The College of Wooster made the trip to Crawfordsville on Saturday, September 26, and spent the afternoon chasing Cole Dickerson ’28. The Wabash College running back ran for 178 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-7 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) win at Little Giant Stadium, which is more than the Fighting Scots gained as an entire offense.
The Little Giants controlled the football for a commanding 40 minutes, 33 seconds to improve to 4-0 (3-0). Wooster fell to 1-3 (1-2).
The Little Giants did not ease into things. On the opening possession, Wabash needed just six plays to go 64 yards. Quarterback Brand Campbell ’27 hit Luke Adams ’28 for a 40-yard gain, and Dickerson finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. Tyler Church’s ’28 extra point made it 7-0.
The defense answered the bell too. William Harris ’28 dropped Wooster for a 6-yard sack on the Fighting Scots’ first possession, and the resulting field position turned into a 36-yard Church field goal. Wabash led 10-0, and the afternoon looked like a formality.
Then came the one moment that made the crowd shift in its seats. Wooster returned an interception 89 yards to the Wabash 1-yard line, one of those plays that can turn a game sideways. The Fighting Scots punched it in on the next snap, and the score was 10-7.
“Our whole team has a next play mentality,” said Nick Witte ’28. “So for us it was all about confidence and refocusing on the next drive.”
It was also the last thing Wooster did all day. Wabash scored the final 24 points of the game and made it clear the interception was a speed bump.
Church restored the cushion early in the second quarter with a 26-yard field goal for a 13-7 lead. Then Dickerson made his case for the game ball, breaking loose for a 49-yard run and finishing the drive with a 12-yard touchdown. Wabash went to halftime up 20-7.
The defense deserves a share of the credit for that lead, and it is the part of the story Wooster would probably like to forget. The Fighting Scots managed one first down in the entire second quarter. They went 0-for-4 on third down. Tez Humphrey ’27, Wade McAllister ’27 and Dakota Johnson ’28 each brought down the quarterback in the period, so the sack column came with a three-man rotation.
“Our defensive players have really developed,” said Head Football Coach Jake Gilbert ’98. “We are in our third year in the scheme and starting a bunch of Juniors, so that helps a lot. We are playing confident and fast and can really dominate up front, which makes the entire defense look better.”
If the first half was a takeover, the third quarter was a coronation, and Wooster helped by handing over the football. Samuel Poriah ’27 recovered a Wooster fumble at the Wooster 46 yard line early in the quarter. Dickerson wasted no time, racing 27 yards immediately and eventually scoring from two yards out. That was his third touchdown of the day and pushed the lead to 27-7.
Later in the quarter, Ayden Salpietra ’27 forced another fumble, and Johnson pounced on it at the Wabash 21. What followed was the drive of the day: 10 plays, 79 yards. Campbell found Witte for 45 yards, the longest completion of the game. Then came the moment that let everyone in the stadium know how this was going to end. Facing a fourth-and-2 at the Wooster 11, Wabash didn’t blink. Dickerson converted it, then finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Four touchdowns, 34-7, and the only question left was how long Wabash could keep the ball.
The answer, it turned out, was most of the fourth quarter. The game became a demonstration of how to run out a clock. Wabash held the football for 12 minutes and 37 seconds of the final 15, and Wooster never earned a first down in the quarter. Javon Garry ’27 carried 20 times for a season-high 79 yards, taking his turn wearing down a defense that was already gasping.
Aiden Beadles ’28 and Christian Lopez ’28 combined on a fourth-quarter sack, which capped a five-sack day for the Wabash defense. The Little Giants entered the game averaging four sacks per contest, so this one came with a bonus.
The final stat sheet reads like a lopsided argument. Wabash rushed for 296 yards and four touchdowns, both season highs. Wooster managed 116 total yards and five first downs, while Wabash piled up 26 first downs of its own. The Little Giants also made six trips inside the Wooster red zone and came away with points all six times. As for time of possession, 40:33 belonged to Wabash, and you can do the math on the other side.
Campbell was efficient through the air, going 11-of-17 for 139 yards. Adams led the receivers with six catches for 79 yards. Church was perfect on the day, hitting both field goals and all four extra points, and his punting helped the Little Giants win the field-position battle.
“The ability to run the ball and then take some shots downfield is working really well for us right now,” said Witte.
Dickerson’s afternoon was a career day in several ways. The four touchdowns are a career high in both rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns, and his 27 carries are also a career best. He now has 20 career rushing touchdowns and 22 total touchdowns, which is the kind of stat line that looks good in a media guide.
He was not the only Wabash player having a good time. Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with four tackles, a sack and his first fumble recovery of the season, and he has now recorded a sack in three straight games. Harris has one in two straight. If the defense keeps this up, opposing quarterbacks will start requesting a moment of silence before kickoff.
The win was Wabash’s fifth in a row over Wooster and improved the Little Giants to 26-4 all-time in the series. In NCAC play, Wabash has won 22 of 26 meetings between the schools. The series dates back to 1944, when Wabash won 27-0 in Crawfordsville, and the Little Giants have been finding ways to make Homecoming uncomfortable for The Scotts ever since.
There won’t be much time to celebrate. Wabash hits the road on Saturday, Oct. 3, for a trip to Granville, Ohio, to face Denison University in another NCAC game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The Little Giants will bring an unbeaten record, a ground game that just piled up 296 yards, and a defense that made a Wooster offense look like it was playing in slow motion. Denison has a week to figure out how to stop all of it. Based on Saturday’s evidence, that is going to take some doing.