Greencastle, Ind. - DePauw scored the game's first 28 points and returned a pair of interceptions for scores on the way to a 49-14 Monon Bell Game win over visiting Wabash. The Tigers moved to 9-1 overall and finished North Coast Athletic Conference play at 7-1 and with their second consecutive conference title and automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Championship. The Little Giants finished the regular season at 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the conference. The Tigers will learn their NCAA first-round opponent and site during tomorrow's 5 p.m. selection show on NCAA.com.
DePauw took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in 10 plays with Gus Baumgarter capping the drive with a 2-yard run. The Little Giants responded by driving into DePauw's red zone, but quarterback Liam Thompson was hit by Nathan Lowry and fumbled with Luke Marsh recovering at the DePauw 20.
Each team punted twice, but a short Wabash punt gave the Tigers the ball at their own 48. Baumgartner carried three straight times for 22 yards before quarterback Wally Renie connected with Trey Shaw for a 7-yard game and then the two connected on the next play for a 23-yard score to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead with 10:17 left in the half.
DePauw's defense then forced a three-and-out and the offense took advantage with a 14-play, 72-yard drive which included converting two third-down situations and a fourth down and culminating in Renie's 7-yard scoring pass to Gabe Quigley with 2:58 remaining in the half.
Following another defensive stand, DePauw took over on its 40 and drove to the Wabash 17, but a 3-yard loss on first down was followed by an incomplete pass before Giovonni Zappala picked off Renie in the end zone with 15 seconds left.
DePauw pushed the lead to 28-0 early in the third as Jake Comer picked off Thompson on a third-and-eight pass, following Dane Young's deflection, and returned it 54 yards for a score.
Wabash's first points came on its next series as Thompson teamed with Heisman Skeens for a 2-yard score that capped am 11-play, 75-yard drive.
The Little Giants' stopped the Tigers with a three-and-out and their offense drove to the DePauw 23, but DePauw's Brody Gude picked off Thompson at the 25 and took it all the way for a touchdown to extend the lead to 35-7.
Wabash was pinned back at its own 1 after a pair of fumbles on a single play and, following a punt, DePauw began at midfield. Eight plays later, Renie connected with Jaylon Smith for a 24-yard score early in the fourth to make it 42-7.
DePauw sacked Thompson three times on the next drive including Gude's on fourth-and-10 from the Tigers' 31 that resulted in a 10-yard loss.The Tigers took over on their own 41 and needed just three plays as Renie and Shaw teamed for a 40-yard score tp make it 49-7 with 7:52 remaining.
Wabash's final score came on the next drive as Thompson teamed with Penn Stoller for a 4-yard score.
DePauw outgaied Wabash, 372-337, and averaged 5.8 yards per play. The Tigers held a 223-102 yard advantage in rushing yards.
Baumgartner rushed for a career-high 155 yards, while Renie completed 13-of-19 passes for 149 yards and four touchdowns. Shaw caught six passes for 77 yards and two scores.
Donovan Snyder paced Wabash with 80 rushing yards and Thompson completed 24-of-41 passes for 235 yards. Eight passes went to Cooper Sullivan for 79 yards and Derek Allen Jr., had six for 64 yards.
Matthew Coons led DePauw with 10 tackles, while Marsh had nine. The Tigers sacked Thompson six times and had 9.0 tackles for loss in total. Lowry had two of the sacks and had 3.0 tackles for 39 yards lost. Gavin Ruppert led Wabash .with 10 tackles.
NOTES
-- DePauw's 49 points were the most the Tigers have scored in the series and the third-most overall behind Wabash's 62 in 1912 and 52 in 1905. DePauw's previous high was 48 in 1893
--This marks the first time DePauw has won back-to-back home games in the series since it won the 1997 and 1999 games in Greencastle.
--Renie's four touchdown passes tied the DePauw Monon Bell Game record (since 1952) of Jeff Voris in 1987
--Baumgartner's 155 rushing yards were the most by a DePauw player since Matt Hunt's 159 in 2016 and the most by a DePauw running back since Jon Ellis' 100 in 2008
DePauw Reclaims Monon Bell and Wins NCAC Title with 49-14 Win over Wabash
/seasons/2022/boxscores/20221112_aoxy.xml
2022
Wabash
14
DePauw
49
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wabash (7-3) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| DePauw (9-1) | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
Nov 12, 2022