#20 Wittenberg Football Set to Do Battle With #10 Wabash on Saturday

SETTING THE SCENE 

The #20 Wittenberg Tigers are off to a fast start to the 2016 season after defeating Capital at home and Ohio Wesleyan on the road. Next up is a home battle with familiar arch-rival #10 Wabash.

Wittenberg and Wabash have taken turns winning North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) titles since the Little Giants arrived on the scene as a new member in 2000, and the preseason coaches poll reveals an expectation that 2015 will offer more of the same. The Little Giants were picked to win their second consecutive NCAC title, as the Tigers were selected to finish in second place behind the team from Crawfordsville.

Wabash comes to Springfield after downing Albion and Allegheny by scores of 41-34 and 59-7. The Little Giants feature an offense attack that has steamrolled its opponents thus far on the ground, averaging over 300 yards rushing a game. Wabash features a two-headed monster at running back, as Matt Penola has seen 32 carries go for 216 yards and four touchdowns, while his counterpart Tyler Downing has carried the ball 29 times for 200 yards and four touchdowns of his own. 

Long time Wabash coach Erik Raeburn jumped ship to Savannah State in the off-season, opening the door for four-year assistant Don Morel to take over the Wabash program. Despite the head coaching change, Tiger fans can expect more of the same from Wabash on both sides of the ball in 2016. 

Wittenberg comes in with a defense that has done everything that has been asked out of them so far in the young season. Senior linebacker Terrance Crowe has led the defense and is coming off of a game where he was in on 20 tackles, 15 being solo.

The Tigers and Little Giants do battle for the 20th time in both schools' histories, as the rivalry is alive and well in this years NCAC showdown. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Wittenberg won the first two meetings between the schools in 1964 and 1965, prior to Wabash joining the league in 2000. 
• The Tigers spoiled Wabash's first league game in 2000, trouncing the Little Giants 41-10 in Crawfordsville. 
• Since then, Wabash leads the rivalry 9-8 as the Tigers fell 41-10 in Crawfordsville in 2015.

RANKINGS

• The Tigers enter play on Saturday at #20 in the latest American Football Coaches Association Poll.     
• Wabash sits at #10 in the AFCA, and at #13 in the latest NCAA Division III poll. 
• A year ago in Crawfordsville, the Tigers came in at #16, while Wabash was #9 in the AFCA poll. 

DEFENSIVE STRONGHOLD

• Both defenses come into action on Saturday with eye-popping numbers thus far in 2016. 
• Wittenberg's unit has allowed one touchdown in 2016, as Crowe and Dustin Holmes have paced the Tiger defense at the linebacker position. 
• The two-headed monster for Wittenberg has combined for 55 tackles through two games, including 3.5 tackles for a loss. 
• Holmes scooped-and-scored a fumble last week against OWU, as the senior took the loose ball 47 yards to the house. 
• Rashon Edwards has shined bright for Wittenberg in the secondary, as the DB has locked down every assignment, forcing opponents to avoid    throwing to his side of the field.  

AMONG THE ELITE

• Wittenberg Head Coach Joe Fincham has won 183 games in his career, putting him at No. 10 among active NCAA Division III coaches in terms of total victories. Rick Giancola of Montclair State leads the list with 231.
• Interestingly, the other coaches on the list all have at least 23 years as a head coach coming into the 2015 season. Fincham has 20 seasons under his belt as Wittenberg's head coach.

THE COACHES

WITTENBERG: Joe Fincham (Ohio University 1988); 183-41 overall; 128-18 NCAC

• 11-11 NCAA Division III Tournament record
• Wittenberg has won 11 conference titles under Fincham, including four in the last six years
• NCAC Coach of the Year 9 times
• 1998 AFCA District IV Coach of the Year honors in 1998 and 2009
• d3football.com North Region Coach of the Year in 2009

WABASH: Don Morel (University of La Verne); 2-0 overall record; 1-0 NCAC (first season)

• Morel was elevated to the position after serving four seasons as an assistant coach for the Little Giants. Morel worked as the offensive coordinator as well as recruiting the areas of northwest Indiana, Chicago, and the Pacific Northwest.
• Morel has 20 years of coaching experience at several levels of college football. He first served as an assistant at Cal State Fullerton as offensive line coach from 1987-1990. During that time, Morel coached future NFL players James Thornton (Chicago Bears) and Reggie Redding (Atlanta Falcons).