CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. - The Wabash Little Giants pulled away from the visiting Wittenberg Tigers with a big fourth quarter and jumped into the driver's seat in the early going of the 2015 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title chase in the process.
Wittenberg saw its 23-game NCAC win streak come to an end against the only league team to beat the Tigers since the end of the 2008 season. Over the last seven years, Wittenberg still holds a narrow 4-3 advantage in the series, but the Little Giants, ranked No. 9 by the D3football.com and No. 11 by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), are now in control for 2015 after a 42-14 victory.
The Tigers, ranked No. 16 by D3football.com and No. 15 by the AFCA, dropped to 2-1 on the season and 1-1 in the NCAC. Wabash is now 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the league.
Coming into the game, it was clear that the key would be a match-up of Wittenberg's high-powered offense against Wabash's defense, which is ranked among the best in the nation statistically. The Little Giants' defense was up to the task, coming up with seven sacks and four interceptions, including a back-breaking pick-six in the fourth quarter that helped turn a 21-14 nailbiter into the final deceptive margin.
Wabash took an early 14-0 lead, but Wittenberg had an answer just before halftime on an eight-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Zack Jenkins (Frostproof, Fla./Frostproof) to junior wide receiver Luke Landis (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) with 44 seconds left in the second quarter. After Wabash opened the scoring in the third quarter, Jenkins hooked up with Landis again to cap an 85-yard drive late in the third quarter.
The 14-point advantage was restored less than one minute into the fourth quarter, and then Wabash's Brian Parks put the game out of reach with a 30-yard interception return for a score with 13:58 remaining. The Little Giants tacked on a touchdown at the 2:58 mark to account for the final margin.
Jenkins finished the day 26-of-45 for 267 yards through the air. Landis posted a career-high 13 catches for 99 yards, while senior Zach Culvahouse (Fort Myers, Fla./Estero) added five catches for 65 yards and sophomore Tyler Everidge (Dayton, Ohio/Bellbrook) chipped in with four receptions for 54 yards.
Wittenberg's ground game was limited to just 26 net yards, thanks to 48 yards lost by Jenkins on sacks.
Wittenberg's defense acquitted itself quite well, holding Wabash to 399 yards of total offense. Sophomore linebacker Jesse Kolinac (Boca Raton, Fla./St. Andrew's) led the effort with a career-high 10 tackles and a forced fumble, while junior linebacker Dustin Holmes (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh) added seven tackles, including one for loss.
Wittenberg returns home for a game at Edwards-Maurer Field against Wooster at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3.
Written By: Ryan Maurer