The Wittenberg University Tigers are survivors, but challenges only become more difficult. Two weeks after squeaking into the NCAA Division III Playoffs as one of just three Pool C selections and one week after rallying past Hanover College in the first round of the postseason, the Tigers head to Crawfordsville, Ind. to take on undefeated North Coast Athletic Conference champion Wabash College.

Wittenberg, coming off a 9-1 regular season and its first runner-up finish in the NCAC since 1996, barely made it into the second round last Saturday. Playing at No. 3 seeded Hanover, the sixth-seeded Tigers rallied from a 21-7 halftime deficit to capture a breathtaking 34-33 victory, their trip to Wabash secured only after the Panthers' kicker missed a 37-yard field goal after slipping on the muddy turf.

Wittenberg led the NCAC in points scored and fewest points allowed during the 2002 regular season, outscoring foes by a whopping 48.5-10.5. The Tigers are led by All-America candidates Daniel Grove, one of the best tailbacks in the country who rushed for more than 900 yards this season in just six games, and Dustin Goldsbury, a standout fifth-year linebacker who leads the team in tackles and interceptions. Both were among the nine Wittenberg players named first-team All-NCAC this week.

Wabash has risen to a place of prominence in 2002 not seen in Crawfordsville since 1977, the last time the Little Giants made the playoffs and finished second in the nation. The team features a fast-break offense, powered by two-time NCAC Offensive Player of the Year Jake Knott at quarterback and a host of talented receivers, including All-American tight end Ryan Short. Defensively, the Little Giants are tremendous, particularly against the run. Led by NCAC Defensive Player of the Year Nate Boulais at linebacker, Wabash ranked among the top teams in the nation in rushing defense and overall defense.

Skip Ivery

Junior wide receiver Skip Ivery is also working his way into the Wittenberg record books. The NCAC leader in receiving yards per game, Ivery grabbed 42 passes in the 2002 regular season, the seventh-best single season total in Wittenberg history. The season record is 54, set a year ago by Michael Aljancic.

For his career, Ivery is now tied for No. 9 all-time in receptions with 80. That record is also held by Aljancic, who hauled in 147 between 1998 and 2001.

In an odd twist, Ivery's career and season numbers will continue to rise thanks to the fact that playoff statistics now count (but cannot be "grandfathered in," meaning that Ivery's previous playoff numbers will not officially count toward his career records). That gives Ivery 84 receptions for 1,240 yards and 12 touchdowns for his career. He also stands at 46 receptions for 831 yards and nine touchdowns in 2002.

Wittenberg is the winningest small college program in NCAA Division III history.

Dating back to 1892, the Tigers have posted 635 victories all-time, far more than any other Division III school (Washington & Jefferson is No. 2 at 598). Wittenberg entered the 2002 campaign ranked fifth in Division III history in all-time winning percentage at .654. That mark, obviously, continues to move higher with the just completed 10-1 season record.

Wittenberg has had just one losing season on the gridiron since 1955, a span of 47 years. That was in 1989 when the Tigers finished 4-5.

The Tigers have been even more dominant in the North Coast Athletic Conference, despite the fact that their streak of five straight conference championships (four straight outright with undefeated records) came to an end in 2002. Since entering the conference in 1989 and finishing 4-3, Wittenberg has posted six perfect NCAC records. Overall, the Tigers are 91-13 in NCAC action, good for an astonishing winning percentage of .875. Since 1991, the percentage is even better - 76-5 (.938).

Greg Cornett

Senior quarterback Greg Cornett put up big numbers in both of his seasons as the starter under center. In 2002, Cornett finished the regular season with 142 completions in 222 attempts for 1,986 yards and 16 touchdowns, eclipsing the school record for completions in a season (141 by Tim Green in 1987) and pushing him to No. 2 in passing yards in a season (2,181 by Charlie Green in 1964).

Cornett's 2001 numbers ranked second-best for completions, attempts and passing yardage in a season in school history before he bettered them this year. For his career, Cornett had 3,856 passing yards, 281 completions and 451 attempts through the end of the 2002 regular season, ranking him fifth, fourth and sixth on the respective school record lists. Charlie Green, who recently was inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., leads in all three with 5,575 yards, 555 attempts and 325 completions.

In an odd twist, Cornett's career and season numbers will continue to rise thanks to the fact that playoff statistics now count (but cannot be "grandfathered in," meaning that Cornett's playoff numbers in 2001 will not officially count toward his career records). That gives Cornett 160 completions in 252 attempts for 2,322 yards and 20 touchdowns. The only one that isn't now a school record is the touchdown total. For his career, Cornett is now at 4,192 passing yards, 399 completions and 481 attempts.

Cornett has been both efficient and accurate as a Wittenberg quarterback the last two years. A starter for all 20 regular season games the last two years, as well as four playoff games, he has thrown just 11 interceptions in his career, and just one came under the pressure of the playoffs (last week against Hanover). His efficiency rating ranked among the top 20 in the nation a year ago at 150.8 and in 2002 he boosted it to 158.39, which placed him among the nation's leaders again.

In addition, Cornett's completion percentage has crept up to a school-record 63.5 in 2002. No school record is officially kept for pass efficiency. For completion percentage, no quarterback has ever finished his career above 60 percent. Cornett is at 62.5 percent. For a season, the Wittenberg record is Green's at 62.6.

The Verizon Academic All-District IV College Division Football Team has been announced and Wittenberg placed two athletes on it. Junior wide receiver Skip Ivery was named to the first team and is now eligible for Verizon Academic All-America consideration. Junior offensive guard Chad Thompson earned second team honors. It was the first time either player had garnered such academic honors.

Ten Wittenberg athletes who competed in fall sports were nominated for academic all-district honors, and a total of four earned some kind of special recognition. The others were volleyball seniors Tiffany Keller and Brittany Baume, who both earned second-team all-district honors.

To the victors go the spoils, and the top three teams in the NCAC cleaned up nearly every award available in the recently announced postseason football awards. Wabash players took home Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors and Little Giant Head Coach Chris Creighton captured top honors from his peers. Wooster tailback Tony Sutton was the easy choice for Newcomer of the Year.

Wittenberg players were shut out of the individual awards for the first time in at least a decade, but nine of them still made the All-NCAC first team and seven more were named either second team or honorable mention. Making the first team were junior wide receiver Skip Ivery, sophomore offensive tackle Brad Kassner, junior offensive guard Chad Thompson, senior tailback Daniel Grove, senior linebackersDustin Goldsbury and Andy Pope, senior defensive ends Jim Lackmeyer andAllen D'Andrea and senior safety John Hauser.

Second-team choices were senior quarterback Greg Cornett, sophomore fullbackRaymar Hampshire, senior center Adam McClain, senior offensive tackle Tony Banich, senior linebacker Ryan Gresham and senior defensive back Andy Waddle. Honorable Mention recognition went to senior defensive tackle Lloyd Hudson.

Wittenberg averaged 48.5 points per game in the 2002 season, and the Tigers broke the school and conference record for points in a regular season with 485. The previous record was 473 set in 1997. In addition, the Tigers broke the school and conference records for points after touchdowns with 57. The 1995 and 1997 teams had both put 56 PATs through the uprights.

In 2002, records will include postseason statistics for the first time. Thus, Wittenberg's record point total is now 519, including the 34 the Tigers hung on Hanover last weekend in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The PAT total rose to 61 with four perfect attempts by sophomore kicker Jacob Thomas.

Wittenberg is blessed with outstanding radio coverage again in 2002, as Marty Bannister heads things up for a 10th straight year. He can be found on the radio dial in the same location, 1600 AM, but with new call letters. Formerly WBLY, the radio home for the Tigers is now WULM.

Bannister is joined in the booth by former Tiger All-American offensive lineman Xan Smith, who provides color commentary, while Scott Leo patrols the sidelines to provide insight and commentary for a third consecutive season.

All season long, WULM hosts weekly radio shows that focus on local sports and even Wittenberg athletic teams specifically. On Thursdays, following a high school football show, Bannister hosts Tiger Talk, which includes interviews and analysis with Wittenberg Head Coach Joe Fincham and his players and assistant coaches.

Wittenberg opened the 2002 season at No. 4 in the first American Football Coaches Association poll, released on Sept. 17. The Tigers remained in that position until falling to the 16th following the loss to Wabash. Wittenberg is back to 10th in the nation in that poll, while Don Hansen's National Football Gazette ranks the Tigers No. 8 in its latest poll, which continues on a weekly basis during the playoffs.

Prior to the season, Wittenberg was ranked No. 7 in three preseason polls (Street & Smith's, Lindy's and Don Hansen's National Football Gazette) and No. 5 by d3football.com. The Tigers were ranked No. 11 in the final 2001 AFCA poll and No. 7 in Don Hansen's final poll, which was released following the playoffs.

Wabash was ninth in the final regular season AFCA rankings, while Wittenberg was 10th. The Little Giants are seventh according to Don Hansen. All seven teams in the "Mount Union" playoff bracket were ranked in the top 20 by the AFCA, and the remaining four squads all rank in the top 12, with Wheaton being the lowest heading into its meeting with top-ranked defending national champion Mount Union on Saturday.

Wittenberg and Wabash have met five times on the gridiron and the Tigers hold a 4-1 advantage, although they are at a 0-1 disadvantage in 2002. Wittenberg defeated the Little Giants 42-7 in 1964 and 28-0 in 1965. Then in the first NCAC game in school history, Wabash was beaten by Wittenberg 41-10 in a bizarre, rain-interrupted game in 2000. Last year, Wittenberg took the measure of the Little Giants by a 14-3 count.

On Oct. 12, 2002, however, Wabash exacted a measure of revenge at a most opportune time. After falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, the Little Giants took advantage of two Wittenberg turnovers and several timely penalties to score three second-quarter touchdowns and turn the tide in the game of the year in the NCAC. Wabash streaked out to a 43-26 lead before Wittenberg rallied in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 43. In overtime, the Little Giants stopped a Wittenberg drive and forced a field goal to sail wide right and then picked up one first down and kicked the game-winner.

Dustin Goldsbury

Senior linebacker Dustin Goldsbury is making waves of his own in the Wittenberg record books. While his tackle totals suffer each year because he doesn't play the second half of as many as six games each year, Goldsbury has now recorded 331 total tackles in his illustrious career, including 82 this year. As mentioned above, the oddity of Goldsbury's statistics will be that his postseason totals of 2002 will count toward Wittenberg, NCAC and NCAA records, but his playoff numbers in previous years will not.

In addition, Goldsbury has 38.5 tackles for loss in his career, putting him fifth on the all-time Wittenberg list. The all-time leader in that category is Tim Altman, who had 49.5 between 1992 and 1995.

One has to go back 10 full seasons to find the last shutout that Wittenberg has suffered. Baldwin-Wallace did the honors in the opening game of the 1992 season, which also is the last time that Wittenberg lost back-to-back game (the Tigers lost their 2001 season finale to Ohio Wesleyan as well). Since the defeat to B-W, Wittenberg has played 120 games without either being shutout or suffering two consecutive losses.

During that span, Wittenberg has recorded 25 shutouts of its own, including two this year against Hiram and Kenyon.

Not only has Wittenberg not been shutout in 120 games, the Tigers have been held below 10 points in a game on just one occasion during that span - against Mercyhurst in a 7-6 victory in 1993.

As a team, Wittenberg led the NCAC in the regular season in scoring offense (48.5 ppg), scoring defense (10.5 ppg), pass efficiency defense (81.8 rating), total offense (462.2 ypg), total defense (225.4 ypg), pass efficiency (154.0) and punt returns (12.6 ypg). The Tigers ranked second in passing offense (219.9 ypg), rushing offense (242.3), punting (32.7 ypp), and rushing defense (84.5 ypg).

Individually, freshman defensive back Mike Freeman, whose season was cut short by a knee injury after six games, was tops in punt returns at a 21.2 yard average, tailback Daniel Grove led in scoring (16.3 ppg) and sophomore kicker Jacob Thomas was first in points by kicking with 5.8 per game. In addition, wide receiverSkip Ivery ranked second in receiving yards per game (71.1), Grove was second in rushing yards per game (155.0) and all-purpose yards per game (172.0). Quarterback Greg Cornett ranked second in passing yards per game (198.6) and total offense (198.6) and first in pass efficiency at 158.4.

Wittenberg ranked No. 9 in total offense (462.2 ypg), No. 9 in total defense (225.4 ypg), No. 14 in rushing offense (242.3 ypg), No. 16 in rushing defense (84.5 ypg), No. 13 in pass efficiency defense (81.8 rating), No. 7 in scoring defense (10.5 ppg) and No. 2 in scoring offense (48.5 ppg) in the final regular season NCAA Division III statistical rankings.

Individually, Daniel Grove was not included in the national rankings because he has missed four games with a foot injury. His rushing average of 155.0 yards per game would have ranked seventh in the nation and he would ranked No. 1 in scoring at 16.3 points per game. Mike Freeman would have ranked first in punt returns (21.2 ypg) if his season hadn't ended after six games. As mentioned previously, Greg Cornett stood at No. 10 on the pass efficiency list (158.4 rating).

In the current NCAA statistics, Wittenberg ranks 13th in total offense (454.4), 18th in total defense (350.5), 24th in rushing offense (223.9), 18th in rushing defense (89.4), 27th in pass efficiency defense (89.5), second in scoring offense (47.2) and 15th in scoring defense (12.5). The only two major team statistical categories in which Wittenberg is abset are passing offense and turnover margin. In both cases, the Tigers are just on the outside looking in at the top 40 listing.

Individually, Cornett moved up to No. 4 in pass efficiency (162.3) with his outstanding performance against Hanover.

Wittenberg has been to the NCAA Division III Playoffs 10 times in their history, 11 when adding in the inaugural Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in 1969 that counted as a regional championship game for the old College Division instead of a national title game.

Wittenberg is 17-8 in Division III and 18-8 overall. The Tigers claim five national titles, including those in 1973 and 1975 that came via the modern-day playoff format. Wittenberg was also national runner-up in 1977 and 1978.

Wittenberg has jumped on its opponents early in games, outscoring opponents 144-13 in the first quarter. The Tigers did not give up a first-quarter touchdown in the regular season before yielding a score against Hanover last weekend. Overall, Wittenberg outscored opponents by a whopping 485-105 margin in the regular season and hold a 419-138 edge overall.

Daniel Grove

Senior tailback Daniel Grove rambled for 717 yards on 95 carries in the first five games of the season before suffering a broken foot against Wabash. After missing four games, Grove returned to go for 212 yards on 34 carries in the season finale against Wooster.

Grove's 1,260 yards rushing last year ranks eighth in Wittenberg history for rushing yards in a season and moved his career totals to 1,942 yards on 329 carries. In combination with his performance in 2002, which included totals of 929 yards on 129 carries in just six games, Grove moved to No. 7 in school history in rushing yards with 2,875.

His career average yards per carry of 6.4 is a school record, as is the 7.2 average he posted in 2002 (tied with Jon Warga in 1990). Grove also moved to No. 2 all-time in scoring with 47 touchdowns and a two-point conversion for 284 career points.

In an odd twist, Grove's career and season numbers will continue to rise thanks to the fact that playoff statistics now count (but cannot be "grandfathered in," meaning that Grove's previous playoff numbers will not officially count toward his career records). That gives Grove 476 carries for 2,916 yards and 48 touchdowns for his career, and he also stands at 147 carries for 974 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2002.

Joe Fincham

Wittenberg is led by Joe Fincham, a 1988 graduate of Ohio University. Fincham has a 73-8 overall record, including a mark of 48-3 in the NCAC, a regular season record of 66-4 and an NCAA Division III Playoff mark of 7-4. His teams have claimed five conference titles, including four straight outright with undefeated records between 1998 and 2001. Fincham, who ranks second in winning percentage in NCAA Division III history among coaches with five or more seasons, has been named NCAC Coach of the Year four times.

Wabash is led by Chris Creighton, who has rejuvenated the Little Giants' program in his two years in Crawfordsville, putting together an 8-2 mark in 2001 and a perfect 11-0 record this year, including a 46-43 overtime win in Springfield against Wittenberg on Oct. 12. His career record stands at 51-9 - 19-2 at Wabash and 32-7 at NAIA Ottawa University in Kansas. Prior to that, Creighton, a former record-setting quarterback at Kenyon who graduated in 1991, served as an assistant coach at Concordia and Manchester.