Posted: Sep 13, 2003
Setting The Scene:
The Wittenberg Tiger football program was thought to be in a rebuilding mode entering the 2003 season. That idea was perhaps put to rest in the first week of the season as the Tigers played a nearly flawless game at Albion in a 34-7 rout. But this is a new week and a new challenge, as the Tiger coaching staff has undoubtedly been reminding its young team this week.Game 2 of the 2003 season may have the appearances of a walkover, but local pride is on the line against NAIA scholarship program Urbana. Wittenberg has played the Blue Knights the last three years, and while the results have all been fairly similar Wittenberg victories, all have been hard-earned.
Wittenberg comes in with a 1-0 record and aspirations of earning of a sixth consecutive NCAA Division III Playoff berth and fifth North Coast Athletic Conference title in the last six years. The Tigers, who were 10-2 a year ago, look at the game against Urbana as a must-win as they attempt to build momentum for a difficult run through the NCAC prior to a week off. The Tigers return to action against Thomas More on Sept. 27 at Edwards-Maurer Field.
Urbana lost 34-17 at home last Saturday to Hanover, a team that Wittenberg defeated in the first round of the 2002 NCAA Playoffs by a 34-33 count. The Blue Knights have lots of new faces in 2003 in hopes of getting back on the winning trackA. Urbana was 1-10 overall and 1-5 in the Mid-States Football Conference in Todd Murgatroyd's first season at the helm.
Tigers on the Radio:
Wittenberg is blessed with outstanding radio coverage again in 2003, as Marty Bannister heads things up for an 11th straight year on 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.All season long, WULM also hosts Tiger Talk on Thursdays from 8-9 p.m. The show includes interviews and analysis with Wittenberg Head Coach Joe Fincham and his players and assistant coaches.
Internet Broadcasts:
Wittenberg has partnered with Stretch Internet to make selected sporting events available around the world. Wittenberg fans will not have to pay to listen to broadcasts, and anyone with a computer and an Internet connection will be able to log in and listen without risk of getting bumped off due to listener limitations. Stretch Internet utilizes QuickTime, Apple's premiere multimedia suite of products. Prospective listeners need only to download the free QuickTime Player and they're ready to listen to Wittenberg games live.Community Night:
Wittenberg is hosting Community Night on Saturday at Edwards-Maurer Field. Dinner will be served beginning at 5 p.m. under a large tent at the north end of the stadium, approximately two hours prior to kickoff of the football game. Tickets for both events will be sold at the gate from 5-6:30 p.m. Meal ticket prices are $4 for adults and $2 for children. Game ticket prices are $5 for adult reserved seats, $4 for adult general admission, $3 for senior citizens and $2 for children 12 years of age and under.In addition, Wittenberg's student-athletes are volunteering their time for a great cause. The Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) is sponsoring a canned food drive. Student-athlete volunteers will be collecting canned food and donations at both the north and south gates from 5 p.m. until approximately halftime of the game. The donations will be used to support area food pantries. The athletic department will also hold its annual garage sale during the event, at which time athletic equipment, uniforms and other items will be sold, and the Wittenberg Bookstore will also be selling items.
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The Rankings:
Wittenberg opened the season ranked in the top 20 in three different publications: Street & Smith's, Don Hansen's National Football Gazette and Lindy's. The former put the Tigers at No. 19 in the nation. National Football Gazette put Wittenberg No. 11 in the preseason and after the first week of action. And the latter ranks Wittenberg No. 17. D3football.com ranked the Tigers among "others receiving votes" in a listing of the top 30 teams in the nation in the preseason poll and moved Wittenberg into the rankings at No. 21 after the win over Albion.National Football Gazette named senior offensive guard Chad Thompson a preseason second-team All-American.
Wittenberg ended 2002 ranked in the top 10 in both the America Football Coaches Association and National Football Gazette rankings.
Landmark Season:
Starting in 1892, the Wittenberg football program has played at least three games every year except 1943 and 1944 due to World War II. Entering the 2003 season, Wittenberg has played 992 games on the gridiron, meaning that the eighth game of this season, on Nov. 1 at Allegheny College, will be No. 1,000 in school history.
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Last Week:
With just nine starters and 24 letterwinners back in the fold, nothing about the 2003 football season was too clear. Things cleared up after a surprisingly easy 34-7 defeat of host Albion last Saturday. The Tigers were outstanding from the outset, driving 60 yards on 10 plays and capping the drive with a one-yard Raymar Hampshire plunge into the end zone. The rest of the first half was dominated by Wittenberg's defense and special teams as the Tigers allowed just 87 total yards and scored a second TD on a blocked punt recovered by Ryan McCoart. In between were a pair of Conrad Hindert 37-yard field goals.In the second half, Wittenberg again controlled the majority of the action, allowing just one long Albion drive in the fourth quarter. Bookending that Britons score were Hampshire's second touchdown of the day and a 21-yard jaunt by Joe Brumfield on a fourth-down play at the 1:54 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Tigers and new quarterback Ryan Holmes gained 24 first downs to Albion's 10, outgained the Britons 409-189 in total yards and controlled the ball by nearly a 2-1 ratio. Wittenberg got a career-high 99 yards on 13 carries from Hampshire, 77 yards on 17 carries from Brumfield and 55 yards on 12 totes for tailback Adam Hewitt. Defensively, Wittenberg was paced by cornerback Yusef Abdul-Zahir and linebacker Gary George with six tackles each. Linebacker Serge Thebaud had a fantastic debut in the Red & White with 5.5 tackles and the blocked punt that resulted in the second quarter touchdown.
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Allen D'Andrea
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Last Meeting:
After a slow start, the Tigers slowly beat back Urbana for the third straight year to win 37-10 before an estimated crowd of more than 2,100 at Urbana High School.The Tigers relied on a tried and true formula for success to claim victory. Hand the ball off time and again to a standout running back, and clamp down on the opposing teams' offense with a swarm of red and white jerseys. Tailback Daniel Grove tied a school record with his sixth straight 100-yard rushing performance as he posted totals of 166 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries, and the defense bent often but only broke on one occasion to secure the win.
The biggest play of the game was turned in by the defense when defensive end Allen D'Andrea sniffed out an Urbana bootleg on fourth down late in the third quarter. He forced a desperate pass attempt that was caught by defensive back Andy Waddle and returned 52 yards to the Urbana one-yard-line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, fullback Raymar Hampshire plunged over the goal line.
Grove had first-half touchdown runs of 22 and eight yards, and he tacked on the insurance score on a 67-yard fourth quarter scamper. Hampshire put up 62 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries and he also had his first receiving score on a diving catch in the second quarter.
Defensively, the trademark Red Swarm came up with big plays when it had to, yielding just 11 Urbana first downs and 234 net yards. The Blue Knights had the ball seven more minutes than the Tigers, but they converted just four of 17 third downs.
The Coach:
Wittenberg is led by Joe Fincham, a 1988 graduate of Ohio University. In his eighth season at the helm, Fincham has a 74-9 overall record, including a mark of 48-3 in the NCAC and a regular season record of 68-5. His teams have claimed five conference titles, including four straight outright with undefeated records from 1998-2001. 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.