Tigers Take To The Air To Defeat Ohio Wesleyan

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - It was a record-setting night for the Wittenberg Tigers, who rode the accurate passing of senior quarterback Zack Jenkins (Frostproof, Fla./Frostproof) to a 42-21 victory in their 2015 home opener.

Jenkins threw for a career-high 434 yards, the third-highest total in Wittenberg history, as he completed 31-of-40 passes. Jenkins tossed five touchdowns and ran for another to pile up the second-best scoring total in program history, behind only the eight rushing touchdowns by Wilbur Etter in 1920.

Jenkins' favorite target on this night was senior wide receiver Corey Stump (Lima, Ohio/Central Catholic), who established career-highs of 14 receptions, 234 yards and four touchdowns. The 14 receptions tied a school record, the 234 yards were the second-highest total in program history, and the four touchdowns were also second-best in the record book.

It all added up to a fine Community Night for the Tigers and the enthusiastic capacity crowd in attendance at Edwards-Maurer Field. Wittenberg, ranked 17th nationally, improved to 2-0 on the season while winning for the 23rd straight time against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) competition.

Jenkins and Stump got off to a fast start, connecting on scoring strikes of 84 and 19 yards in the first quarter to stake the Tigers to a 14-0 lead. Ohio Wesleyan had an answer, however, tying the game at 14-14 heading into the locker room at halftime on a pair of scoring runs by quarterback Dominick Orsini.

The second half was dominated by Wittenberg, starting with a two-yard run into the end zone by Jenkins with 11:34 left in the third quarter. That was followed by two more touchdown passes to Srump, covering 12 and 30 yards, and a 10-yard hook-up with senior wide receiver Zach Culvahouse (Fort Myers, Fla./Estero).

Culvahouse finished with 10 catches for 126 yards to move into the top 10 for career receptions in Wittenberg history. The Tigers also picked up 101 yards on 26 carries split almost evenly by senior running backs Jimmy Dehnke (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) and Sean Gary (Indianapolis, Ind./Decatur Central).

Defensively, the Tigers held Ohio Wesleyan to 334 yards of total offense, compared to 539 for Wittenberg. Linebackers Dustin Holmes (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh) and Jesse Kolinac (Boca Raton, Fla./St. Andrew's) each registered seven tackles in the game. Two of Holmes' tackles went for loss, while Kolinac was joined by junior safety Jay Mastin (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville), sophomore safety Keenan Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton), and freshman cornerback Rashon Edwards (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) with interceptions in the game.

Wittenberg now turns its attention to a road trip to Wabash on Saturday, Sept. 26. The Tigers and Little Giants are the only teams to win the NCAC title since 2003.

Written By: Ryan Maurer