Wittenberg wins another first round NCAA Division III Playoff Thriller, Defeat Hanover 34-33

HANOVER, Ind. - The Wittenberg University Tigers and their 23 seniors had been in this position before. To coin a phrase, or flat-out steal a cliche, the Tigers refused to lose Saturday at Hanover College, defeating the host Panthers 34-33 in thrilling fashion.

Wittenberg rallied time and again, coming back from a 21-7 halftime deficit and a 33-28 fourth-quarter deficit and then surviving an errant 37-yard Hanover field goal attempt with just 25 seconds left. In a scene eerily reminiscent of Wittenberg's 2001 first round victory over Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, (38-35 in overtime) the Tigers survived to play another day. This time, Wittenberg earned itself a second-round match-up with undefeated North Coast Athletic Conference champion Wabash College next Saturday in Crawfordsville, Ind.

The Tigers had their share of problems in the first half as Hanover's fast-break offense wreaked havoc. The Panthers, who do not use a huddle on offense, operate out of a variety of shotgun formations and pass the ball on about 65 percent of their plays, ran out to a 21-7 halftime lead on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Brett Dietz in the first quarter, a five-yard scoring reception by Jeffrey Jourden from Dietz early in the second and a beautifully executed 27-yard halfback option play from wingback Clint Bobb to Dietz with 20 seconds remaining before the break. Wittenberg's only answer came on a 26-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Greg Cornett to junior wide receiver Skip Ivery.

The second half, just as it was at Hardin-Simmons in 2001, was a totally different story. Facing the same 21-7 deficit, Wittenberg responded with two key interceptions by sophomore defensive tackle Jarrett Brown and senior safety John Hauser and turned them into the only two scores of the third quarter, scoring receptions of 11 and 72 yards by Ivery.

The fourth quarter was a fascinating back-and-forth affair. Hanover re-took the lead with a one-yard Mike Russell run at the 13:09 mark of the fourth quarter, but in a play that set off an interesting chain of events the rest of the game, the Panthers missed the conversion when the snap went through the hands of the holder and a desperate pass attempt fell incomplete. Wittenberg came right back, putting together a 10-play drive that was keyed by a 28-yard fourth-down reception by Adrian Crane and concluded by senior tailback Daniel Grove's two-yard sweep.

After the Tigers took a one-point lead with the extra point, Hanover responded again on a 17-yard scoring strike from Dietz to Bobb. The two-point conversion failed. Then Wittenberg freshman wide receiver Jered Glover made the play of the game, breaking a short screen pass into an 80-yard touchdown play after he hurdled two defenders and found himself in the clear for more than 50 yards. The Tigers also failed on their two-point conversion, and with 6:59 remaining the game was 34-33.

The two teams then traded punts, leading to the final thrilling Hanover drive. The Panthers took over on their own 45-yard-line and 2:06 showing on the clock. They converted a key third down on a Wittenberg pass interference penalty to get to the Tigers' 21-yard-line. After two rush attempts netted two yards, the Panthers took a shot at the end zone and wide receiver Nick Schmidt appeared to make the winning reception as he was being tackled by Wittenberg's John Hauser. But the official standing right on the sideline ruled Schmidt out of bounds, pointing to the sidelines emphatically to say that his foot hit on the endline instead of the end zone. So on fourth down, Drew Starck lined up to attempt a 37-yard field goal but his attempt barely reached the end zone as he lost his footing on the muddy turf.

Hanover outgained Wittenberg 501-376 and gained 29 first downs to 14 for the visitors. The Panthers had the ball for 37:08, compared to 22:52 for Wittenberg, and they converted a whopping 11 third-downs in 19 attempts. But they had two costly interceptions and two missed field goals, the difference in a tight game.

Individually, Cornett finished with 18 completions in 30 attempts for 336 yards and four touchdowns. Glover led with five receptions for 114 yards and Ivery added four catches for 120 yards and three scores. Grove, who came into the game averaging 155 yards rushing per game, was held to 45 yards on 18 carries. Hanover got a fantastic passing performance from Dietz, who finished 37 of 56 for 336 yards and two scores. Jourdan led the receiving crew with 10 catches and 69 yards, while Bobb had 70 yards rushing, 27 yards passing and 43 yards receiving in a very impressive performance.