Wabash and Wittenberg were tied at 14-14 before the visiting Tigers scored on an interception return on the way to handing the Little Giants a 35-14 home loss on Saturday.
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Wabash (6-3, 5-3 NCAC) outgained Wittenberg (6-3, 6-2 NCAC) by 80 yards but could not overcome four interceptions. The Little Giants finished with 428 total yards of offense. Wabash passed for 341 yards and ran for 108 yards.
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Liam Thompson connected with
Derek Allen on a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 7-7.
Donovan Snyder gave Wabash its only lead of the game in the second quarter. The sophomore capped a 14-play, 70-yard drive with a four-yard run. Wittenberg answered with its own long drive of 10 plays to move 65 yards. A five-yard pass from Collin Brown to Drew Sterett drew the Tigers even at 14-14.
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Wabash had the ball on its own 35-yard line when
Liam Thompson's shovel pass was intercepted by Mike Knock and returned 31 yards for a touchdown to move in front 21-14 with one minute left in the first half.
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The Tigers scored another touchdown in the third quarter and one more in the fourth to pull away for the 21-point victory. Wabash outgained Wittenberg 242 yards to 170 in the final two periods but could not put any points on the scoreboard. The Little Giants gave up three interceptions and missed a field goal on four of their final six drives with the other two ending on downs.
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Thompson threw for 341 yards and one touchdown, completing 29-of-55 pass attempts.
Cooper Sullivan topped the 100-yard receiving mark for the fourth consecutive game. Allen hauled in seven passes for 91 yards. Snyder carried the ball 14 times for 53 yards.
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Casey Crozier led the Wabash defense with 12 tackles.
Josh Myers added 11 tackles.
Will Olive recorded the only sack of the game for Wabash.
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The Little Giants close out the 2021 season with the annual Monon Bell Classic next Saturday against DePauw. Kickoff for the 127
th meeting between the two teams is set for 1:07 p.m.
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