SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers rode their defense to another convincing victory, their third consecutive to open the 2009 season. This time, the victim was Ohio Wesleyan University, which managed just 120 yards of total offense in a 20-0 loss to the Tigers on Community Night at Edwards-Maurer Field.
Ohio Wesleyan did post the most yards against Wittenberg's defense in three games - Olivet had 116 in the opener and Washington University finished with 99 in Game 2. The Tigers are among the nation's top defensive units through the first third of the 2009 season, yielding just two points and 112 yards per game in racing out to records of 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Ohio Wesleyan dropped to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in the conference.
A defensive slugfest from the outset, Wittenberg methodically pulled away from the Battling Bishops to retain the "Skull Trophy" - the spoils awarded to the winner in a series that dates back to 1894. Senior kicker Zack Harris (Plain City, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) kicked a first-quarter field goal from 30 yards and a fourth-quarter field goal from 25 yards. In between junior tailback Corey Weber (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) scored in the second quarter on a three-yard run and senior wide receiver Patrick Williams (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) hauled in a one-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Aaron Huffman (Newark, Ohio/Newark) in the third quarter.
While the Bishops' offense was stifled, Wittenberg's offensive stats weren't too exciting, either. Weber and Huffman finished with 46 yards rushing each, and sophomore tailback Conner Warye (Maineville, Ohio/Kings) added 32 yards on five carries. Huffman added 172 yards through the air, with his favorite target being sophomore wideout Michael Cooper (Springfield, Ohio/South) with five receptions for 66 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) added four catches for 61 yards.
A trio of Wittenberg linebackers finished with 10 tackles each to lead another balanced, hard-hitting defensive effort. Senior Kyle Lohrman (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland), sophomore Zach Hurtt (Fort Thomas, Ky./Highlands) and juniorBrad McKinley (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) were the team leaders in terms of total tackles, followed closely by junior defensive end Eddie Vallery (South Solon, Ohio/Madison Plains), who was superb with nine tackles, including two sacks for a whopping 25 yards lost. He added a blocked punt in the second quarter that led directly to the game's first touchdown.
Wittenberg returns to action against Hiram at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at Edwards-Maurer Field.