Wittenberg pulls away for 37-10 win over Urbana

URBANA, Ohio - It wasn't a thing of beauty, but then again none of the three meetings between the Wittenberg University Tigers and the Urbana University Blue Knights the last three years have been. After a slow start, the Tigers slowly beat back the athletic Blue Knights to win 37-10 in a game played before an estimated crowd of more than 2,100 at Urbana High School.

The Tigers relied on a tried and true formula for success to claim victory. Hand the ball off time and again to a standout running back, and clamp down on the opposing teams' offense with a swarm of red and white jerseys. In this case, senior tailback Daniel Grove (Uhrichsville, Ohio/Claymont) tied a school record with his sixth straight 100-yard rushing performance, as he posted totals of 166 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries, and the defense bent often but only broke on one occasion to secure the win. Add in three playoff games over 100 yards as well, which official statistics cannot do, and Grove is actually at nine straight triple-digit rushing performances and counting.

The biggest play of the game was actually turned in by the defense. With the offense sputtering a bit in the third quarter and the score standing at a relatively precarious 21-10, senior defensive end Allen D'Andrea (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) sniffed out an Urbana bootleg on fourth down and short. As he pulled Urbana quarterback Bobby Corlew to the ground well short of the yardsticks, he forced a desperate pass attempt that came to rest in the arms of senior safety Andy Waddle (Enon, Ohio/Greenon), who took the interception 52 yards to the Urbana one-yard-line as the clock expired for the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter, sophomore fullback Raymar Hampshire (Lima, Ohio/Elida) plunged over the goal line for a crucial six points and some much-needed breathing room for the Tigers.

The offensive storyline began with Grove and included some hard running by Hampshire as a compliment. A preseason second-team All-America selection, Grove had first-half touchdown runs of 22 and eight yards, and he tacked on the insurance score in the fourth quarter, a 67-yard scamper in which he was untouched thanks to great blocking by both the offensive line and the wide receivers. Hampshire had his best rushing day as a Tiger, putting up 62 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries. He also had his first receiving score on a diving catch in the second quarter. That play was made possible by a great scramble by senior quarterback Greg Cornett (Franklin, Ohio/Franklin).

Defensively, the trademark Red Swarm came up with the big plays when it had to, yielding just 11 Urbana first downs and 234 net yards. The Blue Knights had the ball seven more minutes than the Tigers, but they converted just four of 17 third downs and committed 10 penalties for 83 yards.

The Tigers have a week off before hitting the road again on September 28. The opponent that day is Thomas More College in a rematch of last year's NCAA Division III second round playoff game. Kickoff at Thomas More Stadium in Crestview Hills, Ky. is set for 1:30 p.m.