Wittenberg Falls In NCAA Division III Tournament Quarterfinals
To No. 2-Ranked UW-Whitewater, 31-13

Ben Zoeller

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers went toe-to-toe with one of the nation's best in the NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinals, eventually falling out of the national competition by a deceiving 31-13 margin to second-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The loss ended the finest Wittenberg season in eight years at 12-1. UWW, which has appeared in the national championship game four straight years, advanced to the national semifinals with a 13-0 record. The Warhawks, who have not lost a home NCAA Division III Tournament game in more than a decade, will host fifth-ranked Linfield on Dec. 12.

Given almost no chance by most national prognosticators prior to the game, the Tigers outgained UWW 194-185 in the first half and trailed just 14-13 at intermission. However, on the second-to-last offensive play before the half, senior quarterback Aaron Huffman (Newark, Ohio/Newark) was sacked on a violent helmet-to-helmet collision and knocked out of the game. After going 11-of-12 passing and posting a phenomenal 188 quarterback rating, Huffman gave way to sophomore quarterback Ben Zoeller (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier), who immediately tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Michael Cooper (Springfield, Ohio/South) with 32 seconds left in the second quarter.

The second half was a different story as the Warhawk defense settled in and controlled the line of scrimmage to bottle up the Tiger ground game. Forced to the air, Zoeller threw 111 yards in the second half, but he took two costly sacks and was victimized by a pair of costly dropped passes.

On the other side of the ball, the top-ranked Tiger defense limited the Warhawks, who came into the game averaging 501 yards and 45 points per game, to 397 yards of total offense. Wisconsin-Whitewater slowly pulled away, scoring a touchdown to cap a long third-quarter drive, adding a field goal (after two earlier in the game) and then putting the game out of reach with a fourth-quarter touchdown that was set up by an interception return to Wittenberg's 11-yard-line.

Now 19-11 all-time in the NCAA Division III Tournament, Wittenberg was led offensively by sophomore wide receiver Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh), who hauled a game-high 10 catches for 100 yards. Cooper added six receptions for 69 yards to break the school records for season receptions and season receiving yards, followed by senior wide receiver Patrick Williams (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield), who capped his tremendous collegiate career with five catches for 58 yards.

Huffman and Zoeller combined to finish 24-of-35 for 261 yards through the air. Wisconsin-Whitewater responded with 18-of-25 for 236 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Jeff Donovan. He was intercepted once - on the final play of the first half on a Hail Mary pass into the end zone - and he took two sacks. UWW's first 12 opponents had managed just four sacks combined.

On the ground, junior tailback Corey Weber (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) led Wittenberg with 36 yards, a week after compiling 204 yards in a 34-17 victory over Trine. UWW's Levell Coppage was limited to 42 yards in the first half but wore the Tigers down over the final 30 minutes, finishing with 123 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

Wittenberg's defensive effort was spearheaded by junior linebacker Brad McKinley (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson), who finished with 10 tackles, including one for a seven-yard loss. Senior safety Trent Brunic (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) and sophomore linebacker Zach Hurtt (Fort Thomas, Ky./Highlands) each added nine tackles, while senior cornerback Brandyn Brown (Louisville, Ky./Male) finished with seven tackles and the aforementioned interception.

UWW was paced defensively by All-American cornerback Troney Shumpert, who lived up to his billing with eight tackles and the interception that set up the final score. Anthony White and Lane Olson added eight tackles each, with White contributing a key 3.5 tackles for loss.

Written by: Ryan Maurer