Posted November 18 2001, 12:40 am
Posted by: Ryan Maurer
ABILENE, Texas - It would be hard to make the argument that it could get better than this. The Wittenberg University Tigers rallied from four deficits to force overtime and finally topple the host Hardin-Simmons University Cowboys by a final score of 38-35. The win moves the Tigers, now 10-1 overall, into the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs for the fourth straight year and sets up a match-up at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky. at noon on Saturday, Nov. 24.
The heroes were many in this one for the Tigers, the No. 5 seed in the North Region bracket who were surprisingly forced to take the longest road trip in school history. They almost didn't get the opportunity to shine, however, as the Tigers continually found themselves fighting from behind against the team ranked No. 6 in the latest American Football Coaches Association poll and the preseason No. 1 choice of Street & Smith's magazine.
The game started ominously as the speedy Cowboys forced Wittenberg to punt on its first possession, then returned that kick deep into Tiger territory. It took HSU, the champion of the American Southwest Conference and the somewhat illogical No. 3 seed in the North Region, five plays to go the last 11 yards as the nation's leader in pass efficiency, junior All-American quarterback Dustin Proctor, dove over the pile for a one-yard touchdown.
That was the first of many holes the Tigers were forced to climb out of in this game. Wittenberg made its first counter-punch with 3:26 left in the first quarter as junior tailback Daniel Grove (Uhrichsville, Ohio/Claymont) rambled four yards to paydirt to knot the score at seven. The score capped an eight-play, 94-yard drive that was highlighted by a big pass play from junior quarterback Greg Cornett (Franklin, Ohio/Franklin) to senior wide receiver Michael Aljancic (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville).
The second quarter was a clinic in ball possession football by the Cowboys, who limited the Tigers to just six offensive plays the entire frame and scored on two long possessions of their own to head into the locker room with a 21-7 lead.
For as lopsided as the second 15 minutes were, the third quarter was comeback time for the Tigers. Using its punishing ground game to churn up both minutes and yards, Grove powered into the end zone on two occasions, scoring from 18 yards out with 10:52 left in the third quarter to cap a five-play, 68-yard drive and then scoring on a nifty 37-yard misdirection pass play with 2:28 left to culminate a six-play, 90-yard drive.
Grove, the North Coast Athletic Conference leader in scoring and touchdowns during the regular season, had three TDs in the game, the fifth straight time in 2001 that he has found the end zone at least three times. It was also the sixth straight 100-yard game for Grove.
So the two teams headed into the final quarter tied at 21. Proctor struck first, scoring on a 13-yard run just 10 seconds into the fourth. The Tigers responded with a 25-yard TD strike from Cornett to Aljancic six minutes later, capping a six-play 60-yard drive that was set up by a clutch interception by senior linebacker Nic Black (Piqua, Ohio/Piqua).
Hardin-Simmons came right back, scoring on a 16-yard pass from Proctor to wideout Joe Lemberg, who had a huge game with six receptions and four long punt returns. The Tigers took over at their own 17-yard line, and offered yet another reply. This time, Wittenberg methodically worked the ball downfield before calling a timeout with 38 seconds left and the ball resting on the HSU two-yard line. After Grove lost three yards on a sweep, the Tigers called their final timeout to set up the fourth down call - which turned out to be a five-yard scoring pass from Cornett to Aljancic.
Sophomore kicker Conrad Hindert (Terrace Park, Ohio/Mariemont) tied the game with an extra point, setting the stage for the final hero of the day. The Tigers stopped one final drive of the Cowboys as time expired, then the defensive line and Black rose up to stop Proctor on a fourth-down scramble on the first possession of overtime. Grove rambled 13, two and three yards on the first three Tiger offensive plays in overtime, setting up Hindert to hit a game-winning 24-yard field goal on third down and send the Tiger fans who had made the long trip into hysterics.
The win was Wittenberg's fourth straight in first-round NCAA Division III Playoffs. It was the second overtime game in school history, and the second time that the Tigers had prevailed against a favored playoff opponent in OT - the previous time being a 1988 first-round defeat of the University of Dayton. Grove finished with 170 yards on 32 rushes, Cornett wound up 18-of-29 for a career-high 315 yards and three touchdowns. And Aljancic had one of the greatest receiving days in Wittenberg history, snagging 10 passes for 214 yards and two scores.
Defensively, junior linebacker Andy Pope (Hamilton, Ohio/Lakota East) and senior defensive tackle Juan Howard (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) each had 10 tackles to pace the Tigers, while Black had nine, including two for loss, and that all-important interception.