NCAC Weekly Release (10-1-12) - Football

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The race for the top spot in the North Coast football standings continues to escalate as Allegheny (2-0, 3-1), Ohio Wesleyan (2-0, 4-0), Wittenberg (2-0, 4-0) and Kenyon (1-0, 2-2) all remain undefeated in league play. Conference action resumes on Saturday with three games on the schedule as Kenyon hosts Oberlin (0-2, 1-3), Wabash (1-1, 3-1) travels to Wittenberg and DePauw (0-1, 1-3) entertains Ohio Wesleyan.

ALLEGHENY surrendered zero yards of offense in the fourth quarter as the defense propelled the Gators to a 15-3 victory over Oberlin. Senior defensive tackle John Douglas (Sarver, PA/Freeport), who finished the game with four solo tackles, finalized the victory for the Gators  by forcing a safety with just under two minutes remaining in the contest to put Allegheny up 15-3. In addition to Douglas’ effort, senior Rudy DeStefano (Monongahela, PA/Ringgold) added 14 tackles (11 solo, 3 asst.) and senior Colin Hartford (Fox Chapel, PA/Fox Chapel) hauled in one interception in the victory.

DENISON senior Sam Fioroni (Clarkston, MI/Orchard Lake St. Mary’s) rushed for 127 yards and one score and senior Max Paulus (Massillon, OH/Jackson) threw for 192 yards and three scores as the Big Red defeated Wooster, 30-22, to retain the Old Red Lantern for the second-straight season in the 21st playing of the rivalry game. In addition, senior Braden Layer (Columbus, OH/Upper Arlington) had five receptions for 96 yards and two scores, while DuShawn Brown (Phoenix, AZ/Horizon) caught five balls for 86 yards and one touchdown.

DEPAUW picked up its first win of the season with a 17-14 triumph over Washington (MO) in non-conference action on Saturday. Tiger freshman Paul Simon (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis University H.S.) broke the program’s 53-year old record with a 75-yard punt early in the second quarter.

HIRAM fell against Ohio Wesleyan by a 48-24 margin in league play on Saturday. The Terriers will be idle next weekend, and will return to action on October 13th with a road contest at Wooster.

KENYON was idle last week and will return to action on Saturday (10/6) with a conference contest at Ohio Wesleyan.

The OBERLIN defense forced six turnovers with four fumble recoveries and two interceptions, but the Yeomen offense never got into rhythm in a 15-3 loss against Allegheny. Senior David Kalgren (Curwensville, PA/Curwensville), who recorded his fourth interception of the season in the setback, is now tied with Austin Hodges of Wabash for the league lead in the category.

OHIO WESLEYAN junior quarterback Mason Espinosa (Cookeville, TN/Cookeville) threw for 380 total yards and two scores, while senior defensive end James Huddleston (Pontiac, MI/St. Mary’s Preparatory) turned in an impressive performance as the Battling Bishops ran their overall record to 4-0 and their league record to 2-0 with a 48-24 win over Hiram. Huddleston led the Bishops with nine tackles, including four sacks for a loss of 31 yards, five tackles for a loss of 33 yards and one fumble recovery. Espinosa helped OWU get out of the gates strong as he completed 23-of-31 pass attempts for 306 yards and one score in the first half alone.

WABASH, which sits at No. 16 on the D3football.com Top 25, won its 17th consecutive Homecoming contest with a 54-28 triumph over Carnegie Mellon. The Little Giants rushed for 383 yards in the victory, which was the fourth-highest output in program history and the highest since totaling 435 against Hiram in 2003. Senior quarterback Chase Belton (Dayton, OH/Northmont), who improved to 21-2 overall as a starter, led the ground attack with 198 yards and three scores on 20 carries, while also completing 13-of-23 pass attempts for 183 yards and four more scores. Belton set the Wabash single-game record for touchdowns responsible for with seven.

WITTENBERG got past Case, 14-10, on the road in Cleveland on Saturday. The Spartans kept the Tigers’ high-powered offense mostly in check, but the Wittenberg defense returned the favor, led by junior linebacker Spencer Leno (Massillon, OH/Washington) who collected a season-high 17 tackles (4 solo, 13 asst.) and senior defensive back Jamaal Everett (Kettering, OH/Fairmont) who picked off his third pass of the season and seventh of his career in the four-point victory.

WOOSTER suffered a 30-22 setback against Denison in league action on Saturday in Granville. Senior Jordan McIntyre (Steubenville, OH/Steubenville) finished as the Fighting Scots’ leading rusher with 53 yards on two carries and as the squad’s leading receiver after hauling in six receptions for 75 yards and one score. Defensively, senior Rob Holtz (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) posted his second-consecutive multi-sack game after totaling 2.0 sacks for a total loss of 18 yards.