MUNCIE, Ind. — Wabash College controlled the football for much of Saturday's 132nd Monon Bell Classic, but costly turnovers and missed scoring opportunities allowed nationally ranked DePauw University to escape with a 16-10 victory at Scheumann Stadium on the Ball State University campus.
The Little Giants (5-5, 4-5 NCAC) outgained the Tigers (9-1, 8-1 NCAC) 353-223, held a 21-12 advantage in first downs and controlled possession for 34:29. Wabash limited a DePauw offense that entered the game averaging more than 42 points and 447 yards per contest to 52 rushing yards and 171 passing yards. However, three Wabash turnovers, a blocked punt and four unsuccessful fourth-down attempts prevented the Little Giants from reclaiming the Monon Bell.
"I thought we played our guts out on the vast majority of the plays," Wabash head coach Jake Gilbert said. "Just a couple of really bad mistakes hurt us. There weren't that many, but they were brutal."
The game marked the first neutral-site Monon Bell Classic since the trophy was introduced in 1932 and the first meeting between the longtime rivals outside Crawfordsville or Greencastle since 1922. A crowd of 9,026 attended the contest at Scheumann Stadium.
DePauw's fifth consecutive victory in the rivalry narrowed Wabash's all-time series lead to 63-60-9. The Tigers also evened the Monon Bell series at 44-44-6 since the trophy was first awarded in 1932.
Junior running back Cole Dickerson led the Wabash offense with 114 rushing yards on 35 carries, surpassing 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. Dickerson finished the season with 1,054 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, becoming the first Little Giant to reach the 1,000-yard milestone since Xavier Tyler rushed for 1,091 yards in 2024.
Junior wide receiver Luke Adams caught nine passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Adams' 39-yard touchdown reception from Jackson Gilbert in the second quarter gave Wabash its only lead of the game. Adams finished with 135 receiving yards after recording 189 yards in last year's Monon Bell Classic.
Wabash opened the game with an eight-play, 41-yard drive from its own 16-yard line. Dickerson carried seven times on the possession, but a fumble at the DePauw 44-yard line ended the scoring opportunity.
The Tigers took a 3-0 lead on Matthew Berry's 32-yard field goal with 1:32 remaining in the first quarter. DePauw reached the Wabash 8-yard line before the Little Giants' defense pushed the Tigers backward. William Harris and Tony Flatt combined for a tackle for loss, and Trevor Ings dropped DePauw quarterback Scott Ballentine for a 4-yard loss. Tanner Crouch broke up a third-down pass to force the field goal attempt.
Wabash moved into DePauw territory on its next possession but came up short on fourth-and-2 at the Tigers' 31-yard line early in the second quarter. The Little Giants' defense responded by forcing consecutive DePauw punts, setting up Wabash's lone touchdown drive.
Starting at its own 26-yard line with 9:29 remaining in the second quarter, Wabash marched 74 yards in eight plays. Jackson Gilbert completed passes of 10 and 4 yards to Adams, while Dickerson converted a third-and-1 rushing attempt to keep the drive alive. Jackson Gilbert found Adams for a 39-yard touchdown pass with 5:39 left in the half. Tyler Church added the extra point to give Wabash a 7-3 advantage.
DePauw answered on its next possession with a four-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Ballentine connected with Luke Dockery for a 52-yard touchdown with 3:24 remaining. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the Tigers with a 9-7 lead.
A blocked Wabash punt by Jackson Cain gave DePauw possession at the Little Giants' 46-yard line with 2:17 remaining in the half. The Wabash defense again prevented the Tigers from scoring, with Harris and Dakota Johnson combining for a third-down sack to force a punt.
Wabash moved across midfield in the final minute of the half behind a 21-yard completion from Brand Campbell to Adams. Harry Pratt intercepted Campbell's next pass to end the threat, sending DePauw into halftime with a two-point lead.
The Little Giants dominated possession in a scoreless third quarter, holding the ball for 11:04 while rushing for 85 yards and converting four of six third-down opportunities.
Wabash's defense opened the second half by forcing another DePauw punt when Messiah Belton stopped Carson Johnson for a 1-yard loss on third-and-1. The Little Giants then drove 40 yards in 12 plays, but a holding penalty and an incomplete pass on fourth down ended the possession at the Tigers' 40-yard line.
DePauw moved to the Wabash 24 on its next possession before Harris forced a Carson Johnson fumble that Gage Gulley recovered with 5:57 remaining in the third quarter.
The Little Giants responded with another sustained drive, moving from their own 24 to the DePauw 36 before turning the ball over on downs on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The Tigers extended their lead to 16-7 with a 10-play, 64-yard scoring drive. Evan Pitzer connected with Carson Johnson on a 3-yard touchdown pass with 9:46 remaining in the game.
Wabash answered with an 11-play, 47-yard possession. Jackson Gilbert completed passes of 20 and 14 yards to Adams to move the Little Giants into scoring position. Church converted a 37-yard field goal with 4:45 remaining, cutting the deficit to 16-10.
The Wabash defense quickly provided another opportunity when sophomore safety Luke Barrett intercepted Ballentine at the DePauw 37-yard line and returned the ball 18 yards to the Tigers' 19 with 3:14 remaining.
The Little Giants could not capitalize on the short field, however, as four consecutive plays failed to produce a first down, giving DePauw possession at its own 21-yard line with 1:47 left.
Wabash's defense forced another three-and-out, giving the Little Giants one final possession at their own 40-yard line with 1:24 remaining.
Jackson Gilbert completed passes to Nick Witte, Adams, Domanic Barnett and Keith Jackson to advance Wabash to the DePauw 15-yard line. On the final offensive play, Joey Fico intercepted Gilbert's pass at the goal line with five seconds remaining, preserving the Tigers' six-point victory.
Coach Gilbert pointed to turnovers and other critical mistakes as the deciding factors in the game and throughout the season.
"The story of our season was that we lose the turnover margin, we lose the game," Gilbert said. "We've just been inconsistent in that area. We got a couple of takeaways, but we turned it over a few times. We roughed the punter and had to go back out there, and they scored. I mean, that's a turnover. Great effort, just a few too many mistakes."
Wabash finished with 161 rushing yards and 192 passing yards. Jackson Gilbert completed 10 of 18 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, while Campbell finished 6 of 14 for 60 yards. Jackson Gilbert added 18 rushing yards, and Campbell ran for 24.
Adams' nine receptions and 135 receiving yards marked season highs. His touchdown reception was the 10th of his career. Witte added two receptions for 19 yards, bringing his season receiving total to 501 yards.
The Wabash defense limited DePauw to 1.9 yards per rushing attempt and held the Tigers to three conversions in 13 third-down opportunities. The Little Giants recorded seven tackles for loss, one sack and two takeaways while forcing six punts.
Harris led Wabash with nine tackles, including two tackles for loss, half a sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Barrett added seven tackles and his first interception of the season. Gulley finished with five tackles, one tackle for loss and his first fumble recovery of the season.
Ballentine completed 10 of 17 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown for DePauw. Dockery caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown, while Carson Johnson rushed for 36 yards on 14 carries and caught three passes for 33 yards and a score.
Pratt led the DePauw defense with 11 tackles and an interception. Cain added 10 tackles and a blocked punt.
Wabash converted nine of 17 third-down opportunities and held a 34:29-25:31 advantage in time of possession. The Little Giants finished with 80 offensive plays compared with 52 for DePauw, but scored on only one of three red-zone possessions. The Tigers converted both of their red-zone opportunities.
