SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers put together perhaps their most complete game of the 2004 season on Saturday and cruised to a 42-21 victory over the visiting Allegheny Gators. The win, which ended Wittenberg's first two-game losing streak since 1992, capped the Tigers' season at 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, good for a second-place tie with Ohio Wesleyan. Allegheny, the defending NCAC champion, fell to 5-5 overall and 4-3 in the conference, which will put the Gators in a fourth-place tie.

This game was essentially decided before halftime after the Tigers exploded for 35 points in the first half of Senior Recognition Day at Edwards-Maurer Field, prior to which the university and its loyal fans saluted the 13 seniors on the 2004 roster. Junior wide receivers Braden Freeman and Jered Glover both scored a touchdown rushing and a touchdown receiving and junior tailback Tristan Murray added a three-yard rushing touchdown with 15 seconds left in the second quarter to stake the Tigers to an insurmountable 35-7 advantage. Allegheny's only answer came on a five-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Savage to tight end Marko Fonzi.

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 points as many different players rotated in and out of the game. Savage scored on a four-yard run for Allegheny and sophomore tailback Mario Tarquinio rounded things out with a 21-yard scoring jaunt.

The key to this game was the balance of the Wittenberg attack, which seemed to have Allegheny off-balance throughout the first three quarters. Murray carried the load on the ground, rambling for 249 yards on 35 carries, backed ably by senior quarterback Ryan Holmes with 22 yards on eight carries and sophomore fullback Tyler Harmon with 14 yards on eight carries. Holmes 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. Junior tight end Nate Cherry added three catches for 36 yards, and Murray and Freeman had identical receiving totals of 34 yards on three catches.

Allegheny picked up 149 yards rushing from Tarquinio, much of that coming in the second half. Savage added 15 completions for 183 yards and a touchdown. His favorite target was Matt Pertile with 81 yards on four receptions.

Defensively, sophomore safety Mitch Fonseca 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 and junior linebacker Anthoni Fazio chipped in with eight stops apiece. Junior cornerback Brandon Slade, making his first start of the season, had a big game with a forced fumble and an interception, while junior safety Adam Hewitt was credited with the fumble recovery. Allegheny was paced by Elliott George and Brad Stotsky with eight tackles apiece.

In terms of records, Murray's 249 yards rushing was the seventh-best for a game in Wittenberg history, and it was his second time over the 200-yard mark on the season. He finished with 1,320 yards on the season, the seventh-highest total in school history, just yards shy of the 1,322 put up by Aaron Powers in 1996. His 283 all-purpose yards is the third-highest total in school history, and his 1,712 all-purpose yards 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, who does have a red-shirt year available to him should he decide to play one more season in the Red & White, 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.