Wabash 27, Ohio Wesleyan 7

Oct. 19, 2002

Wabash took the lead in a rugged defensive battle with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns and the Little Giants went on to defeat Ohio Wesleyan in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Saturday in Crawfordsville, Ind.

Ohio Wesleyan put together the first drive of the game, picking up a pair of first downs and moving the ball to a first down at the Wabash 43, but the drive ended when freshman tailback Matt Carducci (Hudson) was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Little Giant 34.

Wabash intercepted an Ohio Wesleyan pass on the Bishops' next possession and took advantage of the opportunity, moving 58 yards in 6 plays. Chris Morris covered the final 18 yards and put Wabash ahead, 7-0, with :03 left in the first quarter.

The Bishops marched into Wabash territory again on their next possession, but the drive stalled at the Little Giant 42. Ohio Wesleyan turned the ball over on its next 3 possessions, throwing an interception and fumbling twice, but the Bishop defense was outstanding, holding Wabash to only 1 first down during the quarter as the first half ended with the Little Giants holding on to the 7-0 lead.

With the Bishop defense clamping down on the quarterback Jake Knott and the Wabash aerial circus, the Little Giants turned to the running game and drove 71 yards in 14 plays on the first possession of the second half. Chris Morris' 25-yard burst was a key play, helping him account for 37 yards of the drive. Brandon Roop capped the drive with a 1-yard run with 9:09 left in the third quarter.

Wabash added to its lead on its next possession, moving 70 yards in 7 plays to take a 21-0 lead with 4:57 left in the third quarter. Morris carried twice for 18 yards, but the final 26 yards came on a pass from Knott to Matt Piechocki.

Ohio Wesleyan answered with an impressive drive of its own, starting at its own 35. The Bishops found themselves in a third-and-13 spot, but sophomore quarterback Joe Stanton (Olmsted Falls) found junior split end Bryan Beigie (Shaker Heights/Stow Walsh Jesuit) for 19 yards to move the chains. Ohio Wesleyan converted on 2 more third-down plays during the march, with junior halfback Chad Smith (Prospect/Elgin) picking up 6 yards on third-and-1 from the Wabash 28 and Stanton hitting sophomore halfback Eric Indiciani (Delaware/Olentangy) for a 4-yard pass play on third-and-2 from the Wabash 14. With a first-and-goal from the 10, Carducci picked up 5 yards on first down, Stanton scrambled for 4 more on second down, and after an incompletion, Smith bulled over from 1 yard out on fourth down to put Ohio Wesleyan on the scoreboard with 14:51 left in the game.

The Bishop defense got the ball back, with junior end Travis Little (Wheelersburg) ringing up a 10-yard sack on third down to force a punt and Ohio Wesleyan ending up with the ball on the Bishop 42 after a Wabash personal foul on the return.

Carducci reeled off 15 yards on first down, moving the ball into Little Giant territory, but with a third-and-1 from the Wabash 34, Stanton's pass was picked off by Val Benoit at the Wabash 25.

Wabash moved the ball to the Bishop 14 before Mark Server came on to kick a 31-yard field goal, making the score 24-7 with 7:34 to play.

Ohio Wesleyan came back with another long drive, with Carducci gaining 4 yards in a fourth-and-1 situation from the Bishop 34. Later, facing fourth-and-13 from the Ohio Wesleyan 35, sophomore quarterback Jeff Hanna (Wadsworth) connected with Indiciani, who picked up 20 yards for a first down at the Wabash 45. But the drive ended 3 plays later at the Wabash 20, where Josh Foster intercepted Hanna's pass.

Wabash drove for another field goal, with Server booting it through from 21 yards with :19 to play for the 27-7 final.

Carducci led the Bishops with 82 yards in 25 carries, while Smith finished with 55 yards in 16 attempts and Indiciani rushed for 32 yards in 5 attempts. Morris ran for 211 yards in 25 carries, helping Wabash to a 234-185 edge on the ground.

Stanton completed 4 of 12 passes for 42 yards with 3 interceptions, while Hanna completed 4 of 7 passes for 35 yards and 1 interception. Knott completed 14 of 32 throws for 150 yards and 1 touchdown for Wabash.

Beigie and Indiciani each caught 3 passes for Ohio Wesleyan, with Beigie collecting 32 yards and Indiciani 29. Brandon Clifton and Ryan Short each caught 4 passes for Wabash.

Defensive standouts included junior linebacker Billy Chrisovergis (Dayton/Bellbrook), who led the Bishops with 10 tackles; Little, whose 6 tackles included 2 sacks and another for loss; freshman safety Craig Keenan (Salem, Mass./Hamilton-Wenham), whose 6 tackles included 1 for loss; and junior cornerback Travis Finch (Wayland, Mass.), who made 4 tackles and broke up 3 passes.

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