It's a game that has just about everything a fan could want in a November college football showdown: two first-place teams, contrasting quarterbacks, and playmakers on both sides of the ball.
 
As the North Coast Athletic Conference race enters the homestretch, 19th-ranked Wabash and Denison square off at Deeds Field in Granville, Ohio, at 1 p.m. both teams carry identical records (7-1, 6-1 NCAC) and have their sights set on a conference title.
 
"It's two first-place teams in the conference and we need to be ready to play," said Wabash head coach Don Morel.
 
The Little Giants, fresh off a 28-0 blanking at Ohio Wesleyan last week, enter the contest having won five consecutive games behind a run-first offensive philosophy. Wabash leads the NCAC by averaging 227.0 yards per game, a figure that has helped the squad to average 37 points per game, a figure that tops the conference.
 
It's running back by committee for Wabash, as the team has three backs in Matt Penola, Shamir Johnson, and Isaac Avant who combine to average nearly 150 rushing yards per game. A week ago at Ohio Wesleyan, the trio tallied 156 yards on 41 carries.
 
Wabash has also gotten strong play from quarterback Connor Rice, the NCAC leader in passing efficiency, during this current win streak. The 6-foot-3 senior from Indianapolis has connected on 69-of-95 passes (72.6 percent) for 965 yards and 11 touchdowns in his last five games.
 
"Connor Rice has done a great job all season, but these last few games his statistics have been incredible," Morel said last week after the Ohio Wesleyan win. "He's done an excellent job managing the game. That's really critical for us. Connor's just done a super job running the offense."
 
The Big Red have one of the league's top players leading its attack in quarterback Canaan Gebele. The dual-threat sophomore, who accounts for 350 yards of offense individually, leads the NCAC with 88.4 yards rushing per game and eight rushing touchdowns and ranks third in passing yards per game at 261.6.
 
He connects on 68.1 percent of his throws (158-of-232) in totaling 1,831 yards and 12 scores through the air. Simply, Gebele presents a stout challenge for the Wabash defense.
 
"He is a very, very good quarterback," said Morel. "Canaan is a good player and we are going to have to be ready to stop him."
 
Both teams are evenly matched defensively – Wabash surrenders an average of 14.1 points and 450.8 yards per game, while Denison allows 18.4 ppg and 478.5 ypg – and feature multiple standouts as well.
 
The Little Giants are led by Connor Ludwig and Evan Hansen. Ludwig, a 5-foot-10 senior linebacker from Indianapolis leads the team with 66 tackles (30 solo), six sacks (-50 yards), six forced fumbles, and a pair of pass break ups.
 
Hansen, a 6-foot-1 sophomore linebacker from Carmel, IN, has 57 stops to his credit (23 solo) to go with 3.5 sacks (-15) and a pass break up.
 
A pair of defensive backs — Andrew Baird and Joel Lohoua — lead the Big Red. Baird, a 5-foot-10 senior from Shelby, Ohio, leads Denison with 90 tackles (43 solo) and a pair of interceptions, while Lohoua chips in with 38 tackles (23 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss (-6), and two interceptions.
 
All-time, Wabash is 17-4-1 against Denison, and since joining the NCAC in 2000 the Little Giants have won 14 straight against the Big Red. It will take a focused effort to defeat a well-prepared Denison squad, according to Morel.
 
"Offensively, we need to continue to run the ball and be efficient," he said. "Defensively, we need to contain their quarterback. He is a super dynamic player. Denison is really well coached and apply that on the field on Saturdays."
 
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in Granville. Denison will provide a live video stream and live statistics. WNDY (91.3 FM) will carry the game locally in Crawfordsville.