HIRAM, Ohio-- #12/#14 Wittenberg hit the road on Saturday to take on a familiar opponent in the Terriers of Hiram. Wittenberg had dominated the first 17 meetings between the two NCAC squads, but this year's Hiram team came in to Saturday's contest boasting an offense that knew how to put some points on the board. Points were not hard to come by at Henry Field, as the Tigers cruised past the Terriers 59-17. Wittenberg's 59 points came in three quarters, as the Tigers put up 24 in the first, 14 in the second, and 21 in the third before being blanked in the fourth quarter. Wittenberg is now 5-0 in 2017, and 4-0 in NCAC conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED: For the second consecutive game, the Tigers offense came out on a mission, scoring early and often. With touchdown catches from Liam Duncan and Bryce Bailey in the first quarter, the Tigers defense picked up their first touchdown of the year in the opening frame as well. Keenan Wilson jumped a route with 11 minutes left in the first quarter, taking the interception 27 yards to the end-zone. Wittenberg led 24-10 after the first quarter of play, before shutting out Hiram's defense until the fourth quarter of play. Junior quarterback Ryan Fallon got in on the scoring action, using his legs to side-step the Hiram defense on a five-yard touchdown run. Logan Kirby and Duncan would round out the scoring for the Tigers in the third quarter, both hauling in touchdown passes from Jake Kennedy as the Tigers then led 45-10. Wittenberg would tack on touchdown runs from Jaheem Washington and Nick Kendall, making the game 59-10.
WHO STOOD OUT: Kennedy continued to increase his completion-percentage after a slow start to the 2017 campaign, as the junior completed 64% of his passes on Saturday. Four of Kennedy's 16 completions ended up being touchdowns, as for the second straight week, Duncan hauled in two scores from Kennedy, including a 71-yard pitch and catch. Kennedy finished the day with 279 passing yards and four total passing touchdowns. Duncan's rise for the Tigers has filled a void at wide-receiver, with Jeff Tiffner and Thaddeus Snodgrass both missing Saturday's game due to injury. The Eugene, Oregon product averaged 35.5 yards per-catch on Saturday, pulling in four passes and two-touchdowns. On defense, Terrance Crowe led the Tigers with 7 total tackles, and 1.5 tackles for-a-loss. Chandler Ferko also recorded seven tackles, including one and a-half sacks and two-and-a-half tackles-for-a-loss.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN: Wittenberg is now 18-0 overall against the Terriers, outscoring the NCAC opponent 1,014 to 104. Wittenberg moves to 5-0 (4-0) with Allegheny, DePauw, Wabash, Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster left on the schedule.
UP NEXT: Wittenberg returns to Edwards-Maurer Field for a NCAC game against Allegheny on October 14. Kickoff is set for 1:00PM.
