The 10th-ranked Wabash football team just has one more week of taking its season "one week at a time." The Little Giants must play an improved Hiram team Saturday before they can turn their attention to a potential conference championship game at Wittenberg on November 8.

"We're not really looking forward to Wittenberg or DePauw that much," receiver Drake Christen said. "It's just one week at a time. Hiram is the focus this week."

The Monon Bell game also looms two weeks from Saturday.

Christen did admit that he is ready to get to Wittenberg, but he and his teammates have proven their ability to focus on a single game and not overlook opponents. Wabash (7-0, 6-0 NCAC) was favored in its last three games, and won those by a combined 134 points. The Little Giants will be favored again at Hiram, and Coach Erik Raeburn has confidence his team will remain focused.

"These last three games in particular, our guys have played more consistent from start to finish," Raeburn said. "If we hadn't done that the last three weeks, I'd be more worried about us losing our focus on the road Saturday."

Hiram demands Wabash's attention. The Terriers (4-3, 3-3 NCAC) big-play passing attack leads the conference with 275-yards-per game, and they have forced the second-most turnovers (22).

"Every game, you see one of their defensive backs come up and strip the ball off a running back or receiver," Raeburn said. "They're creating takeaways, and then they're not giving up any big plays."

Christen said the team has been particularly focused on protecting the football this week. The receivers went through three different ball-security drills in practice.

"We have a guy in front of us just trying to punch the ball out," Christen explained. "We have another one where we'll catch the ball, then have to run through a gauntlet with a bunch of guys trying to rip the ball out. The final one is just getting off the ground and protecting the ball while you do it."

Quarterbacks must take extra care with the football, as well. Hiram leads the conference with 13 interceptions, but Raeburn said that won't change what plays Wabash runs.

"It would affect me as a play caller, except our quarterbacks have been playing well and taking care of the ball," Raeburn said. "Michael Putko and Connor Rice haven't thrown a pick in a while. They're doing a good job taking care of the football, and because of that I feel like we can call more passes. If it's not there, they won't force it and throw picks."

Rice hasn't thrown an interception this year while Putko threw his last one in week three. Putko leads the NCAC with 17 touchdown passes to just two interceptions.  

"We try to emphasize ball security every week," Raeburn said. "We were disappointed Saturday with three fumbles and losing two of them. Typically, we have done a good job taking care of the football. When you play a team that takes it away as much as they do, ball security has to be more of an emphasis."

Hiram also has a quarterback that will make teams pay for giving him extra possessions. Robert Partridge tops the conference in passing and has thrown 13 touchdowns.

"We didn't play against Partridge last year because he was hurt," Raeburn said. "They're excellent at receiver and are a real threat throwing the football which helps them run the ball better."

Junior receivers Nate Eaton and Jalen Dinard pace the team in receptions.

The Terriers rely on three young backs in their ground game. In five games, freshman Danny Robinson has 394 yards and an impressive 9.2 yards-per-carry average. Sophomore David Perkins has 346 yards and three touchdowns, while the 231-pound freshman Brendon Carr excels in the short-yardage role.

"They've had some injuries there so I'm not sure who we'll face at that position," Raeburn said. "They have some guys that can really scoot when they get lose, and they have another guy who is more powerful and can bang it in between the tackles."

Hiram is currently fourth in the NCAC and defeated Ohio Wesleyan and Denison. If the Little Giants overlook the Terriers, they will find themselves in a dogfight and potentially a nightmare the day after Halloween. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. Saturday from Hiram, Ohio.