The Jake Gilbert head coaching era at Wabash College begins Saturday when the Little Giants play Hanover College in the inaugural ForeverLawn Bowl in Canton, Ohio. The game starts at 1 p.m. at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
 
Wabash (8-2, 7-1 NCAC) represents the North Coast Athletic Conference in the Opendorse Bowl Series after finishing second in the conference regular season standings. Hanover (7-3, 5-1 HCAC) represents the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Marietta (Ohio Athletic Conference) and Westminster (Presidents Athletic Conference) meet in the Extra Points Bowl at 6 p.m. following the Wabash-Hanover game.
 
SERIES
 
The Wabash-Hanover rivalry dates back to 1886 when the two teams first met in Indianapolis, Indiana, two years after Wabash played Butler in the first college football game in the state. Wabash defeated Hanover 23-4 in that contest and owns a 36-12-1 all-time record against the Panthers. The two teams were members of the Indiana Collegiate and Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conferences before the Little Giants joined the NCAC in 2000. In the last meeting between the two squads, Wabash defeated Hanover 69-0 in 2013.
 
LAST WEEK
Wabash trimmed a DePauw 14-0 lead to 14-7 by scoring just before halftime on a 16-yard pass from Brand Campbell to Connor Thompson. But a disastrous start in the second half put the Little Giants down 28-7 two minutes into the third quarter on the way to a 42-21 loss to the host Tigers.
 
Campbell threw for 284 yards and two scores, with TJ Alexander catching a 15-yard pass in the fourth quarter. Cole Dickerson ran for a five-yard touchdown in the third quarter as part of a Wabash running game limited to 30 yards on 29 carries.
 
Gavin Ruppert led the defense with 14 tackles. Mike Holsclaw recorded his fourth interception of the season by picking off a deflected pass in the second period. Brody Frey had the only sack of the game for Wabash.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Wabash ranks eighth in the nation in turnover margin at +15 for the season. The Little Giants have recovered seven fumbles and have 14 interceptions through ten games. Wabash has fumbled 21 times this season but has only lost two for the season. The Little Giants have thrown four interceptions in 242 pass attempts.
 
Wabash led the NCAC and ranks 16th in the nation in red zone scoring defense. The Little Giants have allowed 17 scores in 28 opposing team's trips inside the 20-yard line. Fourteen of the 17 scores have been touchdowns.
 
On the other side of the ball, the Wabash offense has scored on 40 of 45 trips inside the red zone this season, the best among NCAC teams and 25th-best in the nation. The Little Giants have scored 33 touchdowns and kicked seven field goals on red-zone possessions this season.
 
Wabash ranks 42nd out of 240 Division III teams in scoring defense, allowing an average of 17.4 points per game. The Little Giants score an average of 35.9 points a contest, 45th among DIII programs this season.
 
Xavier Tyler leads the NCAC and ranks 32nd in Division III with 111.3 rushing yards per game. His nine rushing touchdowns are tied for second among NCAC players this season. Teammate Cole Dickerson has run for six TDs in his freshman season, tied for fifth-most by an NCAC player this year.
 
Quarterback Brand Campbell ranks second in the NCAC and is 12th among Division III quarterbacks in completion percentage at 70.4 percent. He has completed 131 of 186 pass attempts for 1,750 yards and 19 touchdowns with two interceptions through nine games. Campbell is third in the conference in touchdown passes and second in passing efficiency with a rating of 181.0.
 
Senior wide receiver Connor Thompson is tied for third in the conference in receptions per game (53), fourth in touchdown receptions (9), and sixth in receiving yards per game (61.3).
 
Junior kicker Brody Rucker is sixth in the conference in scoring, averaging  7.1 points per game. He is tied for first with eight field goals made in 11 attempts. Rucker is  47 of 48 on extra-point attempts this season and has made 98 extra points in his career. Only eight players made more than 100 PAT kicks in Wabash football history.
 
Junior linebacker Gavin Ruppert led Wabash with 14 tackles in the loss to DePauw, adding to his all-time totals and moving him into a tie with Mike Wilhelm '98 for 11th on the Wabash career tackles list with 251. Ruppert ranks third among NCAC defenders with 48 solo tackles and is fifth in the NCAC in tackles for losses with 13.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Hanover finished second in the Heartland Collegiate Conference regular season standings behind NCAA Playoff-bound Mount St. Joseph. The Panthers were 7-3 overall with losses to Centre (27-12), NCAA DI non-scholarship Butler University (53-0), and Mount St. Joseph (49-41). Hanover averaged 392.1 yards on offense and 34.1 points per game while holding opponents to a conference-low of 297.9 yards and 21.3 points a contest.
 
Sophomore quarterback Eian Roudebush ranked second in the conference and 46th among Division III players by averaging 233.6 passing yards a game. He completed 199 of 289 passes with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. Senior Jalen Peck caught a team-best 41 passes for 454 yards and three TDs. Fellow senior Eric Roudebush hauled in 29 passes for 455 yards and six scores. Austin Oppel led the ground game with 81 rushes for 431 yards and two touchdowns. He also was a weapon in the passing game, with 30 receptions for 268 yards and five touchdowns. Blake Huffman ran for 287 yards and two TDs in 54 attempts. Eian Roudebash also showed mobility with 113 carries for 264 yards and five TDs.
 
Freshman safety Brian Wall led the Hanover defense with 64 tackles, including 45 solo stops. Junior defensive end Garron Jenkins recorded a team-best 9-1/2 tackles for losses totaling 35 yards as part of his 30 tackles for the season. Junior defensive end David Wall made a team-best four sacks and had eight tackles for losses of 38 yards in ten games. Sophomore cornerback Saadiq Pasha's three interceptions were the most by a Panthers player this season.