Wabash College will look to bounce back from its first loss of the season Saturday when the Little Giants travel to defending North Coast Athletic Conference champion John Carroll University for a matchup of teams seeking a return to the win column.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. at Don Shula Stadium at Wasmer Field in University Heights, Ohio. Wabash and John Carroll enter with identical 4-1 overall records and 3-1 conference marks after both suffered their first losses Oct. 3 and had last weekend off.
The Little Giants dropped a 24-23 decision at Denison, while John Carroll fell 35-25 at Washington University in St. Louis. Saturday's meeting presents Wabash with an opportunity to earn a road victory over a nationally ranked opponent and remain in contention for the conference championship.
John Carroll won the NCAC title in 2025, its first season as a conference member, and advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Division III football tournament. The Blue Streaks are now led by first-year head coach Brian Polian, whose more than 25 years of Division I coaching experience includes four seasons as Nevada's head coach.
Wabash brings one of the nation's top defenses into a matchup with a John Carroll offense averaging 38.2 points and 432 yards per game. The Little Giants rank third in Division III in total defense, allowing 191.8 yards per game, and fourth in sacks with four per contest. Wabash leads the NCAC in both categories, along with passing defense, rushing defense and scoring defense.
The Little Giants allow 129.4 passing yards per game, ninth nationally, and 62.4 rushing yards per game, 21st nationally. Their scoring defense ranks 17th at 11.6 points per game.
That unit will face junior quarterback Tyler Green, who has completed 96 of 141 passes for 1,328 yards and 16 touchdowns with three interceptions. Green threw five touchdown passes in consecutive victories over Kenyon and Wittenberg before passing for 344 yards and three touchdowns in the loss at WashU. John Carroll averages 304 passing yards per game.
Senior Shane Lindstrom leads the Blue Streaks with 27 receptions for 334 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Dorian Facen Jr. has 16 catches for 267 yards and four scores, while sophomore Nico McBride has contributed 16 receptions for 278 yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore running back Cohen Klimak provides another receiving threat in addition to leading John Carroll's ground game. Klimak has rushed for 334 yards and four touchdowns on 85 carries and caught 18 passes for 243 yards and two scores.
Wabash's pass rush will look to disrupt that production. Junior defensive end Camden Singer leads the NCAC and ranks 23rd nationally with 1.7 tackles for loss per game. Singer and junior Dakota Johnson share the conference lead in sacks at 0.8 per game. Sophomore Samuel Poriah has recovered two fumbles, tied for sixth nationally.
The Little Giants recorded three sacks and eight tackles for loss at Denison. Junior linebacker William Harris finished with seven tackles and 1.5 sacks in that game.
Offensively, Wabash will lean on junior running back Cole Dickerson against a John Carroll defense allowing 71.6 rushing yards per game. Dickerson leads the NCAC with 563 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, averaging 112.6 yards per game and nearly 6 yards per carry. His rushing touchdown total ranks sixth in Division III, and his 11 total touchdowns are tied for eighth nationally.
Dickerson rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries at Denison and added a 27-yard reception. He has 11 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown this season and leads the conference with 137 all-purpose yards per game.
Wabash averages 30.2 points and 389 yards per game, including 181.2 rushing yards and 207.8 passing yards. The Little Giants have converted 50% of their third-down opportunities, a rate that ranks 23rd nationally. John Carroll has limited opponents to a 22% conversion rate on third down.
Senior quarterback Brand Campbell continues to climb the Wabash career passing lists. Campbell threw for 188 yards and a touchdown at Denison to move into eighth place in program history with 4,745 passing yards. He needs 149 yards to match Dave Broecker's seventh-place total of 4,894.
Campbell also ranks eighth with 43 career touchdown passes, two behind Broecker. This season, Campbell has passed for 685 yards and three touchdowns, while Jackson Gilbert has added 344 passing yards and two scores.
Junior wide receiver Luke Adams leads Wabash with 23 receptions for 281 yards after catching seven passes for 82 yards at Denison. Junior Nick Witte has 11 receptions for 254 yards and a touchdown. Witte's average of 23.09 yards per reception leads the NCAC and ranks 17th nationally.
Protecting the football will be a priority for the Little Giants after three turnovers contributed to their first defeat. Wabash lost a second-quarter fumble and threw two fourth-quarter interceptions at Denison, while the Big Red played without a turnover.
The Little Giants built a 23-10 lead through three quarters behind Dickerson's two touchdown runs, Campbell's 65-yard touchdown pass to Keith Jackson on the first offensive play of the second half and a 23-yard field goal by Tyler Church. Denison blocked the extra-point attempt after Jackson's touchdown, then scored the game's final 14 points to complete the comeback.
John Carroll's defense allows 11.8 points and 208.8 yards per game. Sophomore linebacker Ben Gabrich leads the Blue Streaks with 21 tackles, while senior linebacker Ivory Travers has 20 tackles, including team highs of 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Sophomore safety Greg Roman Jr. has two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
Special teams could also play a significant role. Church averages 42.2 yards per punt for Wabash and has made six field goals, including a season-long 45-yarder. Lindstrom averages 21.1 yards per punt return for John Carroll and has returned one 92 yards for a touchdown. Blue Streaks kicker Colin Schuler has made three of four field-goal attempts, with a long of 48 yards, and 23 of 24 extra points.
Saturday marks the third meeting between the programs, with the series tied 1-1. Wabash won the first matchup 7-6 in Crawfordsville in 1961. John Carroll won 31-28 last season in University Heights in the teams' first NCAC meeting.
The Little Giants nearly erased a 31-6 deficit in that game, scoring 22 unanswered fourth-quarter points. Campbell capped the rally with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Witte with 1:46 remaining, but John Carroll recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.
