COLUMBUS, Ohio - For the first time in Joe Fincham's nine years at the helm of the Wittenberg Tiger football program, his team started a season off with a loss. That fact was assured on Saturday at Capital's Bernlohr Stadium as the 12th-ranked Crusaders stunned Wittenberg, 49-16, on a warm, sunny afternoon.

It was truly a nightmare scenario for the 24th-ranked Tigers, who hadn't lost a season opener since 1994 when Evansville handed them a 14-13 defeat. Capital jumped ahead early with a spread option passing and running attack that had the Tigers out of sync defensively. The Crusaders took advantage of every opportunity, converting three interceptions into three touchdowns and adding an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. A game that was expected to be close throughout was over before halftime, despite the fact that by game's end the team on losing end of the score had gained more total offensive yards.

While the Tigers' defense struggled against a tremendous Capital attack that offered many different formations and was expertly spearheaded by All-American sophomore quarterback Rocky Pentello, Wittenberg's offense did have its bright moments. And if it weren't for a couple of untimely penalties and assorted mistakes, the Tigers might have been able to shoot it out with the Crusaders. The Tigers came away with no points on two of five trips inside the opponents' red zone, missing a field goal once and watching Capital's Kyle Hausler go 98 yards the other way with an interception midway through the third quarter.

After the two teams traded defensive stops to open the game, Capital got things going. A 15-yard touchdown pass from Pentello to Matt Friesner capped a five-play, 45-yard drive that took just one minute off the clock at the 10:43 mark of the first quarter. Capital made it 14-0 less than six minutes later as the Crusaders went 79 yards on nine plays in less than three minutes. After the Tigers' Mark Porter got his team on the board with a 21-yard field goal, the Crusaders got the biggest play of the game as Thom Hausler went 84 yards for a touchdown with the ensuing kickoff.

Capital added another score on its next possession before the Tigers finally managed to punch it into the end zone on a 16-yard run by senior quarterback Ryan Holmes midway through the second quarter. But the Crusaders stretched the lead to 35-9 before halftime with another touchdown to effectively put the game away.

In the second half, any thoughts of a comeback were quashed thanks to the 98-yard interception return for a touchdown at the 9:02 mark of the third quarter and a Zac Sewards interception and 39-yard return that led to a Jason Bainum one-yard touchdown run with 4:33 left in the third frame. Tigers' junior tailback Tristan Murray got the game's final score with a four-yard run with 12:44 remaining in the game, and then the two teams traded defensive stops for the rest of the game.

Overall, Wittenberg outgained Capital 409-368, but the opportunistic Crusaders made all the game's big plays. Holmes and Murray were the Tigers' leading rushers, accumulating 73 yards apiece, while junior Will Block added 56 yards on 14 carries in his first collegiate start and sophomore Tyler Harmon chipped in with 42 yards on nine carries from his fullback spot. The Tigers rolled up 259 yards rushing for the game, and another 150 in the passing game as Holmes finished 14-of-25 on the day. Junior wide receiver Jered Glover had 28 yards rushing and 32 yards receiving, but his biggest play of the day was called back due to a costly holding penalty midway through the second quarter.

Wittenberg has two weeks to get things straightened out again with a bye week ahead. The Tigers are back in action with the 2004 home opener on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. against Thomas More College.