Ohio Wesleyan 17, Wittenberg 10

Oct. 21, 2006

Senior halfback Nick Rice (Dublin/Scioto) threw for one touchdown and ran for another and the Ohio Wesleyan defense turned in an outstanding performance as the Bishops defeated Wittenberg before a Homecoming crowd on Saturday at Selby Field, handing the Tigers their first loss of the season in North Coast Athletic Conference play.

Wittenberg took the game's opening kickoff and moved into Ohio Wesleyan territory on a wide receiver option pass from Patrick Williams to quarterback Aaron Huffman, but on first down from the Ohio Wesleyan 21, Andy Vanover fumbled and sophomore linebacker Tommy Saunders (Gallipolis/Gallia Academy) recovered the ball for the Bishops.

Ohio Wesleyan then marched down the field, moving into Tiger territory on a 28-yard pass from junior quarterback Steve Hymes (Barberton/Massillon Washington) to sophomore tight end Corey Turner (Cleveland/Marshall). After a pair of Rice carries produced another first down and Hymes gained 4 yards to the Tiger 27, Rice took a handoff, ran left, then pulled up and hit junior split end Zach Dennis (Jefferson) in stride for a 27-yard touchdown, giving the Bishops a 7-0 lead with 10:46 left in the first quarter.

The Tigers answered in kind, taking advantage of an Ohio Wesleyan fumble to tie the game early in the second quarter. Wittenberg had a second-and-9 at its own 32 when junior end Patrick Trenor (Urbana) sacked Huffman for a loss of 8. On third down, the Bishop defense pressured Huffman into getting rid of the ball, forcing a punt. The punt appeared to hit a Wittenberg player before bouncing off freshman split end Daniel Hurst (Hamilton/Badin), and Wittenberg's Brandyn Brown covered the ball for the Tigers at the Bishop 44. Given the reprieve, Huffman found Matt Guida for 7 yards and a first down on third-and-2 from the 36, then scrambled for 13 yards and a first down at the 16. After a holding penalty and a Trenor sack gave the Tigers a third-and-17 from the 23, Huffman found Vanover for 16 yards, and on fourth-and-1, Murray got enough yardage for a first down. On the next play, Murray went over from 6 yards out, and Mark Porter's conversion tied the game at 7-7 with 13:54 left in the first half.

The Bishops threatened in the closing minutes of the half, with Dennis making a spectacular juggling catch at the sideline for 35 yards and a first down at the Tiger 31 with just under a minute to play, but Hymes and Dennis could not connect again, with Hymes' pass falling incomplete inside the Wittenberg 5-yard line on the final play of the half.

Ohio Wesleyan fared better in the third quarter, taking the second-half kickoff and marching 60 yards for the go-ahead score. Rice churned out 15 yards on the first play from scrimmage, then drew a pass interference penalty on a deep route for a Bishop first down at the Tiger 30. Ohio Wesleyan covered the final 30 yards on the ground, with Rice getting 7 yards and sophomore fullback Kyle Adams (North Canton/Hoover) picking up 2 more before Rice carries of 14, 3 and 4 yards put the ball into the end zone.

Wittenberg answered with a 10-play, 46-yard drive wrapped up by a 34-yard Porter field goal that brought the Tigers within 14-10 with 6:35 left in the quarter. Key plays included a connection from Huffman to Mark Harriman for 5 yards on third-and-4 from the Bishop 41, and runs of 12 and 8 yards by Murray that put the Tigers in field goal range.

The 5-yard pass play from Huffman to Harriman, however, would be the last time that Wittenberg converted a third-down situation.

The Bishop defense held the Tigers to a 3-and-out on the first possession of the fourth quarter, and after an Ohio Wesleyan punt, held the Tigers to another 3-and-out.

Ohio Wesleyan added some insurance on its next possession, with Rice busting loose on an inside handoff for 26 yards to the Tiger 33. On third-and-6, a defensive holding penalty on Wittenberg provided a first down at the Tiger 19, and after a pair of carries by Rice and another by sophomore halfback Joey Riley (Grove City) produced 7 yards, senior Jason Whitcomb (Wauseon) came on for a 29-yard field goal that gave Ohio Wesleyan a 17-10 lead with 4:52 left in regulation time.

The Bishop defense made a statement on Wittenberg's next possession. On first down, Saunders and senior cornerback Tom Thome (Macedonia/Nordonia) strung out Murray for a loss of 2 yards. After an incomplete pass, Murray took a pass from Huffman but was tripped up by senior end Owen Case (Marion/River Valley) just short of the first down. Facing a fourth-and-1 from their own 43, the Tigers went to Murray, who was stopped for no gain by Trenor and sophomore tackle Julian Strother (Warren/Kennedy) with 3:24 to play.

The ensuing Ohio Wesleyan possession lasted only 48 seconds as Wittenberg used all of its time outs. Hymes then pinned the Tigers back on their own 15-yard line, leaving Wittenberg 85 yards away from the tying score with 2:36 to play and no time outs.

The Tigers struck for 27 yards when Huffman found Vanover over the middle on first down, but on the next play, Huffman's sideline pass was picked off by Case, giving Ohio Wesleyan the ball on its own 45-yard line with 2:13 to play, and the Bishops were able to run out the clock to seal their second straight win over Wittenberg at Selby Field.

Rice led the Bishops with 104 yards on 19 carries and completed a pass for 27 yards and a touchdown. Hymes completed 8 of 14 passes for 93 yards. Dennis led the Bishops with 4 receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Murray led all rushers with 122 yards on 31 carries. Huffman completed 8 of 16 passes for 85 yards, with Harriman catching 3 passes for 17 yards.

Defensive standouts for Ohio Wesleyan included Saunders, who led the Bishops with 9 tackles, including 1 for loss, and a fumble recovery; Trenor, who finished with 8 stops, including 1 1/2 sacks; junior linebacker Chad Ellis (Dublin/Scioto), who had 8 tackles, including 1/2 for loss; senior defensive back Kyle Sherman (Plain City/Dublin Scioto), who made 8 stops and broke up a pass; and Case, who had 8 tackles, including 1/2 for loss, and an interception.

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