Wittenberg Pounces On Ohio Wesleyan, 31-9

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — After taking plenty of shots in the early weeks of the 2005 season, the Wittenberg Tiger defense continued its resurgence on Saturday, holding a potent Ohio Wesleyan offense to just nine points and 203 yards of total offense in a 31-9 Homecoming and Reunion Weekend win.

In improving to 4-4 overall and 4-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, the Tigers did it with a tried and true formula, playing physical, swarming defense and putting together a combination of long drives and big plays on offense. Ohio Wesleyan saw its three-game win streak end in falling to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the NCAC.

The Tigers did a lot of very good things in the first quarter, perhaps the team's finest 15 minutes of the season, as they streaked out to what turned out to be an insurmountable 17-0 lead. From that point, the defense did most of the heavy lifting, thanks in part to a duo of Tylers - junior linebacker Harmon and senior defensive tackle Jenkins.

Harmon, a converted fullback who missed two games early this season due to injury, was everywhere, recording a career-high 16 tackles, including eight solos and one for an 11-yard loss. He also added a pass broken up. Jenkins posted his third career-high tackle total in the last four games, this time coming up with 11 tackles, including four solos, and a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss. Two of those tackles for loss were sacks for a combined loss of 10 yards.

The Tigers opened the game with a 51-yard kickoff return by sophomore defensive back Ryan Kofron, who was lined up as a blocking back but wound up returning a short kick and finding a seam down the far sideline. The offense couldn't move the ball, however, and sophomore Mark Porter's 39-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right. His career long kick is 38 yards.

The defense set the tone immediately, however, forcing three straight three-and-out series for the Battling Bishops, who rushed for a whopping 364 yards in a 28-24 win over the Tigers a year ago in Delaware. Set up with quality field position for three straight drives as a result, the Tigers marched downfield for a 64-yard touchdown hook-up between junior quarterback Geron Stokes and senior wide receiver Jered Glover, a 34-yard Porter field goal and a five-yard pass from Stokes to sophomore fullback Andy Vanover. The longest drive was just 61 yards (Glover's touchdown was preceded by a five-yard penalty and two-yard run).

Wittenberg took a 24-0 lead into the locker room at halftime thanks to good drive to end the first half, capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Stokes to junior wide receiver Mark Harriman. Stokes, making just his third start as a Tiger after transferring from Urbana University last summer, established a Wittenberg career high with the three touchdowns. He was efficient with 17 completions in 22 attempts for 199 yards and, perhaps most important, no interceptions. However, Stokes was sacked twice and committed a fumble.

The Tigers struggled offensively for most of the second half, and for a time it appeared that OWU would make a comeback after the Bishops put together back-to-back scoring drives. A nine-play, 82-yard drive was capped by a 46-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Steve Hymes to tight end Terrence Raeford with 10 seconds left in the third quarter, and a 13-play, 59-yard drive ended with a 27-yard Chris Kras field goal with 8:16 left in the game.

The set the stage for the biggest offensive drive of the game, and the Tigers put the game away with a 14-play, 78-yard drive that took a whopping 7:20 off the clock. Senior tailback Tristan Murray put a bow on this win with an 18-yard touchdown run, in the process topping the 100-yard mark for the sixth time in eight games this season. Stokes cleared the way with a devastating block after Murray reversed field on the play.

Murray finished with 101 yards on 27 carries, Glover capped his day with 92 yards on three receptions and Harriman was solid with eight catches for 58 yards. Ohio Wesleyan, on the other hand, did not complete a pass until the third quarter and did not put a rusher anywhere near the 100-yard mark as Calvin Willis led the Bishops with 11 carries for 43 yards. Hymes, a Wittenberg transfer, finished 4-of-12 for 72 yards and managed just 33 yards on 20 carries.

While Wittenberg's defense was stalwart, OWU did have one shining star in the game. Defensive end Owen Case matched Harmon for game honors with 16 tackles, a phenomenal six of which went for loss. Also of note for Wittenberg was the performance of senior cornerback Mike Freeman, who finished with nine tackles, one forced fumble and one interception.