Tigers Rally Past Washington & Lee on Senior Day

SPRINGFIELD, OH - Wittenberg Football rallied from an early deficit to claim its first win of the 2025 season by a 24-21 margin over visiting Washington & Lee.

Prior to the game, Wittenberg celebrated its 11 senior football players, in addition to its senior cheerleaders and athletic training staff. 

The win evened Wittenberg's record at 1-1 on the young season, heading into the first road and North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) game of the campaign at Ohio Wesleyan on September 20. Washington & Lee, which opened with a loss to seventh-ranked Salisbury, fell to 0-2.

For a second straight week, Wittenberg found itself in a 14-0 hole before the end of the first quarter after yielding touchdowns on each of the first two Generals' offensive possessions. The Tiger defense stiffened, however, and Wittenberg cut the deficit in half in the second quarter on a 77-yard touchdown pass from JJ Miller (Amelia, OH / Williamsburg) to Kade Ray (Sun City Central, FL / Jule F. Sumner).

Washington & Lee held a significant advantage in most offensive statistics in the first half, including first downs (18-5), total plays (48-18), and total yards (243-132).

In the third quarter, the game suddenly flipped. Wittenberg tied things as Miller capped an 8-play, 38-yard drive with a two-yard scoring run. That was followed by an interception by linebacker Will Dix Jr. (Parma Heights, OH / Holy Name), which led to a 20-yard touchdown pass from Miller to Nikhai Daniel (Locust Grove, GA / Locust Grove).

After Washington & Lee tied the game early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers put together what turned out to be the game-winning drive. Wittenberg held the ball for 13 plays and covered 71 yards before Sumner Shroyer (Cincinnati, OH / Summit Country Day) hit a 24-yard field goal.

Miller finished with 214 yards on 17-of-26 passing. Ray was his top target with four catches for 107 yards, followed by Daniel with three receptions for 38 yards. On the ground, Jaheim Hudson tallied 54 yards on nine carries off the bench to show the way.

Defensively, Tyre Smith (Sarasota, FL / Riverview) racked up 20 total tackles, capped by a game-ending sack. Luke Jackson (DeGraff, OH / Riverside) also finished with 20 tackles, Dix was stellar with 15 tackles, including one for loss, and the key interception, and Joseph Babusci (Cranberry Township, PA / Seneca Valley) also reached double digits in tackles with 11.