Brendon Taylor

Already having guaranteed itself a winning season and at least a tie for third-place in the North Coast Athletic Conference standings, The College of Wooster wants to finish off this turnaround season with another win Saturday, Nov. 16, as it welcomes Ohio Wesleyan University (5-4, 4-4 NCAC) to John P. Papp Stadium. The game will feature the two fastest-paced offenses in the NCAC, with Wooster, 2-8 a year ago and tied for eighth in the NCAC before flourishing under a new coaching staff, producing nearly 80 offensive snaps per game (79.9) and Ohio Wesleyan not far behind with a 75.1 average. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST.

Prior to kickoff, Wooster's nine seniors – quarterback Richard Barnes (Painesville, Ohio / Harvey), linebacker John Battaglia (Akron, Ohio / Revere), center Kory George (Poland, Ohio / Struthers), tight end/defensive lineman Seth Goodwin (Edison, Ohio / Mount Gilead), cornerback Petey Jeffy (Blacklick, Ohio / Licking Heights), defensive tackle Andy Nash (Parma, Ohio / Padua Franciscan), offensive lineman Matt Reeder (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston), running back Joe Stoffer (Louisville, Ohio / Louisville), and safety Brendon Taylor (Aliquippa, Pa. / Hopewell) – will be recognized.

On the Air: Wooster's football games can be heard live each week in the Wooster area on WKVX 960 AM or on the radio station's website at http://wkvx.com/.

Also, for all five home games, the audio and video from local cable provider MCTV, Inc., will be broadcast live over the web at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/wooster.portal#.

All-Time Series: The Ohio Wesleyan-Wooster series, which dates back to 1901, has been very competitive throughout the years. The Scots have won six of the last seven to take a slight 29-28 edge all-time. Since the NCAC was formed in 1984, Wooster holds an 18-11 lead, including victories in 14 of the last 17 meetings. During one memorable three-season stretch (1999-2001), every game was decided by a touchdown or less.

Last Week: On Nov. 9, Brandon James (Barberton, Ohio / Barberton) picked off two passes, returning the second 17 yards for a score early in the fourth quarter to give Wooster a 24-14 lead, which held up as the final as the Scots won at Kenyon College in NCAC action.

The decisive interception marked James's team-leading fifth of the season and the 10th of his career – just the 12th in school history to reach double figures in that category – but it was his first career return for a touchdown.

That gave Wooster a 10-point advantage for the second time, and on Kenyon's next two offensive series, the Scots' defense forced three-and-outs, which included a 10-yard sack by Matt Osolinski (Delaware, Ohio / Olentangy Liberty) on the second. The Lords made a couple of first downs on their next possession, then Wooster stiffened again, forcing a turnover on downs with 3:37 remaining to just about seal the outcome.

Neither offense generated much of a scoring threat during windy conditions until late in the first half. All of the sudden, during a six-play swing, both accounted for long running touchdowns, with the Scots getting on the board first via Sean Hackel's (Farmington, N.Y. / Victor) 33-yard jaunt to the end zone for a two-play, 40-yard possession and then Kenyon's Brandon January breaking free for a 41-yard score to complete a four-play, 75-yard drive.

The offensive burst continued when Wooster moved into the Lords' territory and eventually sent out Tyler Gerwig (Doylestown, Ohio / Archbishop Hoban), who booted through a career-long 43-yard field goal for a 10-7 halftime lead.

Both offenses started the second half moving the ball as well, however, both were ultimately turned away inside the red zone, including the Scots' Tyson Vogel (Ashland, Ohio / Ashland) coming down with an interception at the 17. That was the start of a sequence of three turnovers over four plays, with James making his first interception of the day at the Kenyon 15.

Wooster turned the latter into a touchdown drive, keyed by a fake punt. On 4th-and-8 from its own 41, the Wooster coaching staff rolled the dice as James, the punt protector, took the snap and executed a shovel pass to Osolinski coming across the line from left-to-right, with Osolinski taking it up the sideline for 30 yards. Six plays later, Hackel found a hole for a five-yard touchdown and 17-7 cushion late in the third quarter.

The two-possession lead only lasted 17 seconds, though, as the Lords returned the ball past midfield and hit on a 44-yard touchdown pass.

The teams traded a series of punts before James came up with the key play of the game.

The Scots now outgained their opponent by a narrow a 371-362 as the difference in the game was turnover margin. James and Vogel combined for four interceptions, and Wooster only gave it away once.

Individually, the Lords held quarterback Richard Barnes (Painesville, Ohio / Harvey) in check as he was 19-of-33 for 198 yards while being sacked six times. Hackel stepped up with a career-high 153 rushing yards on 29 attempts.

This and That: Wooster has produced at least two takeaways in every game this year and is tied for sixth in the NCAA Div. III statistics in turnover margin (+1.8 per game), as the Scots have 26 takeaways (16 interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries) and just 10 giveaways ... Senior quarterback Richard Barnes (Painesville, Ohio / Harvey) is 32 passing yards and 225 yards of total offense away from setting single-season school records in both of those categories, currently held by Austin Holter, who had 2,106 passing yards and 2,873 yards of total offense during the 2009 season ... Junior running back Sean Hackel (Farmington, N.Y. / Victor) is 61 yards short of a 1,000-yard rushing season, a milestone that has not been hit by a Wooster player since Dustin Sheppard in 2006.