Team’s attention is split between Oberlin and DePauw this week

The Wabash College football team had their biggest scare of the season since their game against John Carroll as they found themselves down by two touchdowns early on against Wittenberg. Yet, the team was able to fight their way back in the second half to earn a 28–21 victory over the Tiger team from Springfield, Ohio.

Wittenberg received the opening kick off, but the Tigers did nothing with the football except punt it away to the Little Giants. The teams punted back and forth before Wittenberg finally broke the silence by punching in a touchdown with 3:05 left in the first quarter to put themselves up 7–0. The first quarter ended with the Tigers maintaining that advantage while still in possession of the football.

The teams continued to play hot potato in the second quarter, but it was Wittenberg who, once again, would find themselves breaking the plane of the goal line to earn another touchdown with 2:35 left in the second frame.

With a 14–0 lead, the Wittenberg Tigers had halted the notoriously potent Wabash offense in its tracks as well as silenced a historically loud Little Giant Stadium.

In search of some momentum going into halftime, Brand Campbell ’27 stepped onto the field at his team’s own 25-yard-line with only one mission in mind: get seven points on the board for the home team.

In a drive that lasted 12 plays, Wabash finally got themselves on the scoreboard with five seconds left on the game clock thanks to a touchdown pass from Campbell to Konner Chase ’28. The touchdown proved to be a crucial turning point for the Little Giant squad as momentum began to feel like it was switching sides heading into the halftime break.

The two teams traded three-and-outs on the first two possessions of the third quarter, but Wabash would go on to capitalize on their second drive courtesy of a touchdown pass from Campbell to Luke Adams ’27 to knot the game up at 14–14.

The very next Wabash offensive foray resulted in another Campbell-to-Adams connection for six points, and by the end of the third quarter, the Little Giants were on top with a 21–14 lead.

However, Wittenberg turned the tide back to their side by finding the end zone with 8:52 left in the game to tie it up at 21–21.

Faced with the task of earning the lead back, Campbell and the Wabash offense took the field at their own 36-yard-line. The group marched down the field, and Campbell found Adams yet again in the end zone for the third time that day to give the Little Giants a 28–21 lead. Adams would finish up the game with 10 receptions for 82 yards along with the three touchdown catches.

Wittenberg had one last chance to square the game up with 5:23 left in the contest, and they started off the drive in a promising manner. They got near mid-field rather quickly, but they decided to take a shot deep down the field. Mike Holsclaw ’26 foiled the Tigers’ plan by intercepting the pass and sealing out a Wabash win. Holsclaw’s impressive defensive performance earned him NCAC Defensive Athlete of the Week honors.

“It definitely wasn’t our best day,” said Head Football Coach Jake Gilbert ’98. “We really struggled badly early. But I thought our wide receivers made a few plays to get us going early. Obviously Luke Adams with three touchdowns, but Nick Witte ’28 and Konner Chase had great games too. Both of those guys had a lot of yards. Nick Witte had his best blocking game of the season. So I think those three dudes were the catalyst for it all.”

“Personally, I have to give a lot of credit to some good red zone play calling as [Offensive Coordinator] Coach Casey Gillin gave me lots of opportunities,” said Adams. “Brand and I see eye-to-eye on a lot of plays, and we think alike. I can almost always trust that Brand is seeing what I’m seeing mid-play, and I know he is going to put the ball where it needs to be.”

Being on the same page will prove to be important for the final two weeks of the regular season as the team ramps up their preparation for the 131st Monon Bell Classic. The Little Giants will travel to Oberlin this weekend, and while the Yeomen may not be the toughest opponent, Coach Gilbert is still wanting the starters to get a feel for live game reps.

“How much the starters will play is based on how they’re doing,” said Gilbert. “We are going to play as hard as we can play and as normal as possible, but we are going to show great sportsmanship. So if we’re fortunate enough to get a bigger lead, then we will start to sub players, and that will be a great thing.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. EST at Dick Bailey Field in Oberlin, Ohio.