Crawfordsville, Ind. – Wabash College continues North Coast Athletic Conference play Saturday with a home matchup against long-time rival Wittenberg University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Eastern at Frank Navarro Field at Little Giant Stadium in Crawfordsville.
 
Game Information
 
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 1 – 1 p.m. ET
Location: Frank Navarro Field at Little Giant Stadium – Crawfordsville, Ind.
Capacity: 3,300
Live Video: Wabash College Video Network
Live Stats: wabashstats.statbroadcast.com
 
Opening Notes
 
Wabash enters Week Eight ranked 23rd in the AFCA Division III Coaches Poll and receiving votes in the D3football.com Top 25 following a 46–12 win at Kenyon on Oct. 18. The Little Giants improved to 6–1 overall and 4–1 in NCAC play, remaining in a second-place tie in the conference standings with DePauw..
 
Wabash owns a 731–405–59 all-time record, ranking fifth in NCAA Division III history in victories and 15th in winning percentage (.636). Only Notre Dame and Wabash have surpassed 700 all-time wins among Indiana programs.

Series History
 
Saturday marks the 28th NCAC meeting between the programs and 28th consecutive season they have met since Wabash joined the league in 2000. The Little Giants have claimed the last three contests and look to extend their home winning streak to eight games.
 
The Little Giants and Tigers share one of the NCAC's longest and most competitive rivalries. Wabash leads the all-time series 14–13, including an 8–6 record in Crawfordsville and wins in the last three meetings—the program's longest streak in the series. Wittenberg's best run came with four straight victories in 1964, 1965, 2000, and 2001.
 
Wabash edged the Tigers 31–28 last season in Springfield, rallying from a halftime deficit behind quarterback Brand Campbell's two touchdown passes and Xavier Tyler's 186-yard, two-touchdown rushing performance. TJ Alexander's 16-yard TD catch with 45 seconds left sealed the win.
 
Last Week's Win
 
The Little Giants dominated early in their 46–12 win at Kenyon, racing to a 23–6 first-quarter lead and never looking back. Campbell opened the scoring with a 34-yard TD to Luke Adams before adding two short rushing touchdowns. The defense produced two safeties, while Samuel Poriah returned a blocked punt 22 yards for a touchdown.
 
Sophomore quarterback Jackson Gilbert threw his first two career touchdown passes—32 yards to Konner Chase and 26 yards to Nick Witte—to cap the scoring. Adams finished with four catches for 93 yards, and Gavin Ruppert led the defense with seven tackles, moving into fifth on the Wabash career list with 308.
Running back Xavier Tyler enters Saturday with 2,271 career rushing yards, 11th on Wabash's all-time list, needing 70 to move into the top ten.
 
National & Statistical Rankings
 
Wabash ranks among the top statistical performers in NCAA Division III this season, excelling in all three phases of play. The Little Giants enter Saturday's matchup against Wittenberg leading the nation in blocked kicks (7) and blocked punts (4), while ranking among the top 10 nationally in several defensive categories.

The Little Giants stand sixth in the country in fourth-down defense (22.2 percent) and ninth in third-down defense (26.1 percent), holding opponents to just 18.0 points and 289 total yards per game, both third-best marks in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Wabash also ranks 10th nationally in rushing defense, allowing only 61.7 yards per contest, and sits 13th in fewest penalty yards per game (29.0).

Offensively, Wabash averages 40.1 points per game, good for 26th nationally and second in the NCAC, while producing 262.9 passing yards per game to rank 48th in Division III. The Little Giants are also among the national leaders in team passing efficiency (158.4, 39th) and have converted 47 percent of third-down attempts to rank fourth in the conference.

Special teams have been a major factor in Wabash's success. The Little Giants lead the NCAC in blocked kicks and punt return defense (1.55 yards allowed per return), while senior kicker Brody Rucker ranks among the nation's top specialists with 11 made field goals, including a school-record-tying 50-yard conversion—the fifth-longest in Division III this season.
 
Scouting Wittenberg
 
The Tigers (3–5, 2–4 NCAC) travel to Crawfordsville after a 52–0 shutout win at Oberlin. Wittenberg has also earned victories over Washington & Lee and Ohio Wesleyan but dropped contests to DePauw, Wooster, John Carroll, and Denison.
 
Quarterback JJ Miller leads the offense with 1,400 passing yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 183 rushing yards and five scores. The Tigers average 307.6 total yards per game, including 202.4 through the air. Top targets include Brody Graham (278 yards, 4 TDs) and Pierce Ayers (25 catches, 254 yards, 2 TDs).
 
Defensively, Wittenberg allows 333.9 yards and 24.8 points per game. Linebacker Luke Jackson anchors the unit with 89 tackles, while Will Dix Jr. has contributed 47 stops, five tackles for loss, and three interceptions. The Tigers' defense has forced 13 turnovers and ranks first in the NCAC in red-zone defense (76.7%).
 
Up Next
 
Wabash travels to Oberlin College on Nov. 8 for a noon kickoff before returning home for the 131st Monon Bell Classic against DePauw on Nov. 15 at 1:07 p.m.