No. 11 Wittenberg Holds Off Scots 14-9

Tim Cline led the Wooster defense that held the NCAC's top offense to just two scores.

WOOSTER, Ohio — Wittenberg University's Dustin Goldsbury sacked and forced Jeff Spraggins (Garfield Hts., Ohio / Garfield Hts.) to fumble the ball on a third-down play in Wittenberg territory with just 3:33 left to secure the 11th-ranked Tigers' 14-9 win over The College of Wooster on Saturday afternoon.

The victory gives Wittenberg sole possession of second-place in the North Coast Athletic Conference (6-1), as it finishes the regular season with a 9-1 record and hopes to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Div. III Playoffs. Wooster, picked fifth in the NCAC preseason polls, comes in third-place (5-2) and closes its year 8-2 overall.

Trailing by five with 7:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Scots took over the ball on their own 23 and methodically drove it down to the Tiger 18-yard line. After an intentional grounding penalty made it 3rd and 13 from the 26-yard line, Spraggins had to backpedal due to a strong rush, was tackled hard to the ground, and in the process lost the ball, which was also recovered by Goldsbury on the 40-yard line.

Both offenses had trouble moving the ball and hanging on to it at a very muddy John P. Papp Stadium. Wooster, which came into the game with the top-rated ground attack in the NCAC (257.6 ypg), was limited to 39 yards on 31 carries, as the tailbacks struggled to find their footing. Wittenberg's offensive unit, which entered the day averaging over 50 points and nearly 500 yards, was held to two scores and 358 yards.

The Tigers struck first, as fullback Raymar Hampshire finished an eight-play, 74-yard drive, which took 4:04 off the clock, by running it in from 22 yards out down the right sideline late in the first quarter.

It looked like Wittenberg was going to add to its 7-0 lead late in the opening half, as it had driven from its own two-yard line down to the Scot 25. But a slippery ball halted the Tigers' momentum. Jason Stephan couldnÍt find the handle on a pitchout and Drew Fay (Walnut Creek, Calif. / Northgate) recovered for Wooster.

Fay brought it back to the Scot 44-yard line and with 2:30 left in the half, Wooster went 46 yards, 33 of which were accounted for on a pass play to tight end Matt Ralls (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake), to the Wittenberg 10. With :25 left, Richie McNally (Westerville, Ohio / St. Francis DeSales) calmly booted through a 27-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 at halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, which started with a Tiger fumble and then followed with the teams trading six punts in a battle for field position, Wittenberg took advantage of a Wooster interception early in the fourth. Andy Waddle returned his pick 33 yards to the Scot 33-yard line and two plays later, tailback Daniel Grove rumbled in from 27 yards out to give his squad a 14-3 advantage.

However, Wooster responded with its best drive of the day. The Scots marched 64 yards in eight plays, culminating in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Spraggins to Dan Steck (Brunswick, Ohio / Brunswick) on a 3rd-and-10 play and making it a five-point game with 10:13 to play.

The Scots then forced Wittenberg to punt, setting up the aforementioned final sequence of events.

The lone offensive star of the day was Grove. Playing in his first game in five weeks after a foot injury, he grid out 212 rushing yards on 34 carries to lead five Tigers who ran with the ball, while Tony Sutton (Akron, Ohio / Archbishop Hoban) led Wooster with 31 yards on 15 attempts.

Both quarterbacks played well, considering the conditions. Wittenberg's Greg Cornett ended up 13-of-22 for 120 yards, while Spraggins completed 15-of-30 passes for 193 yards. Top receivers were Jered Glover for the Tigers - six catches for 50 yards - and Steck - five catches for 67 yards.