Tigers Bounce Back In A Big Way Against Denison

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Denison Big Red came into Edwards-Maurer Field riding a league-best nine-game winning streak. Instead of earning the statement win they wanted, however, the Big Red were blitzed by Wittenberg to the tune of 45-14.

The Tigers scored the first 38 points of the game, thanks in large part to four Denison turnovers, and their most balanced offensive performance of the 2015 season. Wittenberg rolled up 179 yards on the ground and 205 through the air while holding the Big Red to just 227 yards of total offense.

The win was Wittenberg's 22nd straight win against Denison, dating back to 1989, and it extended the Tigers' mastery of Denison in Springfield. The Big Red have not won on Wittenberg's home turf since 1952.

History aside, the implications from the surprisingly lopsided Wittenberg win in 2015 were significant. The Tigers emphatically snapped the Big Red's nine-game winning streak, which dated back to the middle of the 2014 season, and put an end to Denison's 5-0 start to the 2015 campaign, the program's best since 1985.

Wittenberg improved to 4-2 overall and 3-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), while Denison dropped to 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the league. The Tigers now become Denison's biggest fans as the Big Red take on league-leaders Wabash and DePauw over the final four weeks of the season.

The scoring started in the first quarter as junior Will Gingery (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) nailed a career-long 47-yard field goal. The conversion is the third-longest in program history.

That score preceded a 21-point second-quarter outburst that included touchdown catches by senior Zach Culvahouse (Fort Myers, Fla./Estero) and junior Luke Landis (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) and a 14-yard run by senior Sean Gary (Indianapolis, Ind./Decatur Central). The third quarter featured more of the same as Culvahouse hauled in another touchdown pass and senior Corey Stump (Lima, Ohio/Central Catholic) joined the fun to stake Wittenberg to a 38-0 advantage.

Sophomore Jack Kayser (Portsmouth, Ohio/Notre Dame) rounded out Wittenberg's scoring with an 11-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. It was his first collegiate score.

Senior quarterback Zack Jenkins (Frostproof, Fla./Frostproof) finished an efficient 17-of-26 with four touchdowns and no interceptions through the air. Stump, Landis and Culvahouse combined to catch 14 passes, while the ground game was led by Gary with 113 yards on 30 carries.

Defensively, the Tigers were paced by junior linebacker Dustin Holmes (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh), who recorded 14 tackles, and junior linebacker Josh Link (Granville, Ohio/Granville) with a career-best 10 tackles. Senior defensive tackle Josh Bannick (Enon, Ohio/Greenon) had a tremendous game as well with eight tackles, including 2.5 for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Written By: Ryan Maurer