Football Game 2 Notes: Wittenberg Takes on Heidelberg on Community at Edwards-Maurer Field

Quarterback Greg Cornett made a solid debut against Urbana, throwing for a touchdown on his first attempt.

Last Week:

It wasnt a thing of beauty, but for a football program in search of an identity after losing 13 starters from its 2000 North Coast Athletic Conference championship team, the Wittenberg University Tigers will certainly take it. Before an overflow opening night crowd at Edwards-Maurer Field, Wittenberg downed Urbana 44-13.

Senior wide receiver Mike Aljancic (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) and junior quarterback Greg Cornett (Franklin, Ohio/Franklin) starred on offense for the Tigers, who havent lost an opening game since the 1994 season. Aljancic, one of only four returning starters on offense, had five catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns, including a scoring reception on Wittenbergs first play from scrimmage. That was an 18-yard TD completion that was set up by a fumble recovery by junior linebacker Andy Pope (Hamilton, Ohio/Lakota East).

The Tigers scored the first 30 points of the game, following Aljancics touchdown with a three-yard scoring burst by junior tailback Daniel Grove (Uhrichsville, Ohio/Claymont), a safety when Urbana snapped the ball through its own end zone, a one-yard plunge by senior fullback Eric Tomich (Newark, Ohio/Catholic) and a 48-yard scoring strike from Cornett to Aljancic.

Wittenberg finished its offensive rampage with scores in each of the final two periods. Grove rambled nine yards for a score with 12 minutes remaining in the third stanza and Tomich capped the night with his second one-yard plunge in the final period.

Replacing a Legend by Committee:

Daniel Grove, the heir apparent to record-setting tailback Casey Donaldson, picked up 59 yards on 16 carries against Urbana, while junior Jason Stephan (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) chipped in with 39 yards on 11 carries. Eric Tomich ran for 23 yards and picked up another 40 yards on two receptions.

A total of five running backs were handed the pigskin in the Urbana victory as the Tiger coaching staff attempts to replace its career leader in rushing attempts, yards and touchdowns. None averaged more than 3.8 yards per carry in the game, as opposed to Donaldsons career average of better than 5.5 yards per tote.

Quite a Debut:

Greg Cornett finished his first starting assignment with 216 yards and two touchdowns on 13 completions in 20 attempts. Perhaps an auspicious sign for Wittenberg fans Cornetts first college completion was the 18-yard touchdown strike toMike Aljancic in the first quarter of the Urbana game. Prior to that, Cornett had never attempted just one regular season pass, and he was 0-for-3 in mop-up duty at the end of the NCAA Division III Playoff loss to Mt. Union last December.

Case for the Defense:

Wittenberg was paced defensively in the Urbana game by senior outside linebackerNic Black (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua), who had nine tackles in his first career start. Junior middle linebacker Ryan Gresham (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor) added eight tackles in his first career start, and senior defensive tackle Juan Howard (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) added three tackles for loss.

Player of the Week:

Senior defensive back Andy Waddle (Springfield, Ohio/Greenon), the NCACs Defensive Player of the Week, would probably enjoy playing Urbana every game. Last year, in his first game as a Tiger after transferring from the University of Findlay, Waddle tied an NCAA Division III record by blocking three punts in one game against the Blue Knights.

Waddle followed that with another impressive performance against Urbana in the 2001 season opener. Although he didnt start and was part of a large group of rotating players in a defensive backfield ravaged by injuries and missed practice time, Waddle made five tackles and caused two fumbles. One of his tackles was a bone-crunching sack on a fourth down play in the third quarter at the Wittenberg seven yard line. It caused a fumble and helped maintain Wittenbergs comfortable 30-point lead.

Streaks:

Last Saturdays win was Wittenbergs 32nd consecutive in regular season action, dating back to the ninth game of the 1997 season. It was also Wittenbergs 30th straight regular season home victory, dating back to the second game of the 1996 season.

The Tigers have also reeled off 22 straight North Coast Athletic Conference victories, dating back to the Wooster loss in 1997. Since then, Wittenberg won the 1998 conference crown with a perfect 8-0 record, the 1999 NCAC title with a 6-0 mark, and the 2000 championship with seven straight wins. The 2001 conference campaign heats up again on September 22 with a crucial home showdown with Wabash.

More About the Regular Season:

Wittenberg is one of just two NCAA Division III programs that have finished the last three regular seasons with perfect 10-0 records. The other? Mount Union, which has put together an astounding string of six straight perfect regular seasons.

In the Record Books:

The latest edition of the NCAA Football Records Book has been published, and record-setting Wittenberg running back Casey Donaldson's name is scattered throughout.
In career points, Donaldson stands seventh in Division III history with 408.
In career yards-per-game, Donaldson is 19th at 131.1.
In career yards, Donaldson is ninth all-time with 5,112.
In career points-per-game, Donaldson ranks 16th at 10.5.

Coach of the Year:

Joe Fincham improved his career record to 53-5 with last Saturdays victory. Perhaps even more impressive, Fincham is now 49-2 in regular season games.

Last year, he became the first Wittenberg coach to earn conference coach of the year honors three straight years. Dave Maurer won the award in the Ohio Athletic Conference three times in four years (1976, 1978, 1979) and Bill Edwards coached at a time when such awards were not given. Maurer and Edwards both also won national coach of the year on two occasions.

Last Meeting with Heidelberg:

For a second straight week, Wittenberg leaped out to a huge lead in the first half and cruised home for a victory, defeating host Heidelberg 33-14 in the second game of the 2000 season.
Tailback Casey Donaldson, a week after setting the Wittenberg rushing record, was back at it again, rambling for two first-half touchdowns and 106 yards in the game. He had plenty of help offensively as quarterback Anthony Crane threw for 220 yards and two scores. His favorite target was wide receiver Steve DeGraffinreed, who set career highs in receptions (7) and yards (134). His biggest catch was a 69-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter that put the Tigers ahead 20-0.

Wide receiver Mike Aljancic also had a big night, grabbing three balls including two circus catches in which he stole the ball from defenders for 72 yards and a 35-yard touchdown.

Defensively, the Tigers yielded few yards or points until the game was well in hand. Linebacker Dustin Goldsbury had a team-high seven tackles, while linebackerTrevor Yost had an interception that set up the Tigers final score of the night.