MEADVILLE, Pa. — After opening the 2010 season with three straight blowout wins at home, the Wittenberg Tigers knew their most significant test awaited with a road trip to Allegheny. The sixth-ranked Tigers didn't earn any style points, but Wittenberg did just enough, rallying from a third quarter deficit and then holding off a determined Allegheny challenge for a 24-21 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) victory.
The win moved Wittenberg to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the NCAC, in the process putting Head Coach Joe Fincham atop the program's career wins list. Fincham now has a career record of 130-30, giving him one more win than National College Football Hall of Fame inductee Dave Maurer, who won 129 games and three national championships between 1969 and 1983. Allegheny slipped to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
A match-up that featured two of the nation's top NCAA Division III quarterbacks turned out to be a stand-off between two physical, opportunistic defenses. The two teams were tied 7-7 at halftime, but Allegheny became the first team to lead the Tigers in a regular season game since 2008 after capping a 13-play drive late in the third quarter with a short touchdown run for a 14-10 advantage.
The Tigers responded to the challenge with back-to-back touchdown drives of their own, the first set up by an interception from senior cornerback Keenan Freeman (Fairborn, Ohio/Greenon). Junior quarterback Ben Zoeller (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) then drove Wittenberg 63 yards, capped by a pair of game-changing efforts. First, Zoeller escaped a sack attempt on third-and-22 from the Allegheny 40-yard-line to find junior wide receiver Michael Cooper (Springfield, Ohio/South) for a clutch first down. On the next play, Zoeller reached the finish line himself, barreling in for a score from seven yards out with 13:36 left on the clock.
The defense came up big again on the next series, forcing a three-and-out. The offense then marched downfield for another score, this time on a 22-yard touchdown connection between Zoeller and junior wide receiver Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh).
The Gators pulled back within three on the ensuing possession, becoming the first regular season opponent to top 20 points against the Wittenberg defense since 2008. After a Wittenberg three-and-out, Allegheny had one last crack at it, but after a key 40-yard punt by senior Trevor Cochran (Newark, Ohio/Newark) pinned the Gators at their own three, the Tiger defense forced a turnover on downs inside the final minute to secure the victory.
Zoeller finished with a season-low 170 yards passing on just 10 completions, with his favorite target once again being McKee, who followed up last week's record-breaking performance with five catches for 116 yards. The rushing attack didn't fare a lot better, although senior tailback Corey Weber (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) did manage a season-high 96 yards on 20 carries. He and Zoeller both rushed for touchdowns in the game.
Defensively, junior linebacker Zach Hurtt (Fort Thomas, Ky./Highlands) led with a career-best 14 tackles. But the key to the win was turnovers - in addition to Freeman's pick, senior linebacker Ben Maxwell (Kettering, Ohio/Alter) made a first-quarter interception and later added a blocked punt. In addition, senior defensive tackle Adam Kattoua (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) and senior linebacker Brad McKinley (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) contributed nine tackles apiece.