Stephen McKinney

The College of Wooster and its high-powered offense face their biggest test to date, as they will be at No. 11 ranked and North Coast Athletic Conference preseason favorite Wabash College (3-0, 2-0 NCAC) this Saturday, Oct. 4. Wooster is averaging 39.7 points and 479.0 yards per game, which puts the Fighting Scots among the top-30 in NCAA Div. III in both scoring offense and total offense, while Wabash boasts one of the nation's best defenses. The Little Giants are tied for 16th in scoring (11.0 ppg) and 12th in total defense (222.0 ypg), including first in rushing defense (22.3 ypg). Kickoff at Byron P. Hollett Little Giant Stadium, where two of the conference's three current undefeated teams (Wittenberg is the other) will match-up, is slated for 1 p.m. EDT. It will be Wooster's first afternoon game this fall.

On the Air: Wooster's football games are broadcast each week by commercial radio station WKVX 960 AM and are stramed live on wkvx.com.

Also, Wabash will be providing a live video stream of the game at www.wabash.edu/live/. 

All-Time Series: While the series has been competitive for the most part, Wooster has only won twice in 18 meetings with Wabash. Since the six-time NCAC-champion Little Giants became a full conference member in 2000, they hold a 12-2 advantage, with the Scots' victories coming back-to-back in 2003 at Wooster (23-7) and in 2004 at Wabash (33-30).

Last Week: On Sept. 28, Wooster opened with 23 unanswered points and weathered a Hiram College comeback bid, outscoring the Terriers 13-0 during the fourth quarter for a 39-24 NCAC victory to delight the large Homecoming crowd at John P. Papp Stadium.

Wooster, which received a 200-yard rushing performance (205) from Sean Hackel (Victor, N.Y. / Victor) raced out to a 14-0 lead, with both touchdowns coming on Richard Barnes (Painesville, Ohio / Harvey)-to-Tyler Smith (Burbank, Ohio / Northwestern) pass plays. The first one covered 16 yards and ended a 12-play, 81-yard, game-opening drive, and the second went for 24 yards, following two lengthy runs by Hackel and Barnes as the offense went 72 yards in three plays.

On the Scots' third possession, they turned it over via an interception at the Hiram two-yard line, however on the next snap, the defense, led by Stephen McKinney (Lampasas, Texas / Lampasas) and Mitchell Czerniak (Newton Falls, Ohio / Newton Falls), swarmed a running back in the end zone for a safety and 16-0 lead.

Midway through the second quarter, freshman safety Patrick Johnson (Homewood, Ill. / Homewood-Flossmor) intercepted the Terriers, putting the offense in good field position. Hackel completed a five-play, 25-yard series with a one-yard touchdown rush, and Wooster was seemingly in command with a 23-0 advantage and 4:41 on the clock.

Hiram, though, scored two touchdowns in that span to make it a 23-14 game at the half.

The two teams exchanged field goals – a 39-yarder by the Terriers and a 26-yarder off the foot of Scot freshman Trevor Bowden (Eatonton, Ga. / Gatewood Schools) – early in the third quarter. Late in the third, Hiram closed to within 26-24 on a 29-yard touchdown pass.

After a penalty on the ensuing kickoff buried Wooster inside its own 10-yard line, it responded with a clutch 11-play, 93-yard drive. Darrian Owens (Wooster, Ohio / Wooster) made a key play, hauling in a 37-yard pass, and Barnes found Keir Pace (Columbus, Ohio / South) in the middle of the field for an 18-yard touchdown. A high snap on the point after attempt kept it a one-possession game, 32-24 with 12:46 remaining.

Following a missed field goal by Hiram, a series of long Hackel runs – 17, 13, and 32 yards – set the Scots up at the five-yard line. Next, Barnes lofted the ball to Owens in the left corner of the end zone for a touchdown and 39-24 cushion at the 7:59 mark.

Statistically, Hackel produced Wooster's first 200-yard rushing game since quarterback Brett Frongillo hit the mark during the 2011 season, and he added 66 receiving on six catches for 271 all-purpose yards.

Barnes also notched a 100-yard rushing day (102) – the fifth of the quarterback's career – to go with 257 passing while completing 21-of-29 attempts through the air. Owens had a team-high 79 receiving yards.

Defensively, Czerniak led the way with 13 tackles, while Shawn Bowman (Mineral City, Ohio / Tuscarawas Valley) and Tyson Vogel (Ashland, Ohio / Ashland) joined Johnson with interceptions.

Barnes's Record Watch: Senior quarterback Richard Barnes (Painesville, Ohio / Harvey), already Wooster's career leader in total offense (8,117 yards) and pass completions (586), is now eyeing the school records for passing yards and passing touchdowns. He currently needs 351 and 7 to reach Rich Judd (1995-98) in those respective categories.