Wittenberg Football Tops OWU In Defensive Slugfest

SPRINGFIELD, OH - There were no style points earned, but at the end of the night, there was a marker in the W column for the Wittenberg Tigers. And that's all that mattered.

Both Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan managed just 206 yards of total offense, but the Tiger defense came up with the big plays when they were needed most, holding the Bishops without an offensive score in a 17-6 victory. OWU fell to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), while the Tigers evened their records at 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the league.

After a scoreless first period filled with penalties, Wittenberg finally dented the scoreboard with a one-yard touchdown run by Omar Holloway (Dayton, OH/Stebbins) with 4:37 left in the second quarter that capped a seven-play, 47-yard drive. In the third quarter, Lucas Swierk (Morrow, OH/Little Miami) added a 30-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 10-0 cushion.

Ohio Wesleyan's lone score came via trickery as Quin Schroeder went 51 yards with a pass from Kaden Buza on a fake punt play that worked to perfection with 1:02 left in the third quarter. The Tigers put the game away late in the fourth quarter on a 14-yard run by Christian Manville (Westerville, OH/New Albany).

Manville finished with 61 hard-earned yards on 21 carries, and Holloway added 49 yards on 13 carries. Eric Rasheed (Fletcher, NC/Hendersonville) was the Tigers' leading receiver with 41 yards on five receptions from Max Milton (Carmel, IN/Heritage Christian), who completed 12-of-20 passes for 96 yards.

There were no turnovers in the game for either team, but there were a combined 13 punts. A week after making just two tackles for loss against Denison, the Tigers came up with a whopping 13 tackles for loss against OWU. Eli Renick (Sarasota, FL/Riverview) piled up 3.5 tackles for a total loss of 14 yards, including two sacks for 11 yards. Tyre Smith (Sarasota, FL/Riverview) was sensational with three tackles for a total loss of 15 yards, including a 10-yard sack amongst his 10 total tackles, and Cameron Snurr (Springboro, OH/Springboro) had his name called repeatedly as he accumulated 14 tackles, including one sack, two tackles for loss, and three quarterback hurries.