Wabash scored touchdowns on its first four drives and five of the first six drives. The first score came on an eight-play scoring drive that ended when junior tailback Chris Morris (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville) raced into the endzone for the first of his three touchdowns on the night. Morris finished the game with 17 carries for 121 yards, giving him back-to-back 100-yard games for only the second time in his career. The three rushing touchdowns tied his career high set last season at Oberlin.
Senior tight end Ryan Short (Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian) was the next Little Giant to find the endzone. After Earlham marched down the field to tie the game at 7-7, Short capped a six-play drive with a 19-yard touchdown reception that was sprung by a block by sophomore tackle Dan Rodriguez (McAllen, TX/McAllen). Wabash would never trail in the game again, taking a 14-7 lead in the first quarter.
Freshman receiver Eric Summers (Indianapolis, IN/Cathedral) added his name to the arsenal of weapons on the offensive side of the football for Wabash. Summers made four catches for 106 yards to lead the Little Giant receivers, including a 38-yard grab for his first career TD. Sophomore Brandon Clifton (Lafayette, IN/McCutcheon) added the final score of the evening in the second half, hauling in a 33-yard pass and breaking two tackles on his way to the endzone.
Senior quarterback Jake Knott (Lafayette, IN/Jefferson) was 12-29 for 255 yards and three TDs in the contest. He also rushed for eight yards, giving him 9,608 yards of total offense in his four-year career and putting him just 215 yards away from breaking the Wabash school record for total offense set by Chris Ings '96 (9,608 yards).
The Wabash defense added its first score of the season in the second quarter when freshman defensive end Aaron Selby (Crawfordsville, IN/Southmont) blocked an Earlham punt that eventually rolled out of the back of the endzone for a safety. The Little Giants held Earlham to 52 yards on the ground and 174 yards of total offense. Senior Connor Kuba (Westfield, IN/Westfield-Washington) led the defense with seven tackles. Senior defensive back Chad Springer (Bringhurst, IN/Carroll) had 1.5 sacks for the Little Giants. Juniors Nick Fanelli (Crown Point, IN/Lake Central) and Adan Garcia (Brownsville, TX/Homer Hanna) added interceptions for the Wabash defense in the victory.
Wabash moves to 2-0 with the victory, stretching its consecutive-game winning streak to nine in row dating back to the 2001 season. The Little Giants will open the North Coast Athletic Conference portion of the 2002 season on Saturday, traveling to Gambier, Ohio to play Kenyon College. Earlham falls to 0-3 with the loss.