 The Wabash football team sings |
Seize it they did.
Senior quarterback Jake Knott passed for 283 yards and threw four touchdown passes to senior tight end Ryan Short as the Little Giants (10-0) sprinted to a commanding 35-0 first-half lead over DePauw University (7-3) and never looked back in a 35-7 victory.
The win is the 17th in a row for Coach Chris Creighton's charges, including seven straight to end the 2001 season.
Knott also rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown to help Wabash keep the famed Monon Bell for the second straight year and even the overall series at 50-50-9.
The Little Giants have qualified for the NCAA Division III football playoffs, which begin November 23. Wabash will find out where it will play in the first round at 4:00 p.m. Sunday, November 17. Ticket information will be available on the Wabash College web site at approximately 6 p.m. EST Sunday evening.
The win ended a perfect regular season for Wabash, marking only the second time in school history that Wabash has gone 10-0. This is the 20th anniversary of the 1982 team's perfect 10-0 season, and it's been exactly 25 years since Wabash made the playoffs. The 1977 team went 11-2 and finished as national runner-ups. Over 100 members of the two squads were on hand for this year's classic.
Knott got the Little Giants off to a rousing start, taking the opening drive 59 yards on 11 plays, and hitting Short on a two-yard pass for the game's first score.
On the first play after Wabash blocked a DePauw punt early in the second quarter, Knott hit Short on a 19-yard pass play. Four minutes later the duo hooked up again, this time from three yards. Knott also hit Short for a two-point conversion after Wabash had an extra point attempt blocked.
Knott put Wabash up 28-0 with 8:11 remaining in the first half when he followed Dustin Deno's second interception of the game with a 39-yard pass and run play to Short.
The half ended with Knott bolting 13 yards to finish a 56-yard drive which put Wabash up 35-0.
Short set Wabash and North Coast Athletic Conference records with 16 touchdown receptions on the year. He previously had owned the records with 13 touchdown catches in 2000 and again in 2001. The 6-5, 240-pounder has 44 career touchdown catches. He finished with seven catches for 80 yards.
Knott, starting his fourth Monon Bell Classic, hit on 25-of-40 passes and helped Wabash convert 11-of-20 third downs and both fourth down attempts.
Brandon Clifton and Nick Dawson also hauled in seven passes in the game, while Chris Morris rushed for 66 yards to lead all rushers.
Wabash's defense was smothering. The Little Giants held DePauw to just 22 yards rushing, while making four sacks and three interceptions. Deno, a sophomore, had two interceptions, giving him four interceptions in his first two Monon Bell games.
Josh Stanton and Nick Fanelli each recovered fumbles for Wabash, while rookie linebacker Josh Foster led the Little Giants with nine tackles and two sacks. Chad Springer made seven tackles, forced a fumble, and recorded a 16-yard quarterbnack sack.