the office for the Tigers, allowing just 68 yards rushing and 118 yards passing. Defensive backs Rob Harris and John Hauser topped Wittenberg with eight tackles each.

The Wittenberg/Ohio Wesleyan Series

Ohio Wesleyan is one of the Tigers most common opponents over the years as the two teams have met 76 times on the football field, dating back to 1894. The series, led by Wittenberg 37-33-6, has been filled with streaks. After Wittenberg won the first three games in 1894 and 1895, OWU dominated the series, winning 17 and tying two between 1897 and 1926. After two Tiger victories, OWU started another streak, winning nine and tying three more before Wittenberg won again in 1957.

Since 1972, however, OWU has just four wins against the Tigers, all of which came between 1987 and 1991. Since that four-game losing streak against the Bishops, Wittenberg has won nine consecutive, including back-to-back shutouts in 1998 and 1999. Since their last win over Wittenberg in 1991, OWU has not scored more than 21 points against the Tiger defense.

Last Week

In perhaps their best performance of the 2001 season, the Tigers pounced on the College of Wooster at John P. Papp Stadium in Wooster. The Tigers scored the games first 34 points and cruised to an impressive 47-13 victory.

The Tigers came out firing on all cylinders, stifling a solid Wooster offense and scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter alone. Wide receiver Michael Aljancic hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Greg Cornett to open things, while tailback Daniel Grove struck paydirt on runs of two and eight yards, the latter coming on the final play of the opening stanza.

Grove had the biggest rushing day of his career, adding a third touchdown midway through the second quarter on a 25-yard run. He went on to put up 161 yards on just 17 carries. It was his third 100-yard rushing game of the season and his best performance since the Week 3 loss at Alma. Wide receiver Adrian Crane caught a 36-yard touchdown pass to round out the first-half scoring and stake Wittenberg to a 34-0 margin going into the locker room.

The second half was a bit more even, if only because Wittenberg emptied the bench. Fullback Raymar Hampshire made it 40-0 with a one-yard scoring plunge midway through the third quarter, and tailback Alex Smith closed the scoring for Wittenberg with a one-yard run just before the third quarter ended. Wittenberg had 331 yards rushing compared to 81 yards for Wooster. Through the air, the Tigers were efficient once again behind Cornett's 10-of-16 passing for 156 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was the always reliable Aljancic, who had three catches for 42 yards to give him a career-high 41 receptions on the season.

Defensively, Wittenberg held the Scots to 255 yards of total offense, led by linebackerRyan Gresham's six tackles, including two for a loss of 10 yards.

Streaks

The loss at Alma on Sept. 15 snapped Wittenbergs school-record regular season win streak at 33, dating back to Nov. 4, 1997 against this weeks opponent, the College of Wooster. Wittenberg still has several streaks intact, however. The Tigers extended their regular season home win streak to 33 games with four wins in the first five weeks of the 2001 season. That streak dates back to the second game of the 1996 season against Allegheny. The Tigers have also reeled off 26 straight NCAC victories dating back to the 1997 loss at Wooster.

Finally, Wittenberg has gone nearly 10 years since losing back-to-back games. In 1991, Case Western Reserve and Allegheny both claimed wins over the Tigers. At the end of the '91 season, Ohio Wesleyan defeated Wittenberg, and then the Tigers were beaten in the '92 opener by Baldwin-Wallace before they reeled off eight wins and a tie to close the season.

Since the loss to B-W, Wittenberg has played 103 games without losing two straight (not including a forfeit win over Oberlin in 1992). The Tigers record during that time is 92-10-1.

Spreading the Carries Around

Three different Wittenberg running backs have topped the century mark in 2001.Daniel Grove, who had more than 100 yards against Heidelberg, Alma and Wooster, freshman Justin Blackley, who needed just eight carries against Heidelberg to pick up 106 yards, and freshman Alex Smith, who ran for 109 yards on 17 carries in the second half alone against Denison.

In addition, seven different players have scored rushing touchdowns this year, including three freshmen - Smith, Blackley and starting fullback Raymar Hampshire.Last year, only four players all year scored rushing touchdowns.

All Eyes on Al

Senior wide receiver Michael Aljancic is putting together his finest season in what has been an outstanding collegiate career. With 41 catches, 19 more than anyone else on the Wittenberg roster in 2001, Aljancic has moved to No. 2 on the all-time receiving list. That is one of several charts on which he is moving up:

Career Records
PASS RECEIVING No. Yds. Avg. TD
1. Rod Miller (1964-67) 143 2,288 16.0 26
2. Michael Aljancic (1998-00) 134 2,067 15.4 25
3. Jim Collins (1984-87) 116 1,560 13.4 11
4. Labon Storts (1997-00) 96 1,612 16.8 14
5. Ray Ward (1967-69) 95 1,308 13.8 13
6. Bob Cherry (1961-63) 90 1,790 19.9 27
7. Eugene Hardin (1994-96) 89 1,321 14.8 15
8. Russ Fedyk (1995-99) 85 1,317 16.8 14
9. Mark Peters (1991-94) 80 1,146 14.3 12
10. Chris Thompson (1990-93) 73 866 11.9 9

Aljancic is averaging 5.8 catches per game in 2001, which projects to a total of 58 for the season. That would break the Wittenberg season receptions record of 53, set four years ago by Russ Fedyk. Last week, Aljancic broke his career high of 39 receptions in a season, and he is just 62 yards from his best season total of 670 yards receiving. In addition, Aljancic has already reached his top total of eight touchdowns in a season.

SEASON Records PASS RECEIVING G No. Yds. Avg. TD
1. Russ Fedyk (1997) 10 53 954 18.0 10
2. Rod Miller (1966) 9 49 706 14.4 8
3. Jim Collins (1987) 10 46 557 12.1 7
4. Bob Cherry (1963) 9 45 886 19.7 13
5. Ray Ward (1969) 9 44 582 13.2 7
Michael Aljancic (2001) 7 41 608 14.8 8
6. Eugene Hardin (1995) 10 39 718 18.4 8
7. Michael Aljancic (2000) 10 39 670 17.2 8
8. Rod Miller (1967) 9 38 603 15.9 6
9. Ray Ward (1968) 9 37 534 14.4 5
Michael Aljancic (1999) 10 37 572 15.5 6

Keeping Pace

Getting just one half of work in each of the last two blowout victories has hurt Greg Cornett's chances of breaking several season passing records that he was previously on pace to reach. With four games remaining, Cornett has 1314 yards, 97 completions and 14 touchdowns, putting him on pace for 1865 yards, 138 completions and 22 scores. The records are 2181 yards, 141 completions and 24 TDs.

Landmark Victory

Wittenberg University is home to the winningest football program in NCAA Division III history. The win over Wooster last week was No. 620 for the program, dating back to its first season of recorded play in 1892. The next closest Division III program is Washington & Jefferson with 582.

This weeks opponent, Ohio Wesleyan, started the year No. 10 in terms of all-time victories with 506.

SackMaster

Senior defensive end Tim Daoust is once again making opponents quarterbacks see Red. A year after totaling a team-best 10.5 sacks, Daoust has a team-best 7.5 in 2001. With 27 for his career, Daoust is one shy of the Wittenberg record of 28 set by Tim Altman between 1992 and '95. The season record is 12 by David Smith in 1991.

Team SackMasters

While Daoust is on a pace to break several school sack records, the team is also on pace to reach a school mark. With 31 sacks in the first six games, the Tigers need 17 more in the last three games to reach the record total of 48 accumulated by the 1994 team.

Among the Best

Wittenberg is ranked first in the NCAC in scoring defense (13.3 ppg), turnover margin (1.71), total defense (268.6 ypg), pass efficiency (139.9), opponent fourth-down conversions (11.8 percent) and opponent third-down conversions (23.5 percent). Ohio Wesleyan is first in scoring offense (41.2 ppg), rushing offense (342 ypg), total offense (490.3 ypg), pass efficiency defense (104.7 efficiency), first downs (145), sacks (41), fourth-down conversions (66.7 percent), third-down conversions (45.6 percent) and least sacks against (4).

In the most recent NCAA Division III statistics, Wittenberg is 16th in turnover margin and scoring offense, ninth in rushing defense (66.3 ypg) and 24th in scoring defense. OWU is ranked among the national leaders in scoring offense, rushing offense and total offense.

Individually, Wittenberg does not have a single player leading an offensive statistical category in the NCAC. The only player who ranks in the national numbers is Cornett, who is 19th in pass efficiency at 151.6.

Coach of the Year

Joe Fincham is now 58-6 in his career. Perhaps even more impressive, Fincham is 54-3 in regular season games. Last year, he became the first Wittenberg coach to earn conference coach of the year honors three straight years. Dave Maurer won the award in the Ohio Athletic Conference three times in four years (1976, 1978, 1979) and Bill Edwards coached at a time when such awards were not given. Maurer and Edwards both also won national coach of the year on two occasions.

2001 Wittenberg University Tiger Seniors

Wide Receiver Michael Aljancic - escorted by parents Andy and Joanie Aljancic (Louisville, Ohio)
Linebacker Nic Black - escorted by parents Jim and Connie Black (Piqua, Ohio)
Defensive End Tim Daoust - escorted by parents John and Mary Jo Daoust (Toledo, Ohio)
Safety John Hauser - escorted by his mother Susan Hauser (Columbus, Ohio)
Defensive Tackle Mike Houck - escorted by parents Jaclyn and Earl Houck (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Defensive Tackle Juan Howard - escorted by mother Juanitta Campbell (Wooster, Ohio)
Defensive Back Jason Jackson - escorted by parents Gregory and Sherry Jackson (Columbus, Ohio)
Offensive Lineman Matt Leisure - escorted by parents Frank and Jackie Leisure (Canton, Ohio)
Defensive Back Brian LeRoy - escorted by parents Phil and Peggy LeRoy (Lakewood, Ohio)
Wide Receiver Josh McCoy - escorted by father John McCoy and mother Leslie Knowling (Wooster, Ohio)
Defensive Back Justin Oliver - escorted by parents Jim and Mary Oliver (Huntsburg, Ohio)
Fullback Eric Tomich - escorted by parents Brad and Elaine Tomich (Newark, Ohio)
Safety Andy Waddle - escorted by parents Bill and Sharon Waddle (Springfield, Ohio)

Big Winners

The Wittenberg University football Senior Class of 2002 has a chance to join the Class of 2001 as the winningest class in school history. The seniors can complete a 39-1 four-year regular season run with a win today against Ohio Wesleyan on Senior Recognition Day and two road victories over Hiram and Earlham to conclude the campaign. Their only regular season loss was earlier this year at Alma, which snapped a 33-game regular season win streak. Overall, this years seniors have a record of 39-4 including three losses in the last three NCAA Division III playoffs.

2002 Seniors Rank Among the Best

Considering the fact that Wittenberg is the winningest Division III college football program in history, several graduating classes can compare to the current group. But only last year's seniors will likely be able to claim as many victories overall. Among the historical highlights:
- The Senior Class of 1965 (which played 1961-64) was coached by Hall of Fame Coach Bill Edwards and compiled a four-year record of 33-1-1 and completed three consecutive seasons without a loss. That class is the only other in Wittenberg history to win four straight league titles (Ohio Athletic Conference) until the current group sewed up a fourth straight NCAC crown last week.

One note of special significance to the Class of 1965 was Wittenberg's total defensive domination. The Tigers outscored their 35 opponents by a total of 1,210-290. Only once in the four years did Wittenberg yield more than 100 points in a season.

- The Senior Class of 1977 (which played 1973-76) was coached by Hall of Fame Coach Dave Maurer and compiled a four-year mark of 39-4-2, including a sparkling 34-4-2 in the regular season. This group is particularly distinguished by two national titles (1973 and 1975), four OAC divisional titles and three overall OAC crowns (the Tigers were defeated by Muskingum in the OAC championship game in 1975 before embarking on the playoff run that resulted in a 28-0 victory over Ithaca in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl).

- The Senior Class of 2001 (which played 1997-2000) was coached by current head man Joe Fincham and went 39-1 in winning four straight NCAC championships, the last three outright, and three consecutive NCAA playoff berths. Overall, Wittenberg went 43-4 including playoffs during that span.

Big Numbers

The current senior class has given up a lot of points in comparison to previous Wittenberg graduating classes, but today's Tigers have also posted some tremendous numbers. In the last four years, Wittenberg has outscored its 43 opponents (regular and postseason) by a total of 1,605-567 with three regular season games remaining.

Photos by Lamont Campbell