A 23-point effort in the second quarter by the Wabash offense led the 23rd-ranked Little Giant football team to a 46-0 victory over Earlham College on Saturday afternoon.
The Little Giants, 3-0 overall and 1-0 in North Coast Athletic Conference play, got off to a sluggish start before exploding offensively in the second stanza. Earlham opened the game with a 17-play drive, marching from its own 27 yard line to the Wabash eight. But the defense held, forcing the Quakers to attempt a field goal. A bad snap and an incomplete pass by holder Mike Keesling ended the drive for the Quakers.
But Wabash would not be able to capitalize. The first offensive drive for the Little Giants came to an end with an interception after five plays. The Quakers responded with another drive, this time for nine plays totaling 56 yards before giving up the ball on downs after failing on a fourth-and-one attempt.
The Little Giants came back with a drive of their own, capping a 13-play 72-yard march with a Mark Server (JR/K/Plainfield, IN/Plainfield) 38-yard field goal. The Wabash defense forced its first three-and-out series of the game to force the Quakers to punt for the first time, and again the offense answered with more points.
Dustin Huff (SO/QB/Martinsville, IN/Martinsville), earning his first start at quarterback for Wabash, led the Little Giants on a six-play drive the ended with a 33-yard TD pass to Graham Nelson (SO/TE/South Bend, IN/Clay) to put Wabash in front 10-0. After another three-and-out series by Earlham, it was time for the running game to go to work.
Sophomore Aaron Lafitte (RB/Goodyear, AZ/Ironwood) had missed the first two games for Wabash after suffering an ankle injury in preseason play. He showed the Little Giant faithful that he was back and ready to run, taking his fifth carry of the game 41 yards for a touchdown, bobbing and weaving through traffic on the way to the endzone. Lafitte finished the game with 88 yards on nine carries.
Two minutes later it was the defensive unit’s turn to put points on the board. Billy King (SO/DB/Peoria, AZ/Peoria) intercepted a Justin Rummel pass and returned it 37 yards for a Little Giant touchdown and a 23-0 lead.
Wabash took that advantage to the locker room at halftime, then built upon it in the third quarter. Huff hit Joe O’Connell (SO/WR/Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian) on a 12-yard pass midway through the third quarter for his second TD strike of the day. Huff finished with 162 yards on 12-of-18 passing with two TDs and one interception. He gave way to junior Russ Harbaugh (QB/Evansville, IN/Evansville Bosse), who also tossed two touchdown passes. Harbaugh found freshman Gabe Guerrero (WR/Pleasanton, TX/Pleasonton) wide open in the left corner of the endzone on a 25-yard pass play in the third quarter, then hit Mike Russell (FR/WR/Terre Haute, IN/West Vigo) for a 39-yard scoring strike. Harbaugh was 3-of-3 for 74 yards and two scores.
Server added another field goal, this time from 18 yards, in the fourth quarter.
Wabash amassed 465 yards of total offense while holding the Quakers to 271. Earlham would manage only 35 yards on the ground. The Little Giants tallied six sacks for a total of 36 yards. Tamarco White (JR/DL/Flora, MS/Madison Central) had two sacks to lead the Wabash defense. Junior Aaron Selby (LB/Crawfordsville, IN/Southmont) finished with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops. Josh Foster (JR/LB/Indianapolis, IN/Ben Davis) added an interception return for 38 yards.
O’Connell led eight Wabash receivers in receptions with four for 55 yards and one TD. Brandon Clifton (SR/WR/Lafayette, IN/McCutcheon) had three for 43 yards.
Wabash returns to Byron P. Hollett Little Giant Stadium next Saturday for a 2 p.m. Homecoming kickoff against Ohio Wesleyan University.
QUICK HITTERS ---
--- This marks the second time since joining the NCAC in 2000 in football that the Little Giants have won their conference opener. The last time Wabash won its opening NCAC game (a 58-0 win at Kenyon in 2002), they went on to finish 7-0 in league play.
--- The Wabash defense has given up ten points this season, all in the first quarter last weekend against Washington University. The Little Giant defense has shut out the opposition in 11 of 12 quarters this season.
--- Wabash is 23-5 in NCAC play overall and 18-3 under Head Coach Chris Creighton.
--- Gabe Guerrero, Joe O'Connell, Graham Nelson, and Mike Russell all caught their first career touchdown passes.
--- Mark Server's 38-yard field goal is the second-longest made field goal of his career. His longest came on a 41-yarder against Wittenberg last year. This is the third time he has kicked two field goals in a game.