COLUMBUS, Ohio — On a day when many Central Ohio football fans were looking ahead to the historic match-up across town, the Wittenberg Tigers did their best to make things memorable at Capital University's Bernlohr Stadium as well. However, after taking an early lead the Tigers couldn't keep the momentum going, eventually falling to Capital 32-14 in the NCAA Division III Tournament first round.
Wittenberg, co-champion of the North Coast Athletic Conference with a 6-1 record, capped the 2006 season much as it had started - with a loss at Capital. However, the Tigers, who ended the campaign with a 7-4 overall record, were far more pesky on this day than they were on Sept. 2 when Capital dominated from start to finish in a 57-7 win.
Capital, which improved to 10-1 on the season after finishing in second place in the Ohio Athletic Conference during the regular season, rolled up 566 yards of offense, but the Crusaders allowed 266 yards to Wittenberg, which managed just 99 yards in the opener. Fourth-ranked Capital advanced to face North Central College on Nov. 25.
Wittenberg fans would have been happy to have a 15-minute game against Capital as the Tigers more than held their own in the opening quarter. After Capital missed a field goal on its opening drive, Wittenberg put together an 80-yard, 11-play drive, capped by a one-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Tristan Murray (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh). The Crusaders then were forced into a pair of three-and-outs and the Tigers ended the opening frame with a 7-0 lead.
It was short-lived, however, as Capital scored a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter and added two more scores in relatively short order to take command of the game. That was when the Tiger offense, stymied after that opening drive, got a big lift as the Crusaders fumbled a snap on a short field goal attempt and senior cornerback Joe Brumfield (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge) picked the ball up and went the distance the other way for a most unlikely Wittenberg touchdown.
That's pretty much where the Wittenberg highlights ended, although the Tigers did put together two 50-plus yard drives in the second half that ended on downs in Capital territory. Defensively, Wittenberg allowed career-highs to Capital quarterback Rocky Pentello, who finished with 423 passing yards, and wide receiver Mike Niedzwiecki, who caught 12 passes for 232 yards, but the Tigers performed admirably against one of the most potent units in all of NCAA Division III.
Pentello moved into fourth place all-time in NCAA Division III history with 11,815 passing yards. Capital tight end Dylan Kelly had 101 yards receiving and running back Charlie Smith had a game-high 103 yards rushing. Those numbers were countered by Wittenberg freshman quarterback Aaron Huffman (Newark, Ohio/Newark), who finished 15-of-29 passing for 125 yards, and Murray, who saw his string of 100-yard rushing games end at a school-record nine. He had 91 yards on 18 carries and another 44 yards on four receptions.
Capital scored two second-half touchdowns to extend the lead, but it was a battle into the fourth quarter, unlike the last two season-openers won by the Crusaders. The leader of the Tiger defense was senior linebacker Tyler Harmon (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian), who was the team's tackles leader for the eighth time in 2006 with a career-high 21 stops, including 16 solos. Senior linebacker Joe Swanson (Germantown, Ohio/Valley View) and senior safety Mitch Fonseca (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) also reached double figures in tackles, while sophomore defensive tackle Anthony Davis (New Lexington, Ohio/Fisher Catholic) added six tackles, including two for loss.