Saturday's football game between Wabash and Allegheny may have the feel of a family reunion before the kickoff, but once the ball is in the air it will be another battle for the Little Giants against one of the most improved teams in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
 
Allegheny is coached by former Wabash defensive lineman and assistant football coach BJ Hammer '01. He took over a Gators football team in 2016 that had won one game in three seasons prior to his arrival. After a 1-9 record last season, Allegheny is 3-5 overall this year, including two wins against NCAC opponents Hiram and Kenyon at home.
 
The Gators' improvement starts with their offense. Allegheny averages 32.8 points and produces an average of 431.3 yards of total offense a game. Junior quarterback Logan Lee has thrown 26 touchdown passes this season, breaking the old school record of 24 set in 2008. Lee ranks eighth in Division III and second in the NCAC in TD passes and is 24^th in DIII and third in the conference in passing yards this season with 2,228.
 
Alex Victor is Lee's top target at wide receiver. The sophomore from Miami, Florida tied the school record for touchdown receptions last week versus DePauw, catching his 12^th of the season. Lee tops the Allegheny receptions list with 36 catches for 701 yards, followed closely by Tristan Rhodes with 34 receptions for 627 yards and four TDs.
 
"We have to try and contain Alex Victor," Wabash head coach Don Morel said. "That guy scores against everyone. They put him in a different position. They give him a different motion to try and cut him loose. I think he's the fastest kid in the conference. We also have to put some pressure on their quarterback, Logan Lee and get after him early."
 
The Gators can cause problems for Wabash on defense, as well. Junior defensive end Colten Buzard leads the NCAC and ranks sixth in the nation in sacks with 10 through eight games. Coach Hammer's defense has made 20 sacks on the season and has recorded 55 tackles for losses totaling 192 yards.
 
"He always wants to hit the quarterback, so you better protect your quarterback if you're going to play a Coach Hammer-led team," Morel said. "Our offensive line needs to play well in pass protection. We did struggle a little bit against Wittenberg. We've worked hard this week to shore that up. Colten Buzard is an explosive guy on defense and can disrupt the game."
 
Wabash (6-2, 5-2 NCAC) enters its final two games of the season after a 21-14 loss to conference leader Wittenberg last Saturday. The Little Giants held a 14-13 lead in the fourth quarter until the visiting Tigers scored the game-winning touchdown with 6:54 left in the game on a 24-yard pass from Jake Kennedy to Bryce Bailey. Wabash tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Weston Murphy to sophomore Ra'shawn Jones for the receiver's first career touchdown catch. Ike James scored on a three-yard TD run to give the Little Giants a 14-13 lead in the third, thanks in part to a 48-yard run earlier in the drive by Matt Penola on a fake punt play on fourth down.
 
Murphy completed 15-of-30 passes for 156 with one interception against Wittenberg. The Little Giants' rushing attack was limited to 106 yards for the game, but the Wabash defense stymied the Tigers' ground game, holding Witt to 83 rushing yards. Evan Hansen led Wabash for the third consecutive game in tackles with eight. Brock Heffron and Isaiah Campbell each made interceptions to help Wabash remain even in the turnover game.
 
The Little Giants will need to get its ground game back in gear against Allegheny. The Gators have struggled in portions of rushing defense, allowing opposing teams an average of 177.6 yards and 463.9 yards of total offense per game.
 
"This is absolutely a great group of fighters," Morel said about his Wabash football team. "They will fight to the very end, to the last play. As I've said all season, effort has never been an issue for this squad. There are just things we cannot do. We can't commit turnovers, especially in the first half of a football game. We are a good defensive team. We lead the conference in defense. We can play with anybody. We can win our last two games. We're taking it one game at a time. Saturday's game against Allegheny is a big football game."
 
Kickoff at Frank B. Fuhrer Field in Meadville, Pennsylvania is at 1 p.m. Allegheny will provide live video and statistics of the game at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/allegheny/. Live radio coverage is available over the air on the Wabash College radio station, WNDY (91.3 FM) and online at https://www.wabash.edu/live beginning at 12:40 with the Don Morel Show.