Mitchell Czerniak

The College of Wooster hopes to finish the last four weeks of 2014 just like the 2013 season when the Fighting Scots won all four, starting with the "Old Red Lantern" trophy game, which takes place again Saturday, Oct. 25, this time on the road at North Coast Athletic Conference rival Denison University (2-4, 1-4 NCAC). Wooster's successful run last year started with a 43-21 win in this match-up, and eventually resulted in a 7-3 overall record and third-place in the NCAC – five more wins from the previous season as well as a five-spot improvement in the standings. Denison, with two weeks to prepare for this game following a bye, played nationally-ranked Wittenberg University close in its most recent action, eventually succumbing 30-23 to the Tigers. Kickoff at Deeds Field-Piper Stadium is set for 7 p.m. EDT, marking the Scots' fourth and final night game this fall.

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, Denison will be providing a live video stream of the game at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/denison/.

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 40-35-7 advantage in the all-time series with Denison, including 11-7-1 since the "Old Red Lantern" has been presented to the winner. That includes a 10-game winning streak (1995-2010) for Wooster. Prior to that streak, the Big Red had a similar one of their own, going 10-0-1 (1984-94), which results in a narrow lead of 12-11-1 for them in NCAC games.

Last Week: On Oct. 18, Wooster missed out on a couple of high-quality scoring opportunities during the second quarter, which proved costly as the Scots were unable to mount a comeback from their 21-7 halftime deficit, and No. 15 Wittenberg University ultimately prevailed 42-7 during a testy North Coast Athletic Conference affair at John P. Papp Stadium.

Wooster, playing a member of the current D3football.com top-25 for the third time this season, trailed 21-0 when it hit for a big play – a Richard Barnes (Painesville, Ohio / Harvey) 75-yard touchdown pass to Darrian Owens (Wooster, Ohio / Wooster) down the right sideline – with 1:16 remaining in the second quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Scots pinned Wittenberg at its own 12-yard line, and the Tigers unsuccessfully tried to run the clock out, as Wooster used all three timeouts while the defense held its ground. The Scots took over possession on the Wittenberg 40, quickly gained nine yards, but that was followed by an untimely holding penalty. On 3rd-and-7 from the 33, Barnes lofted a pass towards Owens in the end zone that barely fell incomplete.

Wooster also misfired on a 31-yard field goal earlier in the quarter.

The second half began on a positive note for the Scots, as the defense forced a turnover on downs. However, a penalty on the ensuing possession cost Wooster another first down and led to a punt. Then, the Tigers started winning the field position battle. With the help from a friendly roll, they netted a 50-yard punt to pin the Scots on the one-yard line, and an unproductive offensive series and punt into the wind followed, which set Wittenberg up inside the red zone.

Three plays later, the Tigers scored on a nine-yard touchdown run for a 28-7 lead, and things snowballed during the fourth quarter, as they tacked on 12- and 10-yard touchdown passes on back-to-back offensive plays, sandwiched around a Wooster fumble on the kickoff.

The Scots were ultimately done in by losing the turnover battle 4-0 and Wittenberg converting 11-of-18 third downs. The Tigers also kept Wooster's explosive offense off the field with a 36:52-to-23:08 advantage in time of possession.

On offense, Barnes completed 14-of-29 for 179 yards, while Sean Hackel (Victor, N.Y. / Victor) returned from injury and rushed for 79 yards on 20 carries.

Defensively, seniors Mitchell Czerniak (Newton Falls, Ohio / Newton Falls) and Brandon James (Barberton, Ohio / Barberton) both stood out. Czerniak tallied a career-high 18 tackles plus two pass breakups from his linebacker spot, while James, a strong safety, made 12 tackles, including 2.5 for losses.

Barnes's Records Watch: There is just one record to go before senior Richard Barnes (Painesville, Ohio / Harvey) holds every significant passing mark at Wooster, and that is passing touchdowns. He needs just four more to equal Rich Judd's total of 59 from 1995-98. Barnes has already broken the school records for career total offense (8,694 yards), completions (622), and passing yards (7,181 yards).