GREENCASTLE, Ind. - The Wittenberg Tigers piled up nearly 400 yards through the air, but four costly first-half turnovers were the difference in a 35-30 loss at DePauw.
The loss was just Wittenberg's fourth against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opposition since the end of the 2008 season, but it dropped the Tigers to 2-2 in the league in 2015. Overall, Wittenberg heads into the second half of the campaign with a 3-2 record, while DePauw improved to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the NCAC.
Wittenberg outgained DePauw 559 yards to 411, gained nine more first downs in the game and held possession for almost nine minutes more than the host Tigers. However, Wittenberg fell behind 21-10 in the first half, in large part due to four turnovers, including a costly interception returned for a touchdown on the visiting Tigers' first possession of the second quarter. At the time, Wittenberg held a 3-0 lead.
Senior quarterback Zack Jenkins (Frostproof, Fla./Frostproof) threw for 396 yards after completing 36-of-52 passes. The previous school record was 33 by Greg Cornett against Wabash in 2002 - ironically, also in a game that Wittenberg lost.
In addition to Jenkins' big day through the air, the visiting Tigers had their best game of the season on the ground with 163 yards on 41 attempts, highlighted by the quarterback, who rambled 64 yards for a score with 3:34 remaining in the game to bring Wittenberg back to within five points. After DePauw was forced to punt, the visiting Tigers had one last chance, but after gaining 41 yards, Jenkins' last pass fell incomplete and the host Tigers took over on their own 39-yard line to run out the clock.
Jenkins' favorite target on the day was senior wide receiver Corey Stump (Lima, Ohio/Central Catholic) with 13 receptions for 148 yards and a touchdown. Junior wideout Luke Landis (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) added nine receptions for 115 yards, and senior wideout Zach Culvahouse (Fort Myers, Fla./Estero) contributed seven catches for 63 yards.
On the ground, senior running back Sean Gary (Indianapolis, Ind./Decatur Central) led the way with 65 yards on 16 carries, including a season-long 36-yard burst. Senior running back Jimmy Dehnke (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) added 59 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, and Jenkins finished with 43 yards and a score on 10 totes.
Junior Will Gingery (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) accounted for nine of the visiting Tigers' points with three short field goals in the game, and he also had a fine day punting with a 52.3 yard average on three attempts. Wittenberg received an additional special teams boost from two blocked field goals.
Defensively, Wittenberg was paced by junior linebacker Dustin Holmes (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh) with 10 tackles and junior safety Jay Mastin (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) with seven tackles, all solos, including a sack. Also of note was the play of junior defensive end Austin Towsey (Lima, Ohio/Senior), who made six tackles, including three for loss.
Written By: Ryan Maurer