LaBaron Sylvester

The College of Wooster aims to tighten up the top of the North Coast Athletic Conference standings when No. 15 ranked Wittenberg University (4-1, 4-0 NCAC) visits 4,500-seat John P. Papp Stadium this Saturday, Oct. 18. A win would keep Wooster within striking distance of its preseason goal – the NCAC championship – while Wittenberg is hoping to keep pace with Wabash College (5-0, 4-0 NCAC). Also noteworthy, this marks the Fighting Scots' third opponent currently ranked in the D3football.com top-25 weekly poll, with No. 10 Wabash and No. 20 Washington & Jefferson College being the others. Kickoff is scheduled 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 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: Rivals Wittenberg and Wooster have put on some very memorable games, with eight of the last 18 having been decided by eight points or less, highlighted by an epic in 2004, when the Scots won 64-58 in overtime after the Tigers came back from 48-17 and 58-37 deficits, and forced the extra session when they scored on 4th down from the 3-yard line with just :15 left. Despite all of the close games, Wittenberg has been a nemesis for Wooster, as the Tigers lead the all-time series 35-12-1.

Last Week: On Oct. 11, Wooster scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions, from the last 5:36 of the third quarter through the first 5:16 of the fourth quarter, for a 42-14 cushion over Allegheny College and wound up with a 42-21 NCAC victory at John P. Papp Stadium.

Shortly after Allegheny pulled within 21-14 on the opening drive of the second half, the Scots retook the momentum. They didn't immediately score, but gained three first downs and a punt pinned the Gators back to the 10-yard line, followed by a three-and-out from the defense.

Wooster got the ball back around midfield and marched 55 yards in nine plays to go back ahead by two scores (28-14). The key play was a 3rd-and-10 conversion, with quarterback Richard Barnes (Painesville, Ohio / Harvey) being flushed out of the pocket, buying enough time to swing the ball out to running back Derrick Johnson Jr. (Marietta, Ga. / Sprayberry), who went up the sideline for 17 yards. Barnes scored two plays later, taking it himself up the middle from three yards away.

Another three-and-out ensued and the Scots' offense went a similar length – 59 yards – in just six snaps, with Barnes again finding a hole through the middle of the Allegheny defense for a 10-yard touchdown run and 35-14 lead.

On the next series, the Wooster defense forced a turnover on downs near the midfield stripe, and three plays later, the Scots were in the end zone as Barnes found Keir Pace (Columbus, Ohio / South) for a 20-yard score through the air and 28-point advantage with 9:44 left. Both teams freely substituted the rest of the way.

Early, Wooster was effective rushing the ball while scoring touchdowns on its first two drives. The Scots ran nine times on a 10-play, 65-yard, game-opening possession, capped by a two-yard Johnson tote, and on their second offensive series, 10 of the 14 plays were runs with Tyler Smith (Burbank, Ohio / Northwestern) finishing the 82-yard march via a one-yard plunge.

Wooster's 14-0 lead held until the 4:44 mark of the second quarter, when Allegheny rushed in a four-yard touchdown, concluding a seven-play 39-yard series.

Thanks to a gutsy coaching call, the Scots quickly regained the momentum. Facing 4th-and-4 from their own 34, punt protector Brandon James (Barberton, Ohio / Barberton) took the snap, ran to a wide open right side for the first down, and later broke a couple tackles, cut all the way over to the left side of the field, and eventually dove to the pylon for a 66-yard touchdown.

With the score 21-7, the Gators came out of halftime and went 79 yards in 10 plays, capped by a five-yard touchdown pass to their tight end.

From there, the aforementioned 21 consecutive points allowed Wooster to take control.

Statistically, Wooster had two 100-yard rushers in Barnes (134) and Smith (115). Barnes's 134 yards were the second-most in the senior quarterback's career, while Smith, a freshman, saw his most action to date with a game-high 25 carries.

Barnes also completed 16-of-25 pass attempts for 156 yards, with Pace accounting for 66 on six catches.

Barnes's Records Watch: It seems to be just a matter of time before senior quarterback Richard Barnes (Painesville, Ohio / Harvey) holds every significant passing record at Wooster. Barnes, already the career leader in total offense (8,493 yards) and completions (608), now eyes the records for passing yards and passing touchdowns, currently needing 147 and 5 to reach Rich Judd (1995-98) in those respective categories.