Wabash 15, Ohio Wesleyan 0

Sept. 22, 2007

Wabash broke a scoreless tie with a third-quarter safety, then got a pair of touchdown passes from Matt Hudson in defeating Ohio Wesleyan in the North Coast Athletic Conference opener for both teams on Saturday at Selby Field.

Ohio Wesleyan held the statistical edge at halftime, outgaining Wabash by a margin of 219-59. The Bishop defense held the Little Giants to 27 yards rushing and had picked off Wabash quarterback Kyle Augustinovicz twice. Meanwhile, the Ohio Wesleyan offense held on to the ball for nearly 22 minutes of the half.

The Bishops' best chance to take the lead came on their second possession of the game. Starting out on their own 32-yard line after a Wabash punt, Ohio Wesleyan got a pair of first downs on timely third-down runs by junior quarterback Andy Boff (Defiance/Tinora). After junior running back Kyle Adams (North Canton/Hoover) picked up another first down, Boff connected with senior split end Zach Dennis (Jefferson) on a 29-yard strike down the right sideline to give Ohio Wesleyan a first down at the Wabash 6. The Bishops were flagged for a holding penalty on first down, but Boff's third-down connection with junior tight end Terrance Raeford (Brookline, Mass./Chesire Academy) got most of that yardage back, setting up a fourth-and-goal from the 2. Ohio Wesleyan went for the field goal and the lead, but junior Chris Kras (Aurora), facing a 19-yard try from a difficult angle, saw his kick hit the right upright and fall into the end zone.

Ohio Wesleyan had another lengthy drive in the second quarter, moving the chains with a 4-yard run by Adams and a 10-yard connection from freshman quarterback Mike Fisher (Chagrin Falls/Kenston), then getting another first down on a Fisher scramble to the Wabash 25. The drive stalled there, though, and on fourth-and-12 from the 27, the Bishops lined up for a 44-yard field goal try, but the snap went awry, with holder John Romano (Hightstown, N.J./Peddie School) rushing for no gain on the play.

The Bishops got a stop on Wabash's first possession of the second half, but were pinned back on their own 1-yard line when Chad Finley's punt was downed there. Ohio Wesleyan seemed to draw a break when Wabash was flagged for an illegal formation on the play, but Finley's next punt was downed at the Ohio Wesleyan 2.

On the first play from scrimmage, Fisher dropped back into the end zone and started to roll right, but was pulled down by Joshua Gangloff to give the Little Giants a 2-0 lead.

After Ohio Wesleyan got another stop and got the ball back, Fisher scrambled for one first down before facing a fourth-and-4 from the Bishop 39. Kras came out throwing from punt formation, but his pass intended for sophomore safety Daniel DeLay (Pine, Colo./Conifer) was underthrown and Wabash got the ball on downs.

The Little Giants took advantage of the good field position, with Hudson firing a strike over the middle to Bart Banach for 29 yards, and 3 plays later, connecting with Chad Sorenson from 6 yards out for an 8-0 lead with 2:56 left in the third quarter. Finley's extra point attempt sailed wide right, however, keeping it a one-possession game.

On its next possession, Wabash assembled its longest drive of the day, putting together a 14-play, 75-yard march that culminated in a Hudson-to-Brock Graham TD pass of 13 yards.

Freshman split end Greg Orr (San Antonio, Texas/Clark) returned the ensuing kickoff to the Wabash 46, giving Ohio Wesleyan excellent field position. Sophomore running back Steven Brown (Redford Township, Mich./Redford) ran for 10 yards and one first down, Fisher hit Dennis for 16 yards and another first down, and Fisher connected with Raeford for 10 yards and another first down on a fourth-and-6 call from the Wabash 15, but the Little Giant defense held on downs.

Fisher led the Bishops with 52 yards on 17 carries and completed 10 of 20 passes for 70 yards, while Adams finished with 49 yards on 10 carries and Boff completed 7 of 9 passes for 95 yards. Dennis caught 9 passes for 104 yards for Ohio Wesleyan.

Junior linebacker Tommy Saunders (Gallipolis/Gallia Academy) led the Bishop defense with 11 tackles, including 2 for loss. Sophomore defensive back Rylan Mitter-Burke (Marlborough, Mass./Marlboro) followed with 10 stops, including 1/2 for loss; while freshman defensive back Mike Rebecca (Williamstown, N.J./Saint Josephs) had 8 tackles and intercepted a pass. Junior tackle Julian Strother (Warren/Kennedy) made 8 stops, including 1/2 for loss, and senior linebacker Chad Ellis (Dublin/Scioto) had 2 sacks among his 5 stops.

Evan Sobecki paced Wabash rushers with 55 yards on 16 carries. Hudson completed 9 of 12 passes for 90 yards and 2 TDs, while Augustinovicz was 9-for-19 for 57 yards. Andrew Rode caught 6 passes for 36 yards.

Defensive standouts for Wabash included Adrian Pynenberg, who had 21 tackles, including one for loss; Andy Deig, who had 9 stops, including 1 for loss; and Rich Lehmann, who added 9 tackles.

Box Score