Tigers Roll Past Wooster For Key NCAC Road Victory

WOOSTER, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers dominated both sides of the ball, piling up 459 yards of offense while holding the Wooster Fighting Scots to just 298, en route to a 42-7 road win.

The victory was Wittenberg's fifth in a row since a season-opening setback against Butler, and it allowed the Tigers to keep pace with Wabash atop the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings at 5-0. Wooster likely saw any chance of winning the league title dashed as the Scots dropped to 3-2.

The key was the play of Wittenberg's defense, which intercepted Wooster quarterback Richard Barnes three times and sacked him four more times. Overall, Wittenberg forced four Wooster turnovers, starting with a first-quarter interception by junior safety Winston Thomas (Lewis, Center, Ohio/Olentangy) that led to the game's first score.

Junior Jimmy Dehnke (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) was first to dent the scoreboard, going nine yards to paydirt. That was followed by a one-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Zack Jenkins (Frostproof, Fla./Frostproof) and a 13-yard touchdown reception for senior tight end Clay Mangen (Union, Ohio/Northmont).

Three first-half touchdowns were book-ended by three scores in the second half as Dehnke scored on another nine-yard run and then Jenkins found junior wide receiver Zach Culvahouse (Fort Myers, Fla./Estero) for a pair of touchdown tosses. Wooster's lone response came with 1:16 remaining in the first half on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Barnes to Darrian Owens.

Other than that, Wittenberg's defense was stifling in perhaps its best performance to date in 2014. Senior linebacker Evan Killilea (Columbus, Ohio/DeSales) led the way with a career-best 15 tackles, including nine solo stops, and sophomore linebacker Dustin Holmes (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh) was stellar with six tackles (five solo), one sack and a game-ending interception.

The offense was balanced as Jenkins completed 20-of-29 passes for 282 yards and three scores and the rushing attack featured four different players with at least 30 yards en route to a season-high 177 total. Dehnke finished with 14 carries for 69 yards on the ground, while Culvahouse was the team's leading receiver with 12 receptions for 169 yards.

Culvahouse broke the school record for receptions in a game with 14 against Butler. His total against Wooster ranks in a three-way tie for second with Ron Duncan '64 and Patrick Williams '09.

The win was Wittenberg's 18th in a row against NCAC competition. The Tigers will return to action Saturday, Oct. 25, as winless Kenyon visits Edwards-Maurer Field for Wittenberg's Homecoming game.

Written By: Ryan Maurer