ADA, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers were bidding to become the first non-Division I program to win 700 games all-time, but that will have to wait until the 2011 season. Wittenberg couldn't parlay a hard-nosed defensive effort into an NCAA Division III Tournament victory in a 37-14 loss at Ohio Northern.
The Tigers ended the season with a 10-1 overall record after winning a second consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championship and posting the 19th undefeated regular season in program history. Ohio Northern, runner-up in the Ohio Athletic Conference to second-ranked Mount Union, improved to 10-1 overall and advanced to take on the top seed in the regional bracket, North Central.
Wittenberg was undone by turnovers as junior quarterback Ben Zoeller (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) threw a school record seven turnovers. Continually working with a short field, the Polar Bears made the Tigers pay with drives of 27 yards, 39 yards, 41 yards and 52 yards before putting the final nail in the coffin with an 89-yard touchdown run with 7:27 left to play.
ONU led 17-0 by the end of the first quarter thanks to a safety, a 10-yard touchdown pass and a one-yard touchdown run, capped by a two-point conversion. Another one-yard TD run came in the second quarter to put the Polar Bears ahead 24-0.
Wittenberg outplayed ONU for much of the second half, but the Tigers managed just two truly bright moments - a school-record tying 100-yard interception return by junior linebacker Zach Hurtt (Fort Thomas, Ky./Highlands) in the third quarter and a five-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Reed Florence (South Charleston, Ohio/Southeastern) to senior wide receiver Bill French (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) with 19 seconds left on the clock. Florence engineered the 80-yard touchdown drive with six completions in eight attempts and a seven-yard run.
While the interceptions will get the headlines, the lack of a consistent rushing attack hindered the Tigers as well. The tailback duo of senior Corey Weber (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) and junior Conner Warye (Maineville, Ohio/Kings)combined for just 31 yards on 12 carries in the game.
The offense's struggles taxed the Tiger defense, which was led by senior linebacker Brad McKinley (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) with 13 tackles to run his career total to 417, third-most in school history. Two of his tackles were for loss. Hurtt added 11 tackles and fumble recovery and the aforementioned interception, while senior defensive end Eddie Vallery (South Solon, Ohio/Madison Plains)chipped in with 11 tackles as well.
Also of note was the play of sophomore cornerback Jamaal Everett (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) with eight tackles and senior defensive end Nic Wolfe (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont), who added seven tackles, including two sacks for a loss of 12 yards.