Wittenberg Gets Defensive In Win Over Hiram

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers remained perfect in the North Coast Athletic Conference with a 66-0 home win over Hiram. It was the sixth straight year that Wittenberg had beaten Hiram by shutout, with the combined margin of victory totalling an astounding 388-0.

The Tigers are now 3-3 overall and 3-0 in the NCAC, while Hiram fell to 1-5 overall and 1-2 in the conference. It was Wittenberg's third straight lopsided win to open the conference title chase after three straight losses to open the 2005 season. It sets up a showdown between conference unbeatens Wabash and Wittenberg on Saturday at 1 p.m. (CST) in Crawfordsville, Ind.

For the third straight week, it was the Tigers' much-maligned defensive unit that spearheaded the win. After giving up 133 points in the first three games, the Wittenberg defense has shut down Denison, Earlham and Hiram, allowing just six points in the first quarter of a 31-6 win over Denison on Oct. 1. Wittenberg has not allowed a point in 11 quarters, a span of more than 174 minutes of game action.

Against Hiram, the defense was at its most dominant. School records were set for total offensive yards allowed (-1 yards) and rushing yards allowed (-45), breaking marks established in 1970 against California (Pa.). For the game, Hiram managed 44 yards passing to almost make up for the rushing total, and the Terriers posted just three first downs, two of which came via penalty against Wittenberg. The school record for fewest opponent first downs is two.

The game was a rout from the outset. Hiram fumbled on its first two plays from scrimmage, leading to touchdown drives of one play and two plays respectively as senior tailback Tristan Murray found the end zone from 14 yards out and senior tight end Nate Cherry added a two-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback Ryan Holmes, who was making his first start since opening week, when he broke the collarbone on his non-throwing shoulder in the second quarter of a 54-0 loss to Capital.

Cherry added a second first-quarter touchdown and Murray, the leading scorer in the NCAC, tacked on two more TDs before both retired along with most of the first-string offense and defense with the score 38-0 with nine minutes still to go in the first half. Sophomore kicker Mark Porter had a 28-yard field goal and sophomore tailback Derrick Braziel rounded out the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run with 4:41 remaining in the second quarter to make the score 45-0.

In the second half, the Wittenberg emptied its bench as several players saw their first collegiate action. Senior tight end Jon Kirkwood caught two third-quarter touchdown passes and senior tailback David Bazzel capped things with a one-yard scoring burst at the 4:41 mark of the fourth quarter.

Wittenberg rolled up 311 yards rushing in the game, compared to the -45 total for the Terriers. Total offense was 542 to -1, and the Terriers compounded things with three fumbles. Wittenberg's leading ground-gainer was junior fullback Jason Hartzler, who had nine carries for 68 yards, while Murray finished with 65 yards on 11 carries. Eleven different players were credited with a rushing attempt, while eight different players caught at least one pass, led by Kirkwood with three catches for 59 yards.

Holmes finished with 11 completions in 18 attempts for 137 yards and three touchdowns. Junior quarterback Geron Stokes, who started the last two games, added 94 yards and two scores on a perfect 6-of-6.