The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) has seen a mix of some impressive and some uninspiring football so far this season. Teams like Wabash, DePauw and Ohio Wesleyan have shown the ability to score efficiently and stifle opposing offenses, while teams like Oberlin and Hiram have struggled to compete with even their opponents reserves.
DePauw University – who ascended to rank #18 nationally in the most recent D3football.com standings – has without question been the best team in the NCAC to this point in the season, leading the conference in total touchdowns at 29 and total points scored at 213. They rank first in offensive yards per game with 459 and have allowed the fewest yards per game at just 219. The Tigers’ defense has allowed just four touchdowns in as many games and has only given up 28 points total. They have outscored their opponents by an average score of 53-7, which is easily the best ratio in the NCAC. Quarterback Nathan McCahill has spearheaded DePauw’s high-powered offense with 967 passing yards while completing 73% of his passes and having an outstanding 16-1 touchdown-interception ratio.
The Little Giants have been very impressive as well. They are ranked fourth in the NCAC in points per game with 27, while surrendering 18 points per game. The Scarlet and White has been especially effective on the ground offensively, as they rank second in the conference in rushing yards per game at 146. Wabash‘s pass defense has been quite good as well, as they rank top five in every defensive passing category. The Little Giants’ defense is led by linebacker Gavin Ruppert ’26 who stands at third in tackles per game with 10.7, second in tackles for a loss with six and is tied for third in sacks with two. Ruppert has also tacked on three passes defended and two interceptions.
Ohio Wesleyan University has been performing at a high level this season too. Ohio Wesleyan is ranked second in points per game at 32 and in points allowed per game at 16. OWU defense has also been impressive, holding opponents to just 264 yards per game, good for second in the NCAC. They have also picked off opposing quarterbacks 11 times, nearly double that of second-place DePauw with six. Running back Nathan Severs ’28 has easily been the brightest star on the Battling Bishop offense. As a freshman, Severs is averaging 5.3 yards per rush along with three touchdowns on the ground. He has also tacked on 15 receptions and 102 yards through the air.
Oberlin College has had it rough through their first four games of the season. They are averaging just three points per game while allowing 54 points per game to their opponents, landing them dead last in the NCAC in both categories. Oberlin has had a lot of trouble moving the ball offensively as they rank eighth in the conference in yards per game at 187. They have also allowed the most sacks out of all NCAC teams with an astonishing 15. Their defense is not doing them any favors either as they are allowing 396 yards per game to opposing offenses, good for eighth in the NCAC as well.
Similar to Oberlin, Hiram College has found it difficult to produce any positivity on the field. Hiram has struggled to find any sort of offensive rhythm, ranking last in offensive yards per game with 177, last in passing yards per game with 113 and second-to-last in rushing yards per game with a measly 64. While not as bad as Oberlin, Hiram’s defense has been nothing spectacular. One somewhat brightspot has been their pass defense which is ranked sixth in the NCAC in passing yards allowed per game at 200. Their defense has also managed to scoop up two fumble recoveries.
Wooster has stood out both positively and negatively. A tale of two sides of the ball has been the story for the Fighting Scots this season, as their inspiring offense currently ranks third in the conference in offensive points per game at 30 and is second in yards per game with 375, however their disappointing defense has been getting exposed, allowing the third-most points to opposing offenses with 31 and allowing the most yards per game in the conference with a shocking 486. The Wooster secondary has been especially bad as they have allowed a conference leading 342 passing yards per game.
Wittenberg, Denison and Kenyon have been stuck in mediocrity thus far. None of these teams have stood out as great or terrible this year, but have found themselves right in the middle of nearly every statistical ranking in the NCAC. However, there have been some bright flashes for these teams, like Wittenberg ranking second in the conference in passing yards per game with 253. For Denison, their defense has made it difficult for opposing offenses to score, allowing just 17.3 points per game, good for third in the conference. Kenyon has had some success defensively as well, as they lead the NCAC in team sacks with 11.
While Wabash, OWU and others have been impressive thus far, no team has been able to produce the kind of numbers across the board that the DePauw Tigers have been able to this year.