Scots Open Conference Play (Football Game Notes)

Wooster plays at DePauw at 1 p.m. on Saturday

Mo Bajinka, Wooster Football
Mo Bajinka, Wooster Football
September 16, 2024
North Coast Athletic Conference play kicks off this Saturday for The College of Wooster football team (1-1, 0-0 NCAC), as it travels to No. 21 DePauw University (2-0, 0-0 NCAC) for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Wooster is coming off a 27-23 loss at The University of Olivet. DePauw shot into D3football.com's Top-25 Poll with a dominant 33-0 win over Berry College, which was ranked 22nd in last week's national poll.
 
On The Air: DePauw will carry a livestream of this week's game at https://northcoastnetwork.com/depauw/. 1045 The River (formerly WQKT) is not carrying this week's contest.
 
All-Time Series: DePauw leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1975, 10-3. The Tigers have won the last four counting contests in the series. Wooster's last win in the series was a 24-21 victory in 2018. In that contest, then-first-year Mateo Renteria electrified the team with 388 yards passing in his first collegiate start, and Wooster's defense protected a three-point lead with an interception and fourth-down stop down the stretch.
 
Last Meeting: DePauw beat Wooster 53-7 on October 14, 2023. Wooster was given prime field position when DePauw punter Ben Gomez mishandled a perfect snap with about 10:31 remaining in the game. Then-sophomore Brock Sivon (Perry, Ohio/Perry) brought down the Tigers' punter at the Scots' 23-yard line. Then-junior wide receiver Brazos Gadler (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek) converted a crucial third-down play and then-sophomore running back Shakir Perkins (Austintown, Ohio/Mineral Ridge) went on to score from two yards out for Wooster's score.
 
Offense Notes: Wooster is still one of Div. III's best in the early season at converting on third down. The Scots enter the week as one of 12 of the 239 Div. III programs converting at least 60 percent of the time. Junior Chanden Lee (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) continues to rate as one of the country's most accurate passers, completing 70.1 percent of throws, which ranks 25th nationally. Wooster's 46 first downs are the most in the NCAC and ranks within the top-35 nationally. Wooster is one of two teams in the NCAC, and 29 nationally, to not allow a sack on the season.
 
Defense Notes: Wooster is already at four interceptions on the year, with two recorded by junior Louie Lindsay (Waynesboro, Pa./Waynesboro Area Senior). Wooster's four interceptions are tied for the 14th-most in Div. III and are two behind the national leader. Just three years ago, Wooster only had six interceptions for the entire season. A career-high 14 tackles at Olivet vaulted junior linebacker Wyatt Harris (Cave Creek, Ariz./Notre Dame Preparatory) into the team lead for tackles at 18.
 
Special Teams Notes: Senior Carter Warstler (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus Academy) is one of 11 players in Div. III to have a kickoff return touchdown this year. Warstler has one kickoff return touchdown in Indiana, with that coming at Wabash College in 2021. Warstler's 98-yard kickoff return broke the program record and helped Wooster knock Wabash from the ranks of the unbeaten, 44-41. Wooster's 44 points in 2021 marked - at the time - the most given up by Wabash at Little Giant Stadium since Wheaton College (Ill.) dropped 59 in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Div. III Championship. Wooster is 12th nationally, averaging 31.25 yards per kickoff return.
 
This and That: Junior linebacker Braydon Hudson (North Liberty, Ind./Washington) and senior center Bryce Kamphues (North Manchester, Ind./Manchester) are Wooster's players from Indiana. Saturday's game is Wooster's first against a team ranked in D3football.com's Top-25 Poll since playing then-No. 21 Wittenberg University on November 10, 2018. Wooster nearly knocked off nationally-ranked Wittenberg that day, falling 27-21. The Scots did not allow a point in the second half, then-senior Antonio Bailey rushed for a career-high 171 yards, and then-senior Marcus Bowers had a key strip-sack of Wittenberg's Jake Kennedy.