The Tigers had much to celebrate in 2004, especially in five straight wins at home at Edwards-Maurer Field.
Setting the Scene:
The Wittenberg University football team didn't quite reach the highest of highs in 2004, coming up a few defensive stops short of both the North Coast Athletic Conference championship and earning a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Tigers, however, did have a successful season with a 7-3 record, including a 5-2 mark in the NCAC, good for a second-place tie.
The Tigers were a perfect 5-0 at home, but they finished 2-3 against a challenging road schedule. Two of those three losses, were thrillers as OWU got the best of Wittenberg with a late touchdown in a 28-24 victory on Oct. 30 and nationally ranked Wooster overcame a historic Tiger rally to post a 64-58 overtime win on Nov. 6.
After an 8-2 campaign in 2003, the Tigers had hoped their continued youth movement would pay dividends in 2004, and offensively many of those young players certainly did grow up. The Tigers scored nearly 45 points per game in 2004, including point totals of 49 against Wabash and 58 against Wooster, two of the best defensive teams in the NCAC.
The losses to Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster were the first back-to-back defeats for the Tigers in an amazing 12 years, dating back to the first game of the 1992 season, when Baldwin-Wallace defeated the Tigers after Ohio Wesleyan had done the honors in the 1991 finale. In between, Wittenberg went 137 games without losing two straight games, a testament to consistency.
Three losses is the most in one season for Wittenberg under Head Coach Joe Fincham and the most for the program since 1991, when the Tigers went 5-5 overall and 5-3 in the NCAC. Still, Wittenberg posted its 13th straight winning season and its 48th winning season in the last 50 years, dating back to a 4-5 record in 1954, the year before National College Football Hall of Famer Bill Edwards took over as head coach. Also, Wittenberg has never had a losing season in 16 years in the NCAC.
Super Seniors:
Thirteen seniors were listed on the 2004 roster, although four of them are planning to return to the team for one more go-around in 2005 thanks to red-shirt years taken earlier in their careers.
Quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda) opted to make use of his final year of eligibility in 2005, and he becomes the favorite to earn the starting job under center after two record-breaking seasons there in 2003 and 2004. Punter Jacob Thomas (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) missed all but one play of the 2003 season with a leg injury, and after a spectacular 2004 season, in which he led the conference in yards per punt, he is planning for another season in the Red & White.
In addition, defensive end Chris Vennefron (Somerville, Ohio/Edgewood)overcame injuries in the early part of his career to make major contributions in 2003 and 2004. He will be a key returnee on what appears to be a very experienced defensive line in 2005. And offensive lineman Brandon Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) has battled through injuries to become an inspirational leader in the program, winner of the 2004 Golden Helmet Award.
The other seniors on the 2004 roster were wide receiver Ryan Barksdale (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln), three-year starting defensive tackle Jarrett Brown (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles), two-year starting center Corey Chatman (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior), defensive end Jamie Hoover (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North), two-time All-America offensive lineman Brad Kassner (Circleville, Ohio/Circleville), safety Kyle Keriazes (Springfield, Ohio/North), linebacker Andrew Nichols (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), wide receiver Joe Rumschlag (Maumee, Ohio/Toledo Christian) and defensive end Joe Torrens (Utica, Ohio/Utica).
Senior Joe Rumschlag was among the Tigers' leading receivers in 2004.
Postseason Awards:
Ten players earned All-NCAC honors, led by junior tailback Tristan Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh), who added to the Newcomer of the Year award to his first-team designation. Murray, who finished with 1,320 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns in 2004 to rank among the conference leaders, was joined on the first team by junior wide receiver Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown), junior defensive tackle Clinton Tiggs (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne), Chatman, Kassner and Thomas.
Second-team honors went to sophomore offensive lineman Jeff Moler (Germantown, Ohio/Valley View) and Holmes, while honorable mention awards were bestowed upon Vennefron and sophomore fullback Tyler Harmon (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian). Kassner, Thomas and junior tailback/kick returner Will Block (Troy, Ohio/Troy) earned All-North Region honors, and Kassner went on to earn All-America honors for the second straight year.
Kassner and Thomas were named second-team All-North Region by Don Hansen's National Football Gazette, while Block earned third-team recognition as a kickoff returner. Kassner added third-team All-America honors from D3football.He also earned honorable mention All-America a year ago.
Thomas led the NCAC in punting, averaging 42.3 yards per punt in 2004, handily breaking a 28-year-old school record. The highlight of his season was a 73-yard punt late in the fourth quarter of the Homecoming win over Wabash on Oct. 23, a boot that was mishandled by the Little Giants and converted into a game-clinching touchdown by the Tigers. Because Thomas had just 28 punts on the entire season, he did not quality for the NCAA Division III rankings, which require 3.6 punts per game as a minimum standard. He would have wound up second nationally, just 0.4 yards per punt out of the top spot.
Block led the NCAC and ranked 12th in the nation with a kickoff return average of 27.6 yards on 12 attempts during the 10-game 2004 season, highlighted by a school-record 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Wooster.
Record-Setters:
Murray capped his first season in the Red & White after transferring from Brown University with 249 yards rushing against Allegheny, the seventh-best game total in Wittenberg history. He finished with 1,320 yards on the season, the seventh-highest total in school history, just two yards shy of the 1,322 put up by Aaron Powers in 1996. His 283 all-purpose yards is the third-highest game total in school history, and his 1,712 all-purpose yards for the season ranks third in school history as well.
Glover finished with his season with 37 receptions for 511 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing all or part of two games due to injury. His career totals now stand at 133 receptions, 1,881 yards and 20 touchdowns, putting him in position 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).
The Coach:
Joe Fincham (Ohio '88) ends his eighth year guiding the Tigers with a 88-14 overall record. Fincham is 81-9 in regular season games, 57-7 against NCAC foes and 7-5 in five NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.
Fincham already ranks third in school history in wins, behind only College Football Hall of Famers Bill Edwards (98 in 14 years) and Dave Maurer (129 in 15 years). Fincham's winning percentage of .880 ranks first among all Wittenberg head coaches.