Football Game Notes - NCAA Playoffs Round 1

Setting the Scene

The Wittenberg University Tigers will be making their 10th appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs and 11th appearance overall in postseason action when they travel to Abilene, Texas to square off with the Hardin-Simmons Cowboys. The Tigers were idle last week after clinching the North Coast Athletic Conference title against Earlham on Nov. 3.

The Tigers, ranked seventh in the latest American Football Coaches Association poll, finished the regular season 9-1 overall and 7-0 in the NCAC. Wittenberg, which will take a 29-game NCAC win streak into the 2002 campaign, won its record-setting fifth straight NCAC title and fourth consecutive outright crown. The perfect conference record capped an amazing career for this years seniors, who became the first class in school or NCAC history to win every conference game in its four years. In addition, the Tiger seniors matched last years graduating class with a 39-1 four-year regular season record and also have equalled that group with 43 overall wins.

Hardin-Simmons, ranked No. 6 in the final regular season AFCA poll, finished its season 8-1 overall and 6-0 in the American Southwest Conference. The Cowboys had a 30-game regular season win streak snapped in the first week of the season against Menlo College, but the preseason No. 2 team in the nation responded with eight straight victories, incuding a 30-27 win over conference rival and fellow NCAA Division III playoff participant Mary Hardin Baylor on Nov. 3. 

Wittenberg In The Postseason:

The NCAA Division III leader in all-time wins with 623 since its first year of football in 1892, the Wittenberg Tigers have won five national championships 1962, 64, 69, 73 and 75. The last three were earned as a result of victories in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, and the last two were won as members of the newly created NCAA Division III. The titles in 1962, 64 and 69 were NCAA College Division championships.

The Tigers have also finished second in NCAA Division III twice, in 1978 and 79. Wittenbergs overall postseason record is 15-7, and the Tigers mark in NCAA Division III is 14-7. A rundown of postseason results:

College Division

1969
AMOS ALONZO STAGG BOWL* (at Springfield, Ohio)
Wittenberg 27, William Jewell 21
*West Regional playoff game. There was no national championship game at this time.

Division III

1973
Semifinal (at Springfield, Ohio)
Wittenberg 21, San Diego 14
AMOS ALONZO STAGG BOWL (at Phenix City, Ala.)
Wittenberg 41, Juniata 0
1975
Quarterfinal (at Springfield, Ohio)
Wittenberg 17, Indiana Central 13
Semifinal (at Springfield, Ohio) 
Wittenberg 55, Millsaps 22
AMOS ALONZO STAGG BOWL (at Phenix City, Ala.)
Wittenberg 28, Ithaca 0
1978
Quarterfinal (at Ithaca, N.Y.)
Wittenberg 6, Ithaca 3
Semifinal (at Springfield, Ohio) 
Wittenberg 35, Minnesota-Morris 14
AMOS ALONZO STAGG BOWL (at Phenix City, Ala.)
Baldwin-Wallace 24, Wittenberg 10
1979
Quarterfinal (at Millersville, Pa.)
Wittenberg 21, Millersville 14
Semifinal (at Springfield, Ohio)
Wittenberg 17, Widener 14
AMOS ALONZO STAGG BOWL (at Phenix City, Ala.)
Ithaca 14, Wittenberg 10
1988
First Round (at Dayton, Ohio)
Wittenberg 35, Dayton 28
Quarterfinal (at Springfield, Ohio)
Augustana 28, Wittenberg 14
1995
First Round (at Wheaton, Ill.)
Wheaton 63, Wittenberg 41
1998
First Round (at Springfield, Ohio)
Wittenberg 13, Millikin 10
Regional Final (at Alliance, Ohio) 
Mount Union 21, Wittenberg 19
1999
First Round (at Springfield, Ohio)
Wittenberg 42, Alma 19
Second Round (at Springfield, Ohio)
Ohio Northern 58, Wittenberg 24
2000
First Round (at Springfield, Ohio) 
Wittenberg 31, Aurora 20
Second Round (at Springfield, Ohio)
Wittenberg 32, Hanover 21 
Quarterfinal (at Alliance, Ohio)
Mount Union 32, Wittenberg 15

Last Years Playoffs:

Wittenberg and Hardin-Simmons both participated in the big dance a year ago, and both advanced deep into the playoffs.

The Tigers were defeated in the national quarterfinals by eventual national champion Mount Union after defeating Aurora College and Hanover College in home games as the No. 2 seed in the North Region. Wittenberg took an early lead against Mount Union, scoring on an 80-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Anthony Crane to wide receiver Michael Aljancic on the Tigers first offensive play from scrimmage. But the Raiders proved too tough on a icy-cold December day at home in Alliance, scoring the next 23 points and slowly pulling away for a 32-15 victory.

The Cowboys, seeded No. 1 in the South, defeated Western Maryland and Trinity before falling in the national semifinals to St. Johns (Minn.) by a final of 38-14. The Cowboys also advanced to the quarterfinals in 1999.

Among the Best:

Wittenberg finished the 2001 season ranked first in the NCAC in scoring defense (11.0 ppg), pass defense (160.4 ypg), pass defense efficiency (101.6), total defense (249.9 ypg), kickoff returns (23.3 ypr), turnover margin (1.5), fewest opponent first downs (137) and fewest opponent fourth-down conversions (13.6 percent).

In the most recent NCAA Division III statistics, Wittenberg is among the top 30 in the nation in seven of the nine categories. The Tigers are 14th in turnover margin, tied for eighth in scoring defense, 14th in scoring offense (39.7 ppg), 17th in rushing defense (89.5 ypg), 19th in rushing offense (228.4),30th in total offense (421.4 ypg) and 20th in total defense.

Individually, only tailback Daniel Grove leads an NCAC statistical category, that being rushing touchdowns (17). Grove, with four straight 100-yard rushing games under his belt and two 200-yard games on the season, has moved to 18th nationally in rushing at 126.0 yards per game and into a tie for sixth in scoring at 12.0 points per game. In addition, quarterback Greg Cornett is 20th in pass efficiency at 150.8.

Among the Best Part 2:

Wittenbergs win over Denison in which the Tigers put up 72 points was the fourth-best scoring total in the nation this season. In addition, the 59-7 win over Heidelberg in Week 2 is tied for 29th most points in a game.

Tailback Daniel Groves 259-yard rushing day against Ohio Wesleyan was the fifth-best total of the season in Division III. The top rushing total of the season was 315 yards by Dave Burrill of Maine Maritime.

Scouting the Tigers:

Wittenberg finished the 2001 regular season 9-1, ranked No. 7 in the nation, and in its customary position atop the NCAC with a perfect 7-0 record. The Tigers lone defeat came on Sept. 15 at Alma, 26-24, a loss that snapped a school-record 33-game regular season win streak. The Tigers are outscoring their opponents 39.7-11.0 and are outgaining their foes by a whopping 421.4-249.9. Only Alma scored more than 20 points against Wittenberg, and only Wabash held the Tigers below 20 points in a game.

Tailback Daniel Grove leads the team with 1322 yards rushing and an NCAC-best 18 touchdowns (17 rushing) after four straight 100-yard games to close the season. Wide receiver Michael Aljancic has been sensational with a school-record 54 catches for 713 yards and nine touchdowns (eight receiving), including the biggest play of the year, the game-winner with 16 seconds left against Allegheny. Quarterback Greg Cornett has played well in his first season under center, completing 140 of 229 passes for 1872 yards and 17 touchdowns. His efficiency rating of 150.8 rose almost all season, ranking first in the NCAC and 20th in the nation.

Defense, expected to be a strength for the Tigers in 2001 after they led the NCAC in total defense for the eighth time in nine years in 2000, rose to the challenge after a disastrous 23-point first half against pass-happy Alma. Linebacker Ryan Gresham and Linebacker Nic Black lead the Tigers with 48.0 tackles. Defensive end Tim Daoust tops the squad in sacks with eight. Defensive tackle Juan Howard is among the best in the conference with 17 tackles for loss. Safety John Hauser leads the team and is among the best in the NCAC with four interceptions and eight passes defensed.

Scouting the Cowboys:

On paper, Hardin-Simmons looks a lot like Wittenberg. They are ranked No. 6 in the nation, they have won their conference four straight years without a loss, they had a school-record regular season win streak snapped earlier this season, they have advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs the last three years, and they have crushed their opponents this year by an average margin of 49-19. But thats where the similarities end.

The Cowboys are essentially a run-and-gun football team that can score points with the best of them, unlike Wittenberg, which prefers to keep the ball on the ground. Hardin-Simmons throws the ball regularly, averaging 310.8 yards passing per game, compared to 186.2 yards rushing per game. Even that may be deceiving, as many of those rushing yards were gained in the second half of six blowout victories.

Leading the prolific offense of the Cowboys junior quarterback Dustin Proctor, the top-rated passer in all of college football, regardless of division. Proctor is completing 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,194 yards and 28 touchdowns. Combined with just three interceptions all season, Proctors efficiency rating is a staggering 217.24, more than 30 points better than anyone else in NCAA Division III.

Proctor, who started the year as a backup, is one of five signal-callers who have seen action in 2001. Freshman Jordan Neal has served as a capable backup, completing an NCAA-record 27 straight passes at one point and finishing the season 37-of-46 for 408 yards and four touchdowns.

On the ground, the Cowboys are led by Jared Wood, who has 447 yards rushing on just 66 carries and Paxton Hurst, who has 384 yards rushing on 79 carries. The tandem has 14 rushing touchdowns, while Proctor has chipped in with 346 yards and five TDs of his own on the ground.

Through the air, Proctors favorite target is All-American candidate Kirk Rogers, who has 846 yards and 14 touchdowns this season and 3,988 yards and 49 scores in his illustrious career. Six Cowboy receivers in all have caught at least 10 passes this season, and 20 different players have hauled in at least one pass.

Defensively, the Cowboys are strongest in the linebacking corps, where Jared Sanderson, Jack Graves and Ryan Rylander start in the 4-3 alignment and have accumulated the most tackles. Sanderson has 71 tackles, including 12 for loss. Graves has 62 tackles, including 11 for loss. And Rylander has 49 tackles, including seven for loss.

The Wittenberg/Hardin-Simmons Series:

No such thing. Not surprisingly, the Tigers of Wittenberg and the Cowboys of Hardin-Simmons have never met on the football field. In fact, the two schools have played few games against common opponents, making this weekends playoff match-up that much more interesting.

Moving Up the Charts:

Tailback Daniel Grove finished the season with 1,260 yards rushing, the eighth-best total in school history. In addition, Grove scored 21 touchdowns on the season, just one score short of Casey Donaldsons record-setting TD total of a year ago. For his career, Grove has 1,932 rushing yards.

Defensive Record:

Senior defensive end Tim Daoust had a half sack against Earlham in the season finale to up his 2001 total to eight and his career total to 27.5, tied for second-most in Wittenberg history. The record is 28 by Tim Altman, who played from 1992-95.

Defensive Record:

The Wittenberg defense held Hiram to just one completion for a six-yard loss in the entire game. Wittenberg had held six opponents over the years to zero yards passing, but it had never held one with negative yardage in that category. The negative six yards passing tied an NCAA Division III record set by Central (Iowa) against Simpson in 1985.

Streaks:

The loss at Alma on Sept. 15 snapped Wittenbergs school-record regular season win streak at 33, dating back to Nov. 4, 1997 against the College of Wooster.

Wittenberg still has several streaks intact, however. The Tigers extended their regular season home win streak to 34 games with a perfect 5-0 mark this season. That streak dates back to the second game of the 1996 season against Allegheny. The Tigers have also reeled off 29 straight NCAC victories dating back to the 1997 loss at Wooster.

Finally, Wittenberg has gone 10 years since losing back-to-back games. In 1991, Case Western Reserve and Allegheny both claimed wins over the Tigers. At the end of the 91 season, Ohio Wesleyan defeated Wittenberg, and then the Tigers were beaten in the 92 opener by Baldwin-Wallace before they reeled off eight wins and a tie to close the season. Since the loss to B-W, Wittenberg has played 106 games without losing two straight (not including a forfeit win over Oberlin in 1992). The Tigers record during that time is 95-10-1.

On Target:

In his first season under center, junior quarterback Greg Cornett has done quite well, guiding a relatively young offense and finishing first in the NCAC and 20th in the nation with a pass efficiency rating of 150.8. Perhaps most important, Cornett threw just four interceptions in the 2001 regular season and none since the first quarter of the win over Denison in Week 5. He finished the season on a streak of 19 straight quarters without a pick.

For the season, Cornett threw for 1,872 yards yards, 140 completions, a 61 percent completion percentage and 17 touchdowns, putting him in the top 10 in school history in each category. The school records are 2,181 yards, 141 completions, 63 percent completions and 24 TDs.

On Top At Last:

Senior wide receiver Michael Aljancic finished his career as the greatest pass catcher in Wittenberg school history, at least according to the numbers. Aljancic established a school record for receptions in a season with 54 in 2001 and 147 in a career. He was amazingly consistent, catching at least one pass in 35 of his 40 career regular season games.

Coach of the Year:

Joe Fincham is now 61-6 in his career. Perhaps even more impressive, Fincham is 57-3 in regular season games and 42-2 against NCAC foes. 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.

2001 Regular Season Game-by-Game Recaps

Game 1 - Sept. 1, 2001 Wittenberg 44, Urbana 13

Before an overflow crowd at Edwards-Maurer Field, the Tigers, in search of an identity as they replace 13 departed starters, downed a feisty Urbana Blue Knights squad 44-13. 

Wide receiver Michael Aljancic and quarterback Greg Cornett were the stars of the game for the Tigers, who havent lost the opening game of a season since 1994. Aljancic 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.

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

In the second half, Grove rambled nine yards for a score with 12 minutes remaining in the third stanza, while Tomich capped the night with his second one-yard plunge in the final period.

Grove picked up 60 yards on 16 carries in the game, while Jason Stephan chipped in with 42 yards on 11 carries and Tomich finished with 23 yards on six totes. Cornett finished his first starting assignment with 216 yards and two touchdowns on 13 completions.

Defensively, Wittenberg was paced by outside linebacker Nic Black, who had nine tackles in his first career start. Middle linebacker Ryan Gresham added eight tackles and senior defensive tackle Juan Howard had three tackles for loss.

Game 2 - Sept. 8, 2001 Wittenberg 59, Heidelberg 7

It took a little less than one half of football for the Tigers to get in gear. Once they did, they raced past visiting Heidelberg 59-7 in front of a Community Night crowd of 3,215 at Edwards-Maurer Field.

Heidelberg got on the board first in the game on a 61-yard run early in the second quarter. The Tigers answered immediately as Skip Ivery caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Greg Cornett to cap an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive with 9:39 left in the second quarter.

From that point it was all Wittenberg. On the ensuing drive, defensive back Dane Dudley burst through to block a Heidelberg punt, and Michael Aljancic hauled in a 34-yard scoring strike from Cornett on the next play. Dudley capped the first-half scoring by blocking a second punt a minute later and returning it 27 yards for a touchdown.

In the second half, Daniel Grove ran for two touchdowns, Jason Stephan ran for another, kicker Jacob Thomas booted his first career field goal, and then Justin Blackley capped things with a pair of long scoring runs.

Grove rambled for 169 yards on 16 carries, Blackley picked up 106 yards on just eight carries and Stephan accounted for 46 yards on 10 carries. Cornett had one of the finest days for a Wittenberg quarterback, finishing 11-for-13 for 167 yards and two touchdowns. He misfired on his first and last passes of the day, completing 11 in a row in between.

Defensively, linebacker Ryan Gresham was all over the field, leading the Tigers with 11 tackles, including one for a five-yard loss. Defensive end Tim Daoust had four tackles, three of which were sacks.

Game 3 - Sept. 15, 2001 Alma 26, Wittenberg 24

The Tigers run of 33 straight regular season wins came to a halt as host Alma College kicked a late field goal to win 26-24.

The Scots scored touchdowns on two of their first three possessions to open the game. It was the first 14-point deficit a Wittenberg team had faced in a regular season game since Sept. 24, 1994 against Allegheny. The Tigers responded with a 62-yard touchdown run by Daniel Grove and a 17-yard TD reception by Adrian Crane scored. Alma added a field goal and a touchdown late in the second quarter for a 23-14 halftime lead.

After the offensive fireworks of the first half, the final 30 minutes stood in stark contrast. Wittenberg opened the second-half scoring with a 24-yard field goal by sophomore Conrad Hindert, and then Grove put the Tigers ahead with a one-yard TD run with 5:20 remaining in the game. The extra point by Hindert gave the Tigers a one-point lead.

The Wittenberg defense needed one more stop, but the Alma offense, operating exclusively out of the shotgun, drove downfield for the game-winning 18-yard field goal. The Tigers rally fell short as Skip Iverys knee touched down a yard short on a fourth-down pass play with 1:25 remaining.

Cornett had 257 yards passing and one touchdown, Michael Aljancic had the third-best receiving day in Wittenberg history with 143 yards on 10 catches and Grove finished with 120 yards on 24 carries, his second straight 100-yard game. Defensive end Allen DAndrea had team-highs of nine tackles and three sacks.

Game 4 - Sept. 22, 2001 Wittenberg 14, Wabash 3

The Tigers rebounded to swarm the visiting Wabash Little Giants 14-3 in the NCAC opener for both teams.

Wittenberg started off slow for a fourth straight game. But unlike the previous week, the Tiger defense consistently bent but didnt break, yielding just a field goal on Wabashs opening drive and getting stronger throughout the game. In the second half, the potent Little Giants offense, which came in averaging 39 points per game, managed just 102 total yards.

Trailing 3-0 in the first quarter, Wittenberg came back to take the lead. Daniel Grove capped a four-play, 25-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run that was set up by an interception by cornerback Jason Jackson.

In the second half, the Wittenberg defense was the story, bottling up the Little Giants spread offense while the offense put up some insurance points on a three-yard touchdown pass from Greg Cornett to Michael Aljancic with 11:43 remaining in the third quarter. That seven-play, 25-yard drive was set up by a long kickoff return by Jason Stephan.

Wittenberg held the Little Giants to just 2-of-12 on third down conversions and 0-for-3 on fourth-down conversions. Defensive end Allen DAndrea and linebacker Nic Black led the Tigers with eight tackles each in the game. Wittenberg recorded 11 tackles for loss in the game, including three sacks - one each by DAndrea, defensive tackle Michael Houck and defensive end Tim Daoust.

Offensively, Wittenberg was also stunted for much of the game, although Aljancic had yet another fine all-around game. He reeled in seven passes for 97 yards. On the ground, Wittenberg managed just 87 yards, with Grove leading the way with 36 yards on 25 carries.

Game 5 - Sept. 29, 2001 Wittenberg 21, Allegheny 17

The Wittenberg Tigers are used to winning on the football field. Just not this way. After struggling to move the ball on offense all day, the Tigers rallied to stun Allegheny 21-17 before a boisterous Homecoming crowd at Edwards-Maurer Field. Wittenberg came from 10 points behind on a pair of touchdown passes from Greg Cornett to Michael Aljancic, the last one coming with just 16 seconds on the clock.

The game was primarily a defensive struggle, particularly in the first half as Allegheny managed just two first downs, 12 rushing yards and 63 total yards, while Wittenberg was only marginally better with 167 total yards. The only score of the first half came in the opening stanza as Cornett hit junior wide receiver Adrian Crane on a four-yard scoring strike.

Allegheny then opened the second half with 17 unanswered points to put Wittenberg in the unfamiliar position of having to rally from the brink. Wittenberg finally got things together after a defensive stand early in the fourth quarter, responding with a 58-yard drive that took six plays. Cornett capped it as he hooked up with Aljancic from four yards out with 6:37 left to play. The Cornett to Aljancic connection produced 45 of those 58 yards on three receptions. The Tigers then came up with another defensive stand and took possession with 2:42 remaining. They converted four third downs in a drive that took 2:26 off the clock, culminating in a game-winning six-yard touchdown pass from Cornett to Aljancic.

Wittenberg held the Gators, who were without injured All-American tailback Shane Ream, to 219 total offensive yards and just 4-of-15 on third down conversions. Defensive tackle Michael Houck showed the way with 9.5 tackles, while defensive tackle Juan Howard and linebacker Ryan Gresham chipped in with three tackles for loss each.

Offensively, the story was once again the play of Aljancic. Aljancic caught 11 passes for 130 yards, nine of them for 105 yards in the second half alone. The 11 receptions in a game is the second-best total in school history.

Game 6 - Oct. 6, 2001 Wittenberg 72, Denison 14

After three straight nail-biters the Tigers got back on track with a 72-14 rout of Denison. The Tigers were dominant from the outset, sacking Denison quarterback Greg Neuendorf on two of the first three plays of the game. After a short Big Red punt, Wittenberg struck quickly as quarterback Greg Cornett threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Skip Ivery on the Tigers first play from scrimmage.

Denison caught Wittenberg with a 65-yard touchdown pass, but after Wittenberg turned the ball over on downs on the next drive, the Tigers forced a fumble on the next play and linebacker Nic Black pounced on it in the end zone. Cornerback Jason Jackson the returned an interception 55 yards, leading to a four-yard TD run by Daniel Grove. That was followed by a touchdown pass from Cornett to Michael Aljancic, fullback Raymar Hampshires first collegiate touchdown from one yard out, Jason Stephans 10-yard scoring burst and Adrian Cranes 16-yard scoring catch.

The second half was a time for reserves to shine, particularly Alex Smith. In the first playing time of his college career, Smith ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. He scored twice in the third quarter and fullback Trent Coffman capped the scoring with an 18-yard run in the fourth.

Defensively, Wittenberg gave up several big plays but came up with even more of its own. Neuendorf, who was averaging 395.5 yards per game of total offense, was sacked 10 times and managed just nine completions for 125 yards. Defensive tackle Juan Howard led the charge with six tackles, including 2.5 sacks.

Game 7 - Oct. 13, 2001 Wittenberg 47, Wooster 13

The Tigers pounced on the College of Wooster, scoring the games first 34 points and cruising to an impressive 47-13 victory.

The Tigers came out firing on all cylinders, stifling Woosters offense and scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter. Michael Aljancic hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Greg Cornett to open things before Daniel Grove struck paydirt on runs of two and eight yards.

Grove had a big rushing day, adding a third touchdown midway through the second quarter on a 25-yard run. He put up 161 yards on just 17 carries in the game. Adrian Crane caught a 36-yard touchdown pass to round out the first-half scoring.

Raymar Hampshire made it 40-0 with a one-yard scoring plunge midway through the third quarter, and Alex Smith closed the scoring with a one-yard run just before the third quarter ended.

Wittenberg had 331 yards rushing compared to 81 yards for Wooster. Through the air, the Tigers were efficient once again behind Cornetts 10-of-16 passing for 156 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was the always reliable Aljancic, who had three catches for 42 yards.

Defensively, Wittenberg held the Scots to 255 yards of total offense, led by linebacker Ryan Greshams six tackles, including two for loss.

Game 8 - Oct. 20, 2001 Wittenberg 39, Ohio Wesleyan 14

The Wittenberg Tigers are used to perfect regular seasons, but wont enjoy one in 2001. So on Senior Recognition Day at Edwards-Maurer Field, the Tigers did the next best thing they foiled Ohio Wesleyans bid for an undefeated regular season with a 39-14 victory.

The Tigers jumped in front on a play that would become a recurring theme. Daniel Grove, who ran for a career-high 259 yards on 31 carries in the game, scored on an 11-yard run to cap Wittenbergs opening drive and give the Tigers a lead they would never relinquish. Grove, who went on to score three touchdowns in the game, wound up with the fifth-best rushing total in NCAA Division III for 2001.

The Tigers opened the scoring in the second quarter as Adrian Crane and Greg Cornett hooked up on a 36-yard pass play following a short OWU punt. After the Bishops scored a touchdown, Wittenberg got a pair of field goals from sophomore kicker Conrad Hindert sandwiched around a 72-yard touchdown run by Grove. The third quarter was more of the same, beginning with Groves third TD, this one coming from two yards out. Raymar Hampshire capped Wittenbergs scoring with an eight-yard scamper.

With Michael Aljancic covered tightly on every play and managing just two catches for 15 yards in the game, Cornett found plenty of other receivers. Skip Ivery led both teams with five receptions, while Crane led both teams with 105 receiving yards on four acrobatic receptions.

Defensively, linebacker Nic Black led the charge with seven total tackles, while linebacker Andy Pope was everywhere with 6.5 tackles and 1.5 sacks for a loss of 19 yards.

Game 9 - Oct. 27, 2001 Wittenberg 39, Hiram 0

It was cold. The snow flurries were swirling. The winds were whipping. And the field was a muddy pit in which no player could gain traction.

No matter. The Tigers ground out a 39-0 victory at Hiram to clinch a share of the NCAC title. Daniel Grove continued his hot streak with a career-high four touchdowns and 115 yards rushing, including three running scores in the first half alone. He added a touchdown on a 39-yard pass play from Greg Cornett in the third quarter.

Michael Aljancic caught three passes for 25 yards, and he scored a touchdown on a reverse as he took a handoff from Grove, got a huge block from Cornett and scampered 20 yards to the house. Alex Smith mopped up in the fourth quarter, picking up 60 yards on eight carries and scoring the games final touchdown.

Leading the charge on defense was linebacker Nic Black, whose filthy jersey was seen everywhere as he recorded eight tackles. Linebacker Ryan Gresham had 5.5 tackles and senior defensive tackle Mike Houck chipped in with six tackles as the Tigers tied an NCAA Division III record by holding Hiram to -6 yards passing on one completion in the game.

Game 10 - Nov. 3, 2001 Wittenberg 38, Earlham 3

The Tigers claimed a convincing 38-3 victory at Earlhams M.O. Ross Field to record their 29th straight NCAC victory, improve to 9-1 overall and 7-0 in the conference, and earn their fifth straight conference title and fourth consecutive outright crown, both NCAC records.

Michael Aljancic caught eight passes for 63 yards in the game to push his season totals to a school-record 54 receptions and 713 yards, fourth-most in Wittenberg history. His career totals also wound up at school-record levels 147 receptions for 2,172 yards, which ranks No. 2 in Wittenberg history.

Daniel Grove, who rushed for 204 yards on just 23 carries, good for an 8.7 yards per carry average. He added three touchdowns a 30-yard run in the first quarter, a three-yard burst early in the fourth quarter and a game-breaking 59-yard jaunt with 8:20 left in the game.

The Tigers ran 74 offensive plays to 52 for Earlham and rolled up 529 yards of total offense, compared to 175 for the Quakers. Wittenberg had 354 yards rushing and 198 yards passing behind another efficient performance by quarterback Greg Cornett, who finished the game 19-of-27 passing for 174 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, Wittenberg held its fourth 2001 opponent to a single-digit scoring total. Nic Black topped the team with seven tackles and Juan Howard chipped in with 6.5, including two for loss.