Both defenses dominated play in the North Coast Athletic Conference contest. Wabash managed only one scoring drive in the first half, a six-play, 58-yard march at the end of the first quarter that led to a 7-0 halftime lead for the Little Giants. The Bishops kept senior quarterback Jake Knott (Lafayette, IN/Jefferson) in check in the first half. Knott was 4-of-15 passing in the first two quarters for only five yards.
It was the Wabash defense that met the challenge, answering Ohio Wesleyan's stiff defensive effort. The Little Giants forced two fumbles and recorded two interceptions in the first half. The first interception by junior Stu Johnson (West Lafayette, IN/Harrison) led to the scoring drive for Wabash. Ohio Wesleyan totaled 110 yards of total offense in the first 30 minutes, holding Wabash to only 94 yards of total offense.
The second half belonged to junior running back Chris Morris (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville). Morris carried the ball 11 times for 129 yards in the second half. He scored the first quarter TD, his 10th of the season and 20th of his career. Morris broke free late in the game on a 65-yard scramble down the left sideline to setup the final score of the game, a 21-yard field goal by freshman Mark Server (Plainfield, IN/Plainfield). Morris finished the game with 25 carries for 211 yards, making him only the third Wabash player to rush for over 200 yards twice in one season. He rushed for 205 yards earlier this year against Kenyon College. Morris is also just four yards short of topping the 2,000-yard mark in his career.
Between the Morris TD and the final field goal by Server, the Little Giants added a one-yard touchdown run by freshman Brandon Roop (Newburgh, IN/Castle), the first of his career. Senior receiver Matt Piechocki (Evansville, IN/North Posey) took a pass from Knott and raced past the defense in the third quarter to score from 26 yards out to give Wabash a 21-0 advantage.
Ohio Wesleyan's Chad Smith capped a 15-play, 65-yard drive with a one-yard run to score the only points of the game for the Bishops. The Little Giants responded with a 31-yard field goal by Server midway through the final quarter before adding his sixth field goal of the season on the final scoring drive for Wabash.
Johnson led the Wabash defense with 15 tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one interception. Senior Nate Boulais (Indianapolis, IN/Ben Davis) added 14 tackles. Junior Blair Hammer (Carmel, IN/Carmel) had 1.5 sacks and two tackles for losses for the Little Giants in addition to his eight tackles. Juniors Artie Montes (Mission, TX/Mission) and Val Benoit (LaJoya, TX/LaJoya)each added interceptions, as did freshman Josh Foster (Indianapolis, IN/Ben Davis).
Knott finished the game with 150 passing yards on 14-of-32 passing and the TD strike to Piechocki. Sophomore Brandon Clifton (Lafayette, IN/McCutcheon) led the Wabash receiving corps with four catches for 82 yards. Eight different Wabash players caught passes in the victory.
Matt Carducci led the Bishops with 82 yards on the ground. The Little Giants have not allowed an individual to rush for over 100 yards this season. Chad Smith added 55 rushing yards. Eric Indiciani had 32 yards.
Wabash moves to 6-0 with the win, 4-0 in the NCAC. The Bishops fall to 3-3, 1-2 in conference play.