CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Wabash College will look to end a three-game losing streak Saturday when the Little Giants take one of the nation's top rushing defenses to Ohio Wesleyan University for a North Coast Athletic Conference football matchup.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Selby Stadium in Delaware, Ohio. Wabash (4-3, 3-3 NCAC) and Ohio Wesleyan (4-3, 3-3 NCAC) enter the contest tied for fifth in the conference standings.
The Little Giants are coming off a 27-17 loss to nationally ranked Washington University in St. Louis. Wabash erased a 13-point halftime deficit with 17 unanswered third-quarter points before the Bears scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Ohio Wesleyan has won three consecutive games, outscoring Wooster, Wittenberg and Oberlin 105-13 during that stretch.
Saturday's matchup will test Wabash's conference-leading rushing defense against an Ohio Wesleyan offense averaging 234 rushing yards per game. The Little Giants allow 67.9 yards on the ground per contest, ranking 19th in NCAA Division III, and have limited opponents to 2.3 yards per carry. The Battling Bishops average 5.7 yards per rushing attempt.
Wabash also ranks 16th nationally in total defense, allowing 234.9 yards per game, and 11th in sacks at 3.29 per contest. Dakota Johnson, William Harris, and Camden Singer hold the top three spots in the NCAC in sacks per game. Johnson has five sacks this season, Harris has 4.5 and Singer has four. Singer leads the Little Giants with nine tackles for loss.
Carson Foxen leads Wabash with 41 tackles, followed by Harris with 40. Junior safety Gage Gulley delivered a career-high 12 tackles, two interceptions, and a forced fumble against Washington University. His takeaways helped produce 14 points during the Little Giants' third-quarter rally.
On offense, junior running back Cole Dickerson continues to lead the conference in rushing and scoring. Dickerson has rushed for 786 yards and 11 touchdowns on 161 carries, averaging 112.3 yards per game. He ranks ninth nationally with 13 total touchdowns and 18th in rushing yards per game.
Dickerson ran for 108 yards on a career-high 32 carries last Saturday and added five receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown. He has 18 catches for 180 yards and two scores this season.
With 1,538 career rushing yards, Dickerson ranks 21st in Wabash history. His 23 career rushing touchdowns tie for 12th, and his next rushing score would move him into a tie for ninth on both the program's career and single-season lists.
Junior quarterback Jackson Gilbert completed 19 of 35 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns in his first regular-season start against Washington University. Gilbert connected with Domanic Barnett and Dickerson for third-quarter touchdowns. He has completed 62% of his passes for 592 yards and five touchdowns this season.
Luke Adams leads Wabash with 34 receptions for 407 yards. Nick Witte has 16 catches for 348 yards and leads the NCAC with an average of 21.75 yards per reception, ranking 19th nationally. Witte caught four passes for 77 yards last week.
Ohio Wesleyan averages 30.7 points and 386.3 yards per game. Sophomore running back Giovanni Rufus leads the Battling Bishops with 523 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Mysaun Sanders has added 363 yards, while Reed Wehr and Dorian Hamilton have contributed 284 and 264 yards, respectively.
Senior quarterback C.J. Jackson has thrown for 824 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions. He completed all 10 of his passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns in last Saturday's 70-7 victory at Oberlin. Freshman Jordan Bryant caught all three touchdown passes and shares the team lead with Quin Schroeder at 14 receptions. Bryant has five touchdown catches this season.
The Battling Bishops allow 20.4 points and 305.3 yards per game and have recorded 17 sacks and 10 interceptions. Senior linebacker Grant Johnson leads the team with 37 tackles. Jordan Ghant adds a special teams threat, averaging 27.1 yards per kickoff return with two touchdowns.
Wabash counters with Tyler Church, who leads the NCAC and ranks 15th nationally with 1.14 field goals per game. Church has made eight field goals and averages 41.9 yards per punt. Keith Jackson averages 25.3 yards per kickoff return after recording a season-long 65-yard return last week.
Saturday marks the 49th meeting between the programs. Wabash leads the series 31-15-2, including a 15-8-1 record at Ohio Wesleyan, and has won the last four meetings. The Little Giants produced 543 yards of offense in last season's 44-27 victory, with Campbell passing for 303 yards and two touchdowns and Dickerson rushing for two scores.
