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OBERLIN, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers scored on their first six possessions and eight of their 10 overall in the game to overwhelm host Oberlin by a 48-10 final score.
The win was Wittenberg's 15th in a row against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) competition and the Tigers' 15th straight against Oberlin, which hasn't picked up a victory in the series since 1954. The Tigers improved to 2-1 on the season and 2-0 in the league, while Oberlin fell to 1-3 overall and 1-2 in the NCAC.
Junior quarterback Zack Jenkins (Frostproof, Fla./Frostproof) was close to perfect in the first half, leading the Tigers on five scoring drives, although just one covered more than 55 yards. Things started with a three-yard touchdown run by junior Sean Gary (Indianapolis, Ind./Decatur Central), and after an Oberlin field goal, Jenkins hooked up with junior Jimmy Dehnke (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Jackson) on a 31-yard touchdown strike.
Jenkins added a one-yard TD run, junior Evan Grissom (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua) hit a 22-yard field goal and Dehnke rounded things out with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jenkins with 36 seconds left before the intermission. A perfect 5-for-5 on offense earned the Tigers a commanding 31-3 halftime advantage.
In the second half, Gary opened the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run, senior Will Stocker (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) reached the end zone for the first time in 2014 on a 19-yard burst just seconds into the fourth quarter and Grissom drilled a career-long 45-yard field goal to cap Wittenberg's offensive output. Oberlin answered with 4:50 remaining with a touchdown to account for the final margin.
Jenkins finished an efficient 18-of-22 for 252 yards and three touchdowns through the air in the game, in addition to eight carries for 26 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Gary led the rushing attack with 20 carries for 81 yards and Stocker added 13 carries for 77 yards. Junior Zach Culvahouse (Fort Myers, Fla./Estero) led the receiving corps with 73 yards on six receptions, followed by sophomore Luke Landis (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville) with four catches for 34 yards, and Dehnke with four catches for 86 yards in his first game filling in as a wide receiver.
Defensively, the Tigers held Oberlin to 224 total yards as the Yeomen managed just 5-of-13 on third-down conversions. Senior linebacker Evan Killilea (Columbus, Ohio/DeSales) led the Tigers with 12 tackles, including nine solo stops. Twenty-six different Wittenberg players were credited with tackles in the game.