NCAC Weekly Release (9-10-12) - Football

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The North Coast will open conference play this weekend with four league contests on the schedule for Saturday. Kenyon (0-0, 1-1) hosts Hiram (0-0, 0-2) at 1:00 PM, Ohio Wesleyan (0-0, 1-0) travels to Oberlin (0-0, 1-0) at 1:00 PM, Denison (0-0, 0-1) entertains Wabash at 1:00 PM and DePauw (0-0, 0-1) travels to Wittenberg (0-0, 1-0) at 7:00 PM.

ALLEGHENY dropped its home opener against Carnegie Mellon, 37-7, in front of a national audience as the game was broadcast live on Fox College Sports and ESPN3.

DENISON  suffered a narrow 32-29 defeat against Ohio Wesleyan in a non-conference matchups between NCAC squads. Junior John Wilson (Gates Mills, OH/Hawken) caught an 82-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Max Paulus (Massillon, OH/Jackson) in the first quarter to tie the school record for longest passing touchdown set by Chris Spriggs to Joe Gleeson in 1983. In addition, senior running back Sam Fioroni (Clarkston, MI/Orchard Lake St. Mary’s) posted his eighth career 100-yard rushing game after totaling 107 yards on 14 carries, including two touchdowns.

DEPAUW was upended by St. Olaf, 31-10, in its season opener on Saturday. Senior wideout Taylor Wagner (Carmel, IN/Carmel) totaled 179 all-purpose yards in the loss, catching seven passes for 72 yards to go along with 30 yards on punt returns and 77 yards on kickoff returns. The Tigers will play their first-ever NCAC contest this Saturday when they travel to Wittenberg for a 7:00 PM kickoff.

HIRAM fell to Case, 35-0, in its home opener on Saturday. Senior quarterback Brendon Rehor (Bay Village, OH/Bay) completed 18-of-26 pass attempts for 124 yards in the loss.

KENYON rolled to a 31-14 win over Earlham in its home opener on Saturday, giving the Lords their first victory since the 2009 season. Senior running back Brett Williams (Chesterland, OH/West Geauga) rushed for a career-high 194 yards on 20 carries, including touchdown runs of 55- and 61-yards. Defensively, the Lords were led by senior Will Clements (Chagrin Falls, OH/University) who picked off two Earlham passes and also added two tackles in the 17-point victory.

OBERLIN was idle last week and will open NCAC play this Saturday at home against Ohio Wesleyan at 1:00 PM.

OHIO WESLEYAN opened the Tom Watts era with a thrilling 32-29 victory over Denison in a non-conference matchup between NCAC rivals. Junior quarterback Mason Espinosa (Cookeville, TN/Cookeville) completed 34-of-46 pass attempts for 302 yards and three touchdowns. With 302 yards through the air, Espinosa became the all-time passing leader at OWU with 4,745 career passing yards, surpassing Jay Hood (1982-85) who previously held the distinction with 4,469 passing yards. Senior defensive tackle Tyler Swary (Pandora, OH/Pandora-Gilboa) triggered the Battling Bishops’ defensive unit as he finished the game with eight tackles (3 solo, 5 assists), including three sacks and four tackles-for-loss. Swary gave the Bishops a 9-7 lead early in the second quarter on a quarterback sack in the end zone.

WABASH, which remains eighth on the D3football.com Top 25, won its 11th consecutive season-opener with a 33-12 victory at Hanover on Saturday. The Little Giants made 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in the game, which is the second-highest single-game total in school history. Senior quarterback Chase Belton (Dayton, OH/Northmont) led the offense by completing 22-of-32 pass attempts for 327 yards and three scores, while sophomore linebacker AJ Akinribade (Indianapolis, IN/Brownsburg) carried the defense with 9 tackles (5 solo, 4 assists), two and a half tackles-for-loss, one forced fumble and one interception.

WITTENBERG was idle last week and will host DePauw in its NCAC-opener on Saturday evening at 7:00 PM.

WOOSTER traveled to Pennsylvania over the weekend and took down Saint Vincent, 27-21, in overtime. Freshman running back Jonathan Miller (Canton, OH/Massillon Perry) totaled 12 carries for 103 yards and one score, while sophomore running back Chase Ullman (Orange, OH/Orange) logged the game-winner for the Fighting Scots on a 13-yard scamper in overtime. For the second week in a row, senior defensive end Rob Holtz (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) registered two sacks while also totaling seven tackles (4 solo, 3 assists), three and a half tackles-for-loss and one forced fumble.