Special teams and turnovers.
Time and time again Wabash College head football coach Chris Creighton has stated the difference in a game comes down to those two things. If he needed any proof, it came on Saturday afternoon when the Kalamazoo College Hornets grabbed five turnovers by Wabash on the way to a 28-21 victory over the Little Giants on Saturday afternoon.
Two early turnovers by Wabash led to the first two scores for Kalamazoo.
On the second Wabash drive of the contest, the Little Giants coughed up the ball after a pass completion giving the ball to the Hornets on the Wabash 42 yard line. Kalamazoo marched 42 yards on the next five plays to take a 6-0 lead. A blocked extra point by Dustin Deno (Lafayette, IN/Jefferson) kept that score in tact as Wabash prepared to receive the kick. A three-play drive by the Little Giants ended when Kalamazoo's Matt LeComb stepped in front of a pass, giving the ball to the Hornets once again. Kalamazoo capitalized with another five-play, 42-yard drive to score again. This time the Hornets converted on a two-point try to make it a 14-0 contest.
Wabash responded late in the first quarter with its biggest offensive play of the game. On second down, sophomore quarterback Russ Harbaugh (Evansville, IN/Evansville Bosse) hit senior receiver Josh Bronaugh (New Ross, IN/North Montgomery) in stride for an 83-yard touchdown strike to cut the Hornet’s lead to seven as the quarter came to an end.
That’s how the first half ended, as well. Neither team could find the end zone in the second quarter. But the start of the third quarter was a different story.
Kalamazoo took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 76 yards in four plays, capping the drive with a 62-yard pass from senior quarterback Bryan Gnyp to Jeff Green. The TD strike put the Hornets in front 20-7 after another blocked extra point attempt by Deno.
Wabash came right back. The Little Giants took the ball at their own 26 yard line after the kickoff, moving the ball down to the Hornets’ 17. Harbaugh tossed the ball into the back corner of the endzone and found sophomore receiver Eric Summers (Indianapolis, IN/Cathedral), who made a spectacular over-the-shoulder grab for the touchdown, cutting the Kalamazoo lead to six points.
Wabash started to turn the tables in the turnover department, picking off two Gnyp passes in the second half. Deno stepped in front of a throw by Gnyp in the third quarter, then sophomore Josh Foster (Indianapolis, IN/Ben Davis) made a pick in the fourth. While the Little Giants couldn’t capitalize on those two turnovers, that changed on the next one. ![]()
Senior linebacker Nick Fanelli (Crown Point, IN/Lake Central) snared a Gnyp throw at the Kalamazoo 35 yard line and returned it to the one. Harbaugh went in on the very next play from scrimmage to give Wabash its first lead of the season at 21-20.
But the Hornets weren’t done, either. After receiving the kickoff at the 35 yard line, the Hornets marched 65 yards in 10 plays, scoring the game winner with 2:32 showing on the clock on a Dwight White three-yard run.
Wabash moved the ball out to the 34 yard line on the next series, but a final interception with 1:18 left in the game sealed the fate for the Little Giants.
Harbaugh finished the game 18-39 for 232 yards, two TDs, and two interceptions. Brandon Roop (Newburgh, IN/Castle) led the Little Giant receivers with six catches, finishing with 45 yards. Bronaugh had four receptions for 123 yards. Senior Chris Morris (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville) was held in check by the Kalamazoo defense. The veteran running back managed just 27 yards on ten carries. Foster had 14 tackles to lead the Little Giant defense. He also had two tackles for losses and one fumble recovery.
Wabash falls to 0-1 for the 44th time in school history. The Little Giants were 65-43-8 coming into the game on opening day. They will try and bounce back next Saturday in its home opener against in-state rival Earlham College. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
