The Wabash football team finished the game on Saturday against Wooster with 289 yards of total offense, but couldn’t put points on the scoreboard as the Scots handed Wabash a 23-7 loss in North Coast Athletic Conference play on Saturday.
The game featured the Wabash defense, ranked fifth in the nation in total defense and seventh against the run, against the nation’s best running back in Wooster’s Tony Sutton. But the star of the game for the Scots was their defense.
Wooster opened the scoring with a 23-yard field goal that was set up by a Sutton 49-yard sprint after it appeared the Wabash defense had initially stopped the play before the junior tailback reversed field and raced down the left sideline. A one-yard run by Sutton made it a 10-0 contest, then the Scots added another touchdown on the next Wabash drive when Nick Hajjar picked off a Wabash pass and returned it 68 yards for the second toudchdown of the game.
The Little Giants got on the scoreboard with 6:10 left in the second period on an Aaron Lafitte (Goodyear, AZ/Ironwood) nine-yard run to cut the Wooster lead to 10. But a Wabash fumble in the final minute of the first half gave the Scots the football in Little Giant territory. Wooster took advantage of the Wabash error by hitting a 38-yard field goal as the half ended.
The Scots added another field goal in the third quarter to make it a 23-7 game as the Wooster defense continued to keep the Wabash offense out of the endzone. The Little Giants had an opportunity to cut the lead to nine, but could not convert on four tries to score from inside the 10 yard line.
The Little Giants finished the game with more first downs and total yards of offense. Wabash had five trips into the red zone, but came up empty on all but one.
Senior Josh Bronaugh (New Ross, IN/North Montgomery) had a career-best 11 receptions for 120 yards. Lafitte rushed for 109 yards and one score. Harbaugh was 18-for-34 for 189 yards and one interception.
Senior Stu Johnson (West Lafayette, IN/Harrison) led the Little Giant defense with 17 tackles. Fellow senior Nick Fanelli (Crown Point, IN/Lake Central) had 13 tackles.
The Little Giants fall to 5-3 with the loss, 3-2 in the NCAC. Wooster moves to 6-2, 3-2 in the conference. Wabash looks to rebound in its final home game of the season next Saturday against Hiram.