Richard Lehmann couldn't stomach the Wabash College football team's defensive performance through their first three games.
They weren't flying to the football. They weren't pressuring the quarterback. And giving up nearly 35 points per game, they could hardly contain or stop opponents from scoring.
But after the Little Giants' 48-15 Sept. 30 win at North Coast Athletic Conference rival Earlham, the sophomore strong safety finally sensed the team's aggressiveness and intensity had picked up.
Wabash (3-1, 2-0 NCAC) held Earlham fifth-year senior quarterback Justin Rummell to only 160 yards - 200 yards below his average - and intercepted him a season-high three times. Before Saturday's game, Rummell only had one interception.
Lehmann said the Little Giants focused on going after the NCAC's passing leader the whole week.
"We realized if we didn't take Rummell seriously, he would throw all over us," said Lehmann, who had two tackles, including one for loss, and an interception. "We practiced being physical, getting in his face and messing up his game."
In fact, Wabash played its best defensive game of the season. The Little Giants allowed only 15 points and gave up 258 yards, well below their season averages. Wabash also forced Earlham into four turnovers and had four tackles for loss and two sacks.
Junior cornerback Thomas Bell, sophomore free safety Chad Peterman and Lehmann each had interceptions. Senior defensive lineman T.J. Schaffer and junior linebacker Adi Pynenberg and each had a sack.
Wabash's defense harassed Rummell all day and defensive coordinator Neal Neathery acknowledged they wanted to get after him from the start.
Players worked on blitzes most of the week and the Little Giants blitzed almost every down in the first half, creating constant pressure and havoc.
"When you blitz, it doesn't always have to (lead to) a sack," Neathery said. "You can still be successful. If you get the quarterback to have to throw (the ball) too quick or make a poor throw, it's still successful."
But despite their improvements, Neathery still would like to see the Wabash defense play four solid quarters against an opponent in the top half of the league. And this week's homecoming game against Allegheny (3-1, 1-0 NCAC) should provide a challenge.
"It's a stepping stone," he said. "Allegheny throws a lot more than they have in the past. But they have a better running attack than Earlham."
Bell agrees with Neathery. He said players need to feed off the win and keep up their aggressive play.
"Guys were getting in Rummel's face up front," Bell said. "Any quarterback would have trouble getting balls off. We know we have something to prove and one game won't solve anything. We still have to prove that we can play the hard-hat defense like we have in the past."
After watching game film the past two days, Peterman noticed a trend. On all three Wabash interceptions, the defense pressured Rummel. And like his other teammates, Peterman wants that trend to continue.
"Hopefully, this will get us rolling for the next couple of games," he said. "We've got a tough stretch of games. It's a matter of everyone getting comfortable. And I think we're all gelling pretty well."
Groth is the sports editor of The Paper of Montgomery County.