The Wittenberg football team has two weeks left in the 2005 season, and there are still some things left to accomplish. While the NCAA Division III Tournament is out of reach for the third straight year, the Tigers, who are 4-4 overall and 4-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, have their sights set on second place in the NCAC for the fourth straight year and a 49th winning season in the last 51 years, the best among schools in the NCAA the entire time.
Wittenberg fell out of first place with a 26-20 loss at Wabash on Oct. 22, a game in which for the third time this season the Tigers led a quality opponent on the road in the second half only to lose. The nationally ranked Little Giants have one conference game remaining, while Wittenberg has games against Wooster on Nov. 5 and Allegheny on Nov. 12 still on the schedule. If Wabash loses to Denison and the Tigers win out the two teams can still share the title, but the Little Giants hold a tiebreaker thanks to the head-to-head win.
The Tigers rebounded from the loss at Wabash with a convincing Homecoming and Reunion Weekend victory over Ohio Wesleyan. In the 31-9 win, the Tiger defense continued its resurgence, led by NCAC Defensive Player of the WeekTyler Harmon (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian). Harmon, a converted fullback after back-to-back All-NCAC seasons on offense, had his best game since moving to linebacker with career-highs of 16 total tackles and eight solo tackles.
In addition, senior defensive tackle Tyler Jenkins (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm)finished with a career-high 11 tackles, including 2.5 for loss.
Offensively, the Tigers picked up an efficient peformance from junior quarterback Geron Stokes (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana), who improved to 3-0 as a starter in the Red & White with a 17-for-22, 199 yard, three touchdown performance. Senior tailback Tristan Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) topped the 100-yard mark for the sixth time in eight games this season and senior wide receiver Jered Glover (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) caught three passes for 92 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown. Already the school record-holder for career receptions, Glover is closing in on records for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns as well.
Also of note is the conclusion of the career of senior quarterback Ryan Holmes (Oxford, Ohio/Talawanda). After suffering an injury in the season opener, Holmes came back as quickly as possible to gain playing time against Earlham on Oct. 8 and then start against Hiram on Oct. 15. However, Holmes suffered the same injury again at Wabash and found out after the game that his collegiate career was officially over. With 272 passing yards in that game, Holmes moved into second place in school history for career passing yards, behind only National College Football Hall of Fame honoree Charlie Green.