CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Wabash College opens the North Coast Athletic Conference portion of its 2026 football schedule Saturday when the Little Giants host longtime conference rival Wittenberg University at Frank Navarro Field at Little Giant Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Wabash (1-0, 0-0 NCAC) enters the conference opener after rallying from a 14-point deficit for a 29-20 home victory over Hampden-Sydney in last Saturday's fifth edition of The Gentlemen's Classic. Wittenberg (0-1, 0-0 NCAC) opened its season with a 13-7 overtime loss at Washington and Lee.
The Little Giants scored 19 unanswered points from the second quarter into the third against Hampden-Sydney and controlled the football for 35:33. Senior quarterback Brand Campbell threw for 147 yards and connected with Cole Dickerson on a 13-yard touchdown pass. Dickerson added a 4-yard rushing touchdown and finished with 90 total yards, while Nick Witte caught four passes for 90 yards. Tyler Church connected on field goals of 40 and 45 yards and averaged 47 yards on three punts, including a career-long 71-yarder.
Wabash's defense forced four turnovers, recorded a safety, and held Hampden-Sydney scoreless in the fourth quarter. Junior linebacker Dakota Johnson earned NCAC Defensive Athlete of the Week honors after posting a career-high eight tackles and two sacks. Tanner Crouch recorded an interception and a fumble recovery, Will Freeman added an interception, and Luke Purichia forced a fumble on a kickoff that Tony Flatt recovered.
Campbell also moved into ninth place on the Wabash career passing list with 4,201 yards. His touchdown against Hampden-Sydney was the 40th of his career, tying Brett Butler '90 for eighth place in program history.
Wittenberg begins NCAC play under first-year head coach B.J. Coad. The Tigers held a 7-0 lead late in the third quarter at Washington and Lee after senior quarterback Cole Burton connected with Stephen Lauterbach for a 2-yard touchdown. Washington and Lee tied the game in the fourth quarter and scored on a 7-yard run in overtime after Wittenberg missed a 36-yard field goal on its possession.
The Tigers finished with a 320-312 advantage in total offense and held the ball for 33:47, but three turnovers and a 1-for-3 performance in the red zone proved costly. Burton completed 24 of 36 passes for 170 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Sophomore Gerald Banks rushed 28 times for 115 yards, while Lucas Swierk caught six passes for 76 yards. Defensively, Wittenberg held Washington and Lee to 92 passing yards but surrendered 220 yards on the ground. William Reid and Will Dix Jr. recorded 10 tackles apiece.
Saturday marks the 29th meeting between two of Division III football's winningest programs. Wabash leads the all-time series 15-13, including a 9-6 advantage in games played in Crawfordsville. The Little Giants have won four consecutive meetings against the Tigers, seven of the last 10 overall, and six of the last eight played at Wabash.
Wabash rallied from a 14-0 deficit to defeat Wittenberg 28-21 at Little Giant Stadium last season. Campbell started the comeback with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Konner Chase with five seconds remaining before halftime, then threw three second-half touchdown passes to Luke Adams. The Wabash defense forced three turnovers to help secure the victory.
