Canton, Ohio --- Wabash College capped its season with one of the most dramatic finishes in program history Saturday afternoon, scoring a touchdown with two seconds left and converting a two-point attempt to defeat Ohio Northern 32–31 in the 2025 ForeverLawn Bowl, part of the Opendorse Bowl Series at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
 
For a year, Wabash players and coaches carried the sting of watching a bowl game slip away on the final play. On Saturday, they wrote the ending they wished they had last November.
 
Down by seven with two minutes left, the Little Giants mounted a 69-yard touchdown drive and converted a two-point attempt with two seconds remaining to defeat Ohio Northern 32–31 and capture the 2025 ForeverLawn Bowl, part of the Opendorse Bowl Series, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The victory delivered Wabash its first bowl championship, erasing the memory of last year's 13–10 loss to Hanover on a last-second field goal in the same game.
 
Trailing 31–24, Wabash began its final possession at its own 31-yard line with exactly 2:00 on the clock. Quarterback Jackson Gilbert, who had already thrown three touchdown passes, attacked methodically—hitting short outs to stop the clock, finding open receivers across the middle, and twice moving the chains on critical downs.
 
The Little Giants inched into Ohio Northern territory and faced one final chance inside the red zone. With two seconds remaining and the season hanging in the balance, Gilbert lofted a 23-yard strike toward the right pylon. Senior receiver Nick Witte leapt, secured the ball in stride, and dragged a foot inside the line for a touchdown that sliced the deficit to one.
 
Not hesitating, head coach Jake Gilbert kept the offense on the field for the win. On the conversion attempt, running back Cole Dickerson took the direct snap, rolled right, and delivered a short pass to Rowen Durbin, who secured the two-point play and set off the sideline celebration.
 
Just two ticks later, the final kickoff harmlessly expired the remaining time, and the Little Giants poured onto the field as bowl champions for the first time.
 
The game's opening minutes belonged wholly to the Little Giants.
 
After blocking an Ohio Northern punt on the Polar Bears' opening possession, Wabash took over at the ONU 12 and settled for a 29-yard field goal from Brody Rucker to grab a 3–0 lead with 12:20 left in the first quarter.
 
Ohio Northern answered quickly. Quarterback Sam Feldman found Mikey Brown behind the secondary for a 35-yard touchdown to give ONU a 7–3 lead.
 
Wabash responded by reasserting control through the passing game. Gilbert led a nine-play, 63-yard drive capped by a perfectly placed 16-yard touchdown pass to Kannon Chase, followed minutes later by a strike to Luke Adams, who took a deep ball 36 yards to the end zone for a 17–7 Wabash advantage.
 
The Little Giants added to their lead early in the second quarter when Chase hauled in his second touchdown of the day, a nine-yard slant that stretched the margin to 24–7 with 11:14 left before halftime.
 
From that point, the Polar Bears began their comeback.
 
A methodical 83-yard march ended with running back Jordan Pettaway bursting 11 yards up the middle to cut the Wabash lead to 24–14. A few minutes later, an interception gave ONU a short field at the Wabash 26. Feldman needed only three plays to find receiver Kyle Celestin for a 15-yard touchdown, trimming the halftime margin to 24–21.
 
Ohio Northern tied the game with 5:31 left in the third quarter on a 27-yard field goal by Cody Dykes, the only points of the period.
 
With momentum shifting, ONU claimed a 31–24 lead early in the fourth when running back Louie Blasiole broke loose for a 28-yard scoring run with 12:39 left. The Little Giants, shut out since early in the second quarter, now faced a seven-point deficit and an Ohio Northern defense that had tightened significantly.
 
The Wabash defense stiffened from there, forcing three straight ONU punts and giving the offense multiple chances. On its final opportunity, Wabash made every second count.
 
Senior linebacker Gavin Ruppert delivered one last standout performance. Ruppert recorded 14 tackles, giving him 342 for his career, the fifth-highest total in Wabash history. His late stops helped give the Wabash offense the field position it needed to mount the decisive final drive.
 
Gilbert finished 27 of 48 for a career-best 303 yards and four touchdowns, and added key rushing gains on the final drive. Witte led all receivers with 127 yards on six catches, while Adams contributed 10 receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown. Chase added 62 yards and two scores.
 
Ohio Northern's Feldman passed for 208 yards and two touchdowns, while Pettaway (82 yards) and Blasiole (93 yards) combined for 175 rushing yards and both Polar Bear touchdowns on the ground.
 
Wabash outgained Ohio Northern 407–396, including a 338–208 edge through the air, while ONU held a 188–69 advantage in rushing. Both teams finished with 19 first downs. Crucially, Wabash went 4-for-5 on fourth down, extending drives when it mattered most—none more important than the final possession.