CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Wabash College returns to Little Giant Stadium Saturday afternoon looking to remain unbeaten when the Little Giants host The College of Wooster in the annual Homecoming football game. Kickoff for the North Coast Athletic Conference matchup is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Wabash enters the contest 3-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play after opening the season with victories over Hampden-Sydney, Wittenberg and Oberlin. The Little Giants have outscored their first two NCAC opponents 65-7, including a 34-7 road victory at Oberlin last Saturday. Wooster comes to Crawfordsville with a 1-2 overall record and a 1-1 conference mark after a 38-0 home loss to Denison.
The Little Giants scored 27 unanswered first-half points at Oberlin. Cole Dickerson and Javon Garry scored rushing touchdowns before Jackson Gilbert connected with Domanic Barnett for two second-quarter touchdown passes. Gilbert completed all seven of his passes for 151 yards and two scores, while Barnett finished with four receptions for 97 yards and a career-high two touchdowns. Dickerson added his fourth rushing touchdown of the season and has scored a touchdown in each of Wabash's first three games.
Wabash has also produced one of the top defensive starts in Division III. The Little Giants limited Oberlin to 101 total yards, including 12 rushing yards, while recording four sacks and forcing two turnovers. Wabash enters Saturday ranked seventh nationally in total defense at 169.0 yards allowed per game, 13th in sacks at 4.0 per contest and 16th in scoring defense at 9.0 points per game. The Little Giants also lead the NCAC in passing yards allowed, sacks and tackles for loss.
Junior defensive end Camden Singer has helped lead that effort. Singer recorded two sacks against Oberlin for the second consecutive game and enters Saturday ranked 12th nationally with 1.33 sacks per game and 19th with 2.0 tackles for loss per contest. Dickerson has provided a similar impact offensively, scoring five total touchdowns through three games, including four on the ground.
Senior quarterback Brand Campbell enters the Homecoming game ranked eighth in Wabash history with 42 career touchdown passes and ninth with 4,423 passing yards. Campbell threw for 104 yards in limited action at Oberlin and is 198 yards behind Connor Rice for eighth place on the school's career passing list. He is three touchdown passes behind Dave Broecker's seventh-place total of 45.
Wooster opened the season with a 22-19 loss to Wilmington before defeating Kenyon 26-19 on the road in its NCAC opener. The Fighting Scots average 246.3 yards of total offense per game, with quarterbacks Michael Boyle and Damon Hooks sharing playing time. Hooks has thrown for 247 yards and a touchdown and leads Wooster with 68 rushing yards, while Chance Bennett leads the receiving corps with 14 catches for 181 yards and a touchdown.
The Fighting Scots have been particularly productive at creating turnovers. Wooster has forced 10 through its first three games, including eight interceptions, and has converted those takeaways into 33 points. Anthony Sines owns four interceptions, Ja'Ontay O'Bryant has three and Cam Crago has one. Crago also leads Wooster with 19 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Saturday marks the 30th meeting between Wabash and Wooster. The Little Giants lead the all-time series 25-4, including a 21-4 record in NCAC games and a 12-2 mark against the Fighting Scots in Crawfordsville. Wabash has won four consecutive meetings and eight of the last 10, including a 34-7 victory at Wooster last season.
Wabash owns a 69-27-8 all-time record in Homecoming games and is 2-0 against Wooster in Homecoming contests. The Little Giants defeated the Fighting Scots 35-7 in 2001 and 48-20 in 2018 in the two previous Homecoming meetings.
ROAD RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE ON JENNISON STREET ON GAME DAY
Jennison Street will be closed from Will Hays Jr. Drive to Sycamore Drive (see the Wabash Campus Map) from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. No parking is allowed along Sycamore Drive. Access to Sycamore Drive will be open from the west by using the roads around the Wabash baseball stadium. Additional parking is available in the grass lot immediately west of the baseball stadium at the corner of Russell Avenue and Milligan Street and in the new paved parking lot on the corner of Grant and Jennison Streets.
