Wabash College travels to Granville, Ohio, for a North Coast Athletic Conference football game against the Denison University Big Red. Kickoff at Deeds Field – Piper Stadium is set for Saturday, November 14, at 1 p.m.   
 
Game Info: Wabash College (4-1, 3-0 NCAC) at Denison University (3-3, 2-2 NCAC)
Location: Deeds Field – Piper Stadium (5,000) in Granville, Ohio
Game time: Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 1 p.m.
 
Wabash produced its highest offensive output of the season with 645 total yards in a 45-35 victory over the College of Wooster last Saturday. The Little Giants ran for a season-best 356 yards to go with 289 passing yards and six total touchdowns. Senior quarterback Liam Thompson ran for 201 yards and two scores and threw for four touchdowns to earn North Coast Athletic Conference Offensive Football Athlete of the Week honors. He broke the NCAC career total yards record and the Wabash longest pass record with a 90-yard TD strike to Derek Allen, Jr. in the first quarter. Thompson became the first Division III player since 2019 to throw for 200 yards and rush for 200 yards in a game, and just the ninth since 2013. Donovan Snyder also topped 100 yards on the ground with 18 carries for 118 yards. Allen, Jr. posted career-highs with 11 receptions for 185 yards and two scores.
 
Series: Wabash owns a 21-6-1 record versus Denison University and an 18-2 advantage in NCAC matchups against the Big Red. The Little Giants are 10-4 in games played in Granville, Ohio, including a 39-38 overtime victory in 2021. Wabash won 16 consecutive games against Denison after joining the conference in 2000 before the Big Red scored a 34-10 home victory in 2018. Denison defeated the Little Giants 45-42 last year at Little Giant Stadium, scoring the game-winning touchdown on an 18-yard pass to Billy Guzzo with six seconds left to claim the victory.
 
Notes: Liam Thompson amassed 490 yards of total offense to add to his NCAC career record totals. He moved past Mason Espinosa for first place on the all-time total offense list with 11,238 yards. He trails Wabash record-holder
Jake Knott '02 by 816 total yards. Thompson also trails Knott by 1,449 yards for the career passing record. Thompson trails Espinosa for the conference career passing record by 1,275 yards.
Wabash enters today's game against Denison ranked third in the nation in third-down conversion percentage. The Little Giants has successfully converted drives on 57.1 percent of third-down plays, trailing Trinity (TX) at 60.8 percent and national leader Randolph-Macon at 62.3 percent.
 
The Wabash offense ranks 24th in the nation in completion percentage at 67.2 for the season. The Little Giants have completed 90-of-134 passes this season with six interceptions and 13 touchdowns. Thompson is third in the conference and 32nd in Division III with a 66.4 completion percentage.
 
The Little Giants also appear in the national rankings in time of possession, rushing offense, and net punting. Wabash averages 34 minutes of possession a game to lead the NCAC and rank 19th among all Division III programs. The Little Giants average 213 rushing yards through five games, 27th-best among DIII teams and second-best in the conference. Wabash special teams average 36 net yards per punt to lead the NCAC and rank 27th in the nation.
 
Wabash enters the game against Denison as the conference leader in fewest passing yards allowed. The Little Giants have limited their first five opponents to 175.8 yards per game in the air to rank 56th among 238 Division III programs.

Scouting Denison:
Denison lost its last two North Coast Athletic Conference games -- a 27-24 overtime defeat at home against Wittenberg and a 17-6 loss at DePauw last Saturday. Despite those two losses, the Big Red enter today's game versus Wabash ranked 28th in Division III and second in the conference in total defense by limiting opponents to 281.5 yards per game. Denison's offense is 45th among DIII teams and second in the NCAC in total offense, averaging 445 yards per game.
 
Senior running back Trey Fabrocini leads the Big Red offense. The 5-10 200-pounder averages 127.3 yards per game and 5.6 yards a carry. His 11 rushing touchdowns are the most among conference players and rank fourth in the nation. Senior quarterback Jimmy Stines averages 243 passing yards a game and has thrown for 15 TDs this season. He has completed 100-of-186 passes (53.8 percent) with four interceptions. Fifth-year player Josh Aiello leads a Big Red receiving corps with five players with ten or more catches. Aiello tops the list with 28 receptions for 403 yards and eight touchdowns. Jon Adamson has 22 catches for 220 yards and two scores. Billy Guzzo is third with 17 receptions for a team-best 509 yards and three TDs.
 
Senior linebacker Jeff Moore paces the Denison defense with 43 tackles, including six for losses totaling 14 yards. The Big Red average 6-1/2 tackles for loss per game, second-most among NCAC teams. Half of fifth-year defensive end Clay Denstorff's 16 tackles are for losses of 38 yards. His four sacks share the team lead with junior defensive end Michael Ballenger, who earned a place on the D3football.com Team of the Week after making a career-best nine tackles, three tackles for loss, and two-and-a-half sacks last week against DePauw. Denstorff also leads the team with two of the five interceptions this season by the Big Red.