Wabash returns to the North Coast Athletic Conference portion of its 2024 football schedule this Saturday when the Little Giants (2-1, 1-0 NCAC) head to Wooster, Ohio, to play the College of Wooster Fighting Scots (1-3, 0-2 NCAC). Kickoff at John P. Papp Stadium is at 1 p.m.
Wabash owns a 23-4 all-time record versus Wooster with a 19-4 edge in NCAC matchups. The Little Giants held a 28-0 lead in last year's contest in Crawfordsville before thwarting a rally by the Scots in a 45-35 victory. Wabash won 48-14 in its last trip to Wooster in 2022 and is 11-2 in games played at Papp Stadium.
The Little Giants were off last week after a 42-21 loss at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville on September 21. Wabash raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Brand Campbell to Carson Chadd and a five-yard scoring run by Campbell. Platteville scored the next 21 points before Wabash tied the game at 21-21 in the third quarter.
Campbell threw for 185 yards and two TDs. Xavier Tyler carried the ball 23 times for 124 yards, and Cole Dickerson added 58 rushing yards on six attempts. Chadd caught two passes for 70 yards. Thompson finished with four receptions for 35 yards.
Mike Holsclaw recorded two interceptions and seven tackles, including a team-best six solo stops. Holsclaw's two picks are the most by a Little Giants defender since teammate Avery Epstein had two interceptions against Ohio Wesleyan in 2022. Gavin Ruppert led the Wabash defense with nine tackles. Jordan Cree and Samuel Ringer each made two tackles for losses with one sack apiece.
BY THE NUMBERS
With nine tackles in the loss at UW-Platteville two weeks ago, junior linebacker Gavin Ruppert reached the 200 career tackles mark. That feat moves him into a tie for 24th place on the Wabash all-time tackles list with Kyle Kuba '97, who recorded 200 career tackles from 1993 to 1996. Ruppert can move into the top 20 of the career list with another multi-tackle performance at Wooster.
Wabash ranks in the top ten in the latest NCAA Division III statistical rankings in red zone offense and defense. The Little Giants are 10-for-10 in red zone opportunities on offense this season to lead the conference and tie with 16 other teams in the NCAA rankings. The defense has held opposing teams to four touchdowns in 11 trips into the red zone this season for a 36-percent success rate, seven-best among Division III teams and second-best in the conference behind DePauw (33.3 percent).
Wabash is 23rd in the nation and leads the NCAC in turnover margin with an average of 1.33 turnovers gained per game.
Junior running back Xavier Tyler is fourth in rushing average among conference players, with an average of 91 yards a contest. He enters the game against Wooster with 992 career rushing yards, eight shy of becoming the 39th Wabash player to reach the 1,000-yard mark.
Junior kicker Brody Rucker ranks eighth among Division III players and leads the NCAC with an average of 1.33 field goals per game. Rucker has connected on kicks of 20, 28, 31, and 39 yards this season without a miss.
Through three games this season, the Wabash defense has held opposing teams scoreless through the first period. The Little Giants have outscored their opponents 51-20 in the first half of games this season and own an 82-55 scoring advantage overall.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING SCOTS
Wooster is 1-3 overall and 0-2 in North Coast Athletic Conference games after a 32-26 loss at Kenyon on Saturday. The Fighting Scots held a 26-25 lead over the host Owls before Kenyon scored with six seconds remaining in the game. Wooster head coach Frank Colaprete is 2-8 versus Wabash in previous outings, with his squad suffering a 45-35 at Little Giant Stadium last season.
Wooster ranks fourth in the conference in both scoring offense (27.3 points per game) and defense (18.3 points allowed per game). The Scots average 313 yards on offense and have allowed an average of 350 yards to opposing teams through four games.
Senior wide receiver Carter Warstler leads the conference and is third among Division III players in all-purpose yards at 200.25 per game. He accounted for 320 yards in last Saturday's loss to Kenyon with seven catches for 117 receiving yards and six kickoff returns for 203 yards. Warstler and fellow senior Brazos Gadler have 17 receptions apiece this season. Warstler's 291 yards and two touchdowns tops the Wooster receivers list. Gadler has added 262 yards and one TD catch.
Junior quarterback Chanden Lee is second in the NCAC in passing, averaging 250.8 yards a game. He has completed 79 of 137 attempts for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions. Jace Austin averages 43.3 yards per game on the ground with one rushing touchdown and is listed as the starting running back for the Scots this week. Shakir Perkins leads the team in rushing with 174 yards through four games. Backup Jarvis Mims, Jr. has scored a team-best three rushing touchdowns and averages 20 yards per game.
Junior linebacker Wyatt Harris paces the defense with a team-best 29 tackles and four tackles for losses totaling 15 yards. Wyatt Wilkie and Louie Lindsey each have produced over 20 tackles this season as safeties and have two interceptions apiece.
