Fighting Scots Open NCAC Play at OWU Saturday

Following its lone Saturday off from competition this season, The College of Wooster returns to action this week as as the Fighting Scots will play their North Coast Athletic Conference opener at Ohio Wesleyan University (0-1, 0-0 NCAC) on Saturday, Sept. 19. Wooster, which has won two previous NCAC championships (1997, 2004), finished second in the league last year (6-1), while Ohio Wesleyan is looking to improve on a tie for seventh-place (2-5). Kickoff at the Battling Bishops' 9,100-seat Selby Field in Delaware, Ohio, is slated for 1 p.m. EDT. There will be no charge for admission, however, Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster fans are encouraged to donate a school supplies item to support local families in need. Suggested items include calculators, pens and pencils, tissues, notebooks, school glue, dividers, and folders, and the donations, which also could include money, will be primarily for elementary and junior high school students.

On the Air: Wooster's football games can be heard live each week in the Wooster area on WKVX 960 AM or anywhere in the world by following links on the radio station's Web site at http://wkvx.com/.

All-Time Series: The Ohio Wesleyan-Wooster series, which dates back to 1901, has been very competitive throughout the years. Overall, the Battling Bishops own a narrow lead of 27-26, but in NCAC games, the Scots hold the edge (14-11), including wins in 10 of the last 13. During one three-season stretch (1999-2001), every game was decided by a touchdown or less.

Conference Openers: Since becoming one of the charter members of the NCAC in 1984, Wooster is 13-12 in conference openers. The Fighting Scots had a six-game winning streak in such games from 2000-05 and have prevailed in 10 of the last 13 overall.

Last Game: In a back-and-forth affair that featured five touchdowns being scored during the final 6:23, Waynesburg University spoiled the debut of Wooster's new synthetic playing surface (Sprinturf) as the Yellow Jackets emerged with a 42-39 victory at a warm John P. Papp Stadium.

After Waynesburg completed a 14-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to take a 27-26 lead at that 6:23 mark, Bryan Albani (Warren, Ohio / Howland) returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for his second career score. The two-point conversion failed, though, keeping it a 32-27 game.

The Yellow Jackets responded, marching 92 yards over 10 plays, capped by a 16-yard touchdown pass, and they converted their two-point attempt to take a three-point advantage (35-32) with 2:01 on the clock.

The Scots took over on their 34-yard line, and two plays into the possession, Robert Flagg (Dunedin, Fla. / Dunedin) got behind his defender and hauled in a 49-yard pass from Austin Holter (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe), which put Wooster inside the 10. On second-and-goal, Holter hit Kyle Murdock (Marysville, Ohio / Marysville) on a swing pass and the junior running back found enough room on the right side for a six-yard touchdown as the Scots retook the lead at 39-35 with 1:03 to go.

Then, Waynesburg returned a squib kick up the center of the field all the way to Wooster's 25-yard line, and on the very next play, the Yellow Jackets connected for a touchdown pass, which turned out to be the game-winning score at the :48 mark.

The two teams exchanged the lead 10 times overall, with neither leading by more than seven points all day.

Overall, they combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense – 521 for Waynesburg and an even 500 for Wooster – and 54 first downs. The difference in the game seemed to be the Yellow Jackets' third-down conversions, as they were 11-of-19 in that category as well as 2-of-3 on fourth-down conversions.

Individually, Holter picked up right where he left off last season as the senior quarterback and 2008 NCAC leader in total offense (271.2 ypg) combined for 416 yards – the third-most in school history. He threw for a career-high 328 yards, marking his second 300-yard passing game, and also led the Scots in rushing with 88 yards on just 12 attempts.

Holter's favorite targets were Flagg and Murdock with five receptions apiece, with Flagg turning his into 145 yards. Murdock scored twice, with the other touchdown coming on a 24-yard pass play.

Also of note, new starting placekicker Russ Palm (Williamstown, W. Va. / Williamstown) accounted for nine points as the junior made 2-of-3 field goal attempts and all three extra points, and senior linebacker Matt DeGrand (Stow, Ohio / St. Vincent-St. Mary) was credited with a game-high 14 tackles as well as two pass breakups.

Depth Chart Notes: A few changes have been made on the defensive side. On the line, senior Chris Wade (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Penn Hills) is now healthy and will return to his starting role at one end, while sophomore Dan Terhune (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Orange) has been promoted to a starting defensive tackle position. Sophomore Hector Clavijo (Miami, Fla. / Hialeah) is now listed as one of the starting linebackers and junior Adonis Hernandez (Hialeah, Fla. / Hialeah) will likely make his first career start at safety.

This and That: Wooster has allowed a mere 11 points to Ohio Wesleyan in the teams' last three meetings ... Quarterback Austin Holter (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) moved up two spots to third-place on the Scots' all-time passing list, as his 328-yard performance against Waynesburg gave him 3,850 yards for his career. He also moved above the 5,000-yard mark for total offense (5,002) – one of four in team history to achieve that level ... Outside linebacker Matt DeGrand (Stow, Ohio / St. Vincent-St. Mary) needs just 40 more tackles to crack the Scots' top-10 list in that category. Entering this week's action, DeGrand has 226 career tackles.