Wabash College takes its unbeaten record on the road Saturday for a North Coast Athletic Conference matchup against Denison University at Deeds Field-Piper Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. between two teams that enter the weekend with 3-0 conference records. The game will be broadcast on the North Coast Athletic Conference Network.
Wabash is 4-0 overall after defeating Wooster 34-7 last Saturday at Little Giant Stadium. The Little Giants scored the final 24 points after the Fighting Scots cut the lead to 10-7, finishing with a season-high 296 rushing yards and 473 yards of total offense. Wabash held Wooster to 116 total yards and five first downs while recording five sacks and recovering two fumbles.
Junior running back Cole Dickerson powered the Wabash offense against Wooster with 178 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on 27 carries. He scored on runs of 7, 12, 2 and 1 yards. Dickerson enters Saturday with 448 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns through four games, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. His nine total touchdowns and 54 points both rank fifth nationally through games played Sept. 26, while his 448 rushing yards rank 14th.
The Little Giants have averaged 395 yards and 32 points per game, producing 194 rushing yards and 201 passing yards per contest. Senior quarterback Brand Campbell has thrown for 497 yards and two touchdowns and continues to climb the Wabash career passing charts. Campbell enters Saturday eighth in program history with 42 touchdown passes and ninth with 4,557 passing yards, 64 yards behind Connor Rice for eighth place. Nick Witte leads Wabash with 206 receiving yards, while Luke Adams has a team-high 16 receptions for 199 yards.
Wabash has paired its offensive production with one of the nation's top defenses. The Little Giants rank fifth in NCAA Division III in total defense, allowing 155.8 yards per game through Sept. 26. Wabash also ranks 12th nationally in rushing defense at 40.8 yards per game and sacks at 4.25 per contest, 16th in scoring defense at 8.5 points per game and 11th in passing defense at 115 yards per game. Opponents have converted only 21.8% of their third-down attempts.
William Harris and Carson Foxen lead Wabash with 18 tackles apiece. Dakota Johnson and Camden Singer have four sacks each, sharing the NCAC lead at one sack per game, while Singer has a team-high six tackles for loss. Samuel Poriah has recovered two fumbles, tied for fourth nationally through Sept. 26.
Denison enters Saturday 3-1 overall and 3-0 in the NCAC after winning three consecutive games. The Big Red followed a season-opening 28-14 loss to Hope with victories over Oberlin, Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan. Denison defeated Ohio Wesleyan 21-14 last Saturday and averages 30.8 points and 378.3 yards per game, including 221.8 passing yards and 156.5 rushing yards.
Quarterback Brian Rager directs the Denison offense. The junior has completed 74 of 110 passes for 831 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception while adding 179 rushing yards and two scores. Rager earned NCAC Football Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for 209 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 41 yards and another score against Ohio Wesleyan. Blayton Reid leads the Denison ground game with 228 yards and four touchdowns, while AJ Winders has a team-high 206 receiving yards. Grayson Kerscher and Graham Tonkonogy have caught three touchdown passes apiece.
The Big Red defense has limited opponents to 10.5 points and 288 yards per game while allowing six touchdowns through four contests. Denison has recorded nine sacks and seven interceptions and has held opponents to a 26% conversion rate on third down. Rory Ralston leads the team with 21 tackles and shares the team lead with two sacks, while Cole Harris has three interceptions.
Saturday's game is the 32nd meeting between Wabash and Denison. The Little Giants lead the all-time series 23-7-1 and hold a 20-3 advantage in NCAC games. Wabash has won the past two meetings, including a 36-0 victory last season in Crawfordsville, but Denison won the Little Giants' most recent trip to Granville, 28-24, in 2023. Wabash is 10-5 all time at Denison and 7-3 in the past 10 games between the programs.
