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Jered Glover

The Wittenberg football team put the wraps on another winning season with a 42-21 home victory over Allegheny last Saturday. The Tigers wound up 7-3 overall and a deceiving 5-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, good for a second-place tie with Ohio Wesleyan. 

That record is deceiving because the Tigers were essentially two plays away from their customary position atop the NCAC standings. In back-to-back road losses to Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster, the Tigers were beaten on late touchdowns both times, with a combined margin of defeat of 10 points. Against OWU, the Tigers rallied to take a 24-21 lead before the Bishops converted three fourth downs on a winning drive that ended with a touchdown inside of the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Against Wooster, the Tigers rallied from a 48-17 third-quarter deficit, only to fall in overtime. 

Against Allegheny, there was no such heartbreak, just a feel-good Senior Recognition Day victory that the coaches hope will serve as a springboard to next season when a majority of the team's starters and letterwinners are slated to return. The Tigers put together their most complete game of the 2004 season and cruised to the victory. The win ended Wittenberg's first two-game losing streak since 1992. 

This game was essentially decided before halftime after the Tigers exploded for 35 points in the first half. Junior wide receivers Braden Freeman (Prospect, Ohio/Marion Pleasant) and Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) both scored a touchdown rushing and a touchdown receiving and junior tailback Tristan Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) added a three-yard rushing touchdown with 15 seconds left in the second quarter to stake the Tigers to an insurmountable 35-7 advantage. 

In the second half, Wittenberg stretched the lead to 42-7 in the third quarter on Murray's second touchdown run, but in the fourth quarter the Tigers couldn't generate any more points as many different players rotated in and out of the game. 

Murray carried the offensive load for the Tigers as he rambled for 249 yards on 35 carries. Senior quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda) had one of his finest days under center, throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns on 17 completions in 25 attempts. Glover, seemingly near full speed for the first time in three weeks after suffering a foot injury against Wabash on Oct. 23, finished with three receptions for 67 yards. 

Defensively, sophomore safety Mitch Fonseca (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) was the leader for a third straight game in double figures for tackles with 11, including a team-best five solos. Sophomore linebacker Matt Saurer (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) and junior linebacker Anthoni Fazio (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) chipped in with eight stops apiece. Junior cornerbackBrandon Slade (Louisville, Colo./Monarch) , making his first start of the season, had a big game with a forced fumble and an interception. 

Murray's 249 yards rushing was the seventh-best for a game in Wittenberg history, and he finished with 1,320 yards on the season, the seventh-highest total in school history. His 283 all-purpose yards is the third-highest total in school history, and his 1,712 all-purpose yards for the season ranks third in school history as well. 

Glover finished with 37 receptions for 511 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, running his career totals to 133 receptions, 1,881 yards and 20 touchdowns. He will open his senior season with the opportunity to shatter school records in all three categories, as he already ranks among the top four in each. Holmes topped the 2,000-yard mark for passing yards in a season and 4,000-yard mark for passing yards in a career. His 2,132 passing yards was the third-highest total in school history, while he stands fifth in Wittenberg annals with 4,017 career passing yards. He also has career totals of 278 completions (fourth in school history), 471 attempts (sixth) and 41 passing touchdowns (third). 

With the 7-3 final record, the Tigers extended their streak to 13 straight winning seasons and 48 in the last 50 years. The only exceptions were 1989, when the Tigers finished 4-5 overall and 1991, when Wittenberg wound up 5-5. In 16 seasons in the NCAC, the Tigers have never posted a losing record.