The College of Wooster and its high-powered offensive unit, which is among the top-30 in NCAA Div. III in both scoring offense (29.0 ppg) and total offense (446.5 ypg), will return to the field this Saturday, Sept. 26, as North Coast Athletic Conference foe Denison University (1-1, 0-1 NCAC) visits John P. Papp Stadium. Denison is the Fighting Scots' oldest opponent with the two first meeting each other on the gridiron way back in 1889, and they've played 77 times overall. However, due to a quirk in the NCAC's power-rated, seven-game annual schedule, this will mark the first time Denison has visited Wooster since the 2003 season. Opening kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. EDT.
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/.
Also, the audio and video from local cable provider Clear Picture, Inc., will be broadcast live over the Web at no charge to the viewer at http://www.teamline.cc/teampage?teamcode=1100, thanks to an agreement with Clear Picture and a donation from the "W" Association, the school's alumni organization which supports athletics.
The Old Red Lantern: The winner of Saturday's rivalry game will be presented with a trophy – The Old Red Lantern. The tradition began in 1989, when the two schools were commemorating the 100th anniversary of their first meeting on the gridiron (Nov. 23, 1889). The lantern represents the light the teams used to travel by (rail) in their early meetings. The rivalry peaked during a 27-year stretch from 1945-71, as they played every season with Denison holding a slim 14-13 lead in those games. That era included legendary coaches Phil Shipe of Wooster (1949-65) and Keith Piper of Denison (1954-92), and they often made the other its opponent for "Homecoming." Also of note, Denison and Wooster played the first ever NCAC football game on Sept. 8, 1984.
All-Time Series: The Scots own a 37-33-7 advantage in the all-time series with Denison, including eight wins in a row. Prior to Wooster's current streak, the Big Red had prevailed in 11 consecutive meetings, giving them an 11-8 advantage in NCAC games.
Last Game: Wooster's offense scored on its first six possessions and then Matt DeGrand (Stow, Ohio / St. Vincent-St. Mary) returned an interception 82 yards, marking the senior linebacker's first career touchdown, as the Scots built a 37-13 lead and wound up with a 37-20 victory over home-standing Ohio Wesleyan University in the teams' NCAC opener at Delaware, Ohio.
Trailing 30-13 in the third quarter, Ohio Wesleyan was looking to stay within striking distance as it drove down to the Wooster 26-yard line. On a 3rd-and-5 play from there, defensive tackle Dan Terhune (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Orange) sacked the quarterback for a four-yard loss, putting the Battling Bishops in a fourth-and-long situation. That play saw DeGrand step in front of a pass just inside the 20, and with an escort of blockers, he sprinted down the left sideline for the score.
Prior to that, the story of the game had been the Scots' offensive unit, often times taking advantage of a short field. Wooster's initial possession began at the Ohio Wesleyan 48-yard line, and keeping the ball on the ground for all but one play, it scored in seven plays with Kyle Murdock (Marysville, Ohio / Marysville) rushing one in from four yards for the game's initial score.
The Bishops answered right back to tie it 7-7, and the scoring continued as a short kickoff and 25-yard kickoff return by Murdock gave the Scots the ball around midfield again. They quickly moved inside the 10-yard line, but an eventual 15-yard penalty forced them to settle for a 36-yard field goal, which Russ Palm (Williamstown, W. Va. / Willimastown) drilled early in the second quarter.
Two plays into Ohio Wesleyan's next possession, Terhune recovered a fumble on the 27-yard line. Next, Austin Holter (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe) threw to Will Hansen (Perrysville, Ohio / Loudonville) over the middle and he took it down to the one-yard line for a 26-yard gain, and three plays later, Robert Flagg (Dunedin, Fla. / Dunedin) crossed the end zone on a run from two yards away for a 17-7 cushion.
The Bishops, though, would make it a one-score game again just 41 seconds later, which was followed by a Palm 31-yard field goal to make it 20-13.
In addition to DeGrand's interception, the other big momentum swing came late in the opening half, as Wooster, pinned back at its own two-yard line with 5:20 remaining would mount a 19-play, 93-yard drive, with Palm eventually booting through a 21-yard field goal right before the break.
Already leading by 10 (23-13), the Scots started the third quarter with possession and Holter directed them down the field on an eight-play, 58-yard touchdown march. The senior quarterback completed two passes for nine yards and had runs of 21 and 10, the second of which accounted for the score.
DeGrand then all but sealed the win with his interception return at the 5:35 mark of the third.
Overall, Holter was efficient, completing 17-of-28 passes for 138 yards, with Mike Francescangeli (Brunswick, Ohio / Brunswick) being his top target via six catches for 48 stripes. Holter added 76 yards on the ground on just eight attempts, while Flagg had a game-high 97 on 22 rushes.
Defensively, DeGrand was credited with a team-leading 11 tackles.
NCAC Defensive Player of the Week: In addition to his key sack and fumble recovery (see above), sophomore defensive tackle Dan Terhune (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Orange) lead Wooster's linemen with six tackles, all coming in his first career start. For his efforts, Terhune was selected as the North Coast Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
Team Award Winners: The coaching staff gave out Player-of-the-Week awards to Austin Holter (Johnstown, Ohio / Johnstown-Monroe), Matt DeGrand (Stow, Ohio / St. Vincent-St. Mary), and Russ Palm (Williamstown, W. Va. / Williamstown) for their respective performances on offense, defense, and special teams. Additionally, junior right guard Nate Laslow (Marysville, Ohio / Marysville) won the "Mule" after grading out as the top offensive lineman at 75 percent, plus 13 knockdown blocks; DeGrand took the "Gamebreaker" honor via his 82-yard interception return; and Kyle Murdock (Marysville, Ohio / Marysville) garnered the "Be the Difference" recognition for his special teams effort, which included two kickoff returns totaling 49 yards.