NCAC Championship On the Line, as Rivals Wittenberg, Wooster Battle Saturday

The College of Wooster will play for the North Coast Athletic Conference championship this Saturday, Nov. 13, as the Fighting Scots host arch-rival and No. 9 ranked Wittenberg University (9-0, 5-0 NCAC), and the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Div. III Football Championships also will be determined. Wittenberg has already clinched at least a share of the NCAC title, but Wooster would force a three-way tie with Wabash College (7-2, 5-1 NCAC) with a win. The Scots' most recent conference championship came in 2004, and prior to that, they were involved in the last, and only, NCAC tri-championship, sharing the crown with Allegheny College and Wittenberg in 1997. Also of interest, the Tigers are riding a 19-game winning streak in the regular season, with its last loss coming at Wooster on Nov. 15, 2008, when the Scots prevailed 27-6. Saturday's kickoff at 4,500-seat John P. Papp Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST.

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

Also, the audio and video from local cable provider Clear Picture, Inc., will be broadcast live over the web at http://www.teamline.cc/teampage?teamcode=1100, thanks to an agreement with Clear Picture and a donation from the "W" Association, the school's alumni organization which supports athletics.

All-Time Series: Wittenberg and Wooster have put on some very memorable games recently, as seven of the last 14 have been decided by eight points or less, highlighted by the epic 2004 match-up, which the Fighting 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 31-12-1. The Scots, though, have prevailed in two of the last three at Papp Stadium.

Last Week: Wooster scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions and Taylor Trout (Nashport, Ohio / Tri-Valley) had a 56-yard interception return for a score to highlight the second half, as the Scots' NCAC championship aspirations remained intact with a 31-6 win over Kenyon College on Nov. 6 at a chilly John P. Papp Stadium.

Wooster set the tone when it converted a 3rd-and-22 on the opening series. That play saw Richard Barnes (Painesville, Ohio / Harvey) buy some time and eventually find Zack Weidrick (Akron, Ohio / Revere) open on the left sideline for 25 yards, and eight plays later, Brendon Taylor (Aliquippa, Pa. / Hopewell) toted it in from one yard out, capping an 11-play, 66-yard drive and marking the freshman running back's first collegiate touchdown.

A three-and-out by the defense followed and the Scots' offense then marched 63 yards in eight plays, with Barnes finishing the possession via a seven-yard touchdown rush to make it 14-0.

Early in the second quarter, Kenyon missed a 41-yard field goal on 4th-and-inches, and Wooster turned right around to score just two plays later via a 21-yard pass to Mike Redick (Wooster, Ohio / Northwestern) with a 15-yard personal foul tacked on and a 40-yard pass into the end zone to running back Robert Flagg (Dunedin, Fla. / Dunedin), who had sprinted past the defense. The Scots took a 21-0 cushion into the locker room.

The Lords, who misfired on three field goals, finally got on the board during the third quarter, scoring on a 20-yard pass play, but their kicking troubles continued as the PAT was missed, which put the score at 21-6. Wooster's ensuing drive ended quickly on a fumble, but Kenyon was unable to maintain the momentum as Trout picked off a short pass to the right and sprinted untouched for his third career touchdown and a 28-6 lead.

The Scots would collect another takeaway just two plays later, as Eric Keyes (Dalton, Ohio / Dalton) recovered a fumble off a bad snap, and they would translate it into a 27-yard field goal by Russ Palm (Williamstown, W. Va. / Williamstown) early in the fourth quarter.

Barnes completed 15-of-24 passes for 210 yards, with about half of his targets going to Redick, who finished with eight catches and his second-straight 100-yard receiving game (104). Flagg was held in check in the rushing game with 54 yards on 19 attempts, but made his impact felt with 80 receiving yards.

Team Award Winners: For their efforts (see above), junior running back Robert Flagg (Dunedin, Fla. / Dunedin) and junior cornerback Taylor Trout (Nashport, Ohio / Tri-Valley) were selected as Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, by the coaching staff, and senior placekicker Russ Palm (Williamstown, W. Va. / Williamstown) took the special teams' top honor. In addition to his key interception, Trout had a season-high nine tackles, including 1.0 for a six-yard loss, and Palm was perfect on kicks, going 4-for-4 on extra points to go with the 27-yard field goal. Also, senior right guard Nate Laslow (Marysville, Ohio / Marysville) won the "Mule" as the top offensive lineman and Trout took the "Gamebreaker" award.

Senior Sendoff: Saturday will mark the final appearance for 12 Fighting Scot seniors at Papp Stadium – defensive end Chris Aukerman (Rocky River, Ohio / Rocky River), defensive back Derek Calhoun (Sullivan, Ohio / Black River), defensive end Matt Carlson (Loveland, Ohio / Loveland), defensive back Andrew Ford (Tipp City, Ohio / Tippecanoe), linebacker Eric Keyes (Dalton, Ohio / Dalton), running back Ryan Klink (Columbia Station, Ohio / Columbia), offensive lineman Nate Laslow (Marysville, Ohio / Marysville), running back Kyle Murdock (Marysville, Ohio / Marysville), placekicker Russ Palm (Williamstown, W. Va. / Williamstown), defensive back Jeremy Petit (Doylestown, Ohio / St. Vincent-St. Mary), wide receiver Mike Redick (Wooster, Ohio / Northwestern), and running back Joe Rodella (Butler, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon).