Tigers prey on Quakers with 45-13 homecoming win
Haley Gerken
Issue date: 10/16/08 Section: Lifestyles
They came. They saw. They conquered. Playing in front of a loud and proud homecoming crowd, the Wittenberg Tiger football team didn't waste any time getting started in Saturday's match-up against the Earlham Quakers.
The Tigers began their scoring drive with an 80-yard touchdown pass from senior wide receiver Patrick Williams to freshman wide receiver Josh McKee in their first possession of play. This was only the start of Wittenberg's domination over the Quakers Saturday afternoon.
Senior tailback Tony Hall added a 4-yard touchdown run, while sophomore kicker David Rome, a recent addition from the men's soccer team, added a 24-yard field goal, putting the Tigers ahead 16-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Andrew Durbin entered the game in the second quarter, fueling the hungry Tiger offense. By the end of the second quarter, the Tigers added on 20 more points, with touchdowns from senior wide receiver Patrick Williams, freshman tailback Trevor Luckenbill, and senior tailback Tony Hall, making the score 36-7 at the half.
Earlham struck back at the Tigers with a touchdown in the second and fourth quarters, but were held to just 223 total yards in the game-only a slim comparison to Wittenberg's season-high of 554.
In the third quarter, the Tigers continued to extend their lead with 20-yard field goal from Rome. In the fourth, Andrew Durbin connected with freshman wide receiver Michael Cooper for a 34-yard touchdown pass to round out the day for the Tigers.
Durbin played well coming off the bench, completing 8 out of 10 pass attempts for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Starting senior quarterback Matt Brumfield had a fine day as well, completing 13 out of 18 pass attempts for 118 total yards in his fourth starting appearance at quarterback this season.
Offensively, Mckee led all receivers with 130 yards on nine receptions, while Williams added five catches for 84 yards and Cooper caught four passes for 78 yards. Luckenbill finished with 134 yards rushing, a game high for both Wittenberg and Earlham, on just 15 carries in his second game at starting tailback.
"We played a solid game overall. Luckenbill had a great day rushing," Junior Ryan Metzger said.
Defensively, the Tigers had a solid performance once again. Sophomore linebacker Brad McKinley led the way with a season-high 15 tackles, while freshman linebacker Zach Hurtt contributed 11. Junior linebacker Kyle Lohrman added 9 tackles on the day, rounding out the strong defensive attack for the Tigers.
With the win, the Tigers improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the NCAC, moving into Saturday's match-up against fifth-ranked Wabash on Oct. 18 at Edwards-Maurer Field. Both teams were tagged as preseason favorites in the NCAC and have won or shared six of the last eight conference championships.
"It's going to be a good challenge for us, but we're excited to play them," Metzger said.
The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and will surely be a good one to watch, as both teams try to remain undefeated in the NCAC.
The Tigers began their scoring drive with an 80-yard touchdown pass from senior wide receiver Patrick Williams to freshman wide receiver Josh McKee in their first possession of play. This was only the start of Wittenberg's domination over the Quakers Saturday afternoon.
Senior tailback Tony Hall added a 4-yard touchdown run, while sophomore kicker David Rome, a recent addition from the men's soccer team, added a 24-yard field goal, putting the Tigers ahead 16-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Andrew Durbin entered the game in the second quarter, fueling the hungry Tiger offense. By the end of the second quarter, the Tigers added on 20 more points, with touchdowns from senior wide receiver Patrick Williams, freshman tailback Trevor Luckenbill, and senior tailback Tony Hall, making the score 36-7 at the half.
Earlham struck back at the Tigers with a touchdown in the second and fourth quarters, but were held to just 223 total yards in the game-only a slim comparison to Wittenberg's season-high of 554.
In the third quarter, the Tigers continued to extend their lead with 20-yard field goal from Rome. In the fourth, Andrew Durbin connected with freshman wide receiver Michael Cooper for a 34-yard touchdown pass to round out the day for the Tigers.
Durbin played well coming off the bench, completing 8 out of 10 pass attempts for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Starting senior quarterback Matt Brumfield had a fine day as well, completing 13 out of 18 pass attempts for 118 total yards in his fourth starting appearance at quarterback this season.
Offensively, Mckee led all receivers with 130 yards on nine receptions, while Williams added five catches for 84 yards and Cooper caught four passes for 78 yards. Luckenbill finished with 134 yards rushing, a game high for both Wittenberg and Earlham, on just 15 carries in his second game at starting tailback.
"We played a solid game overall. Luckenbill had a great day rushing," Junior Ryan Metzger said.
Defensively, the Tigers had a solid performance once again. Sophomore linebacker Brad McKinley led the way with a season-high 15 tackles, while freshman linebacker Zach Hurtt contributed 11. Junior linebacker Kyle Lohrman added 9 tackles on the day, rounding out the strong defensive attack for the Tigers.
With the win, the Tigers improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the NCAC, moving into Saturday's match-up against fifth-ranked Wabash on Oct. 18 at Edwards-Maurer Field. Both teams were tagged as preseason favorites in the NCAC and have won or shared six of the last eight conference championships.
"It's going to be a good challenge for us, but we're excited to play them," Metzger said.
The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and will surely be a good one to watch, as both teams try to remain undefeated in the NCAC.
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