The DePauw Tigers pulled at 54-14 over Oberlin College.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PARKER SCHWARTZ
While it was touted as a matchup between two “new look” teams, DePauw’s (4-1, 3-1) 54-14 victory over Oberlin College (1-4, 1-3) looked very similar to the pair’s meeting last year.
In their meeting in Greencastle last year, the Tigers scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to blow the game wide open. On Saturday, those 21 points came right out of the gate as the Tigers rolled to their third straight victory.
The Tigers imposed their continually improving rushing attack upon the Yeomen defense, which has allowed over 47 points per game in their first five games. As a team, the Tigers ran wild on the Yeomen for 332 yards and five scores.
It was sophomore running back Jason Kirchhoff who led the way for the Tigers. He ran for 118 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Junior Amen Galley chipped in with 62 yards of his own, and first-year Jack Gruber contributed with three touchdowns.
“I thought the offensive line did a great job throughout the entire game, allowing our rushing game to be very productive across the board,” Kirchhoff said.
That solid rushing attack helped the Tigers dominate the time of possession battle and kept the Yeoman offense off of the field. DePauw held the ball for over 35 minutes of play, something that Kirchhoff thought was key.
“It’s very important and I think the offense did a great job of converting on third downs which helps us to win the time of possession battle,” Kirchhoff said.
While the running backs torched the Yeomen defensive front, sophomore quarterback Matt Hunt got to work tearing up a weak Oberlin secondary.
"Establishing the run is huge,” Hunt said about his running backs. “More than 50 percent of our passing game was play action on Saturday and it opened up on several occasions.”
In arguably his best statistical performance of 2014, Hunt completed 75 percent of his passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, completing passes to eight different receivers. He also helped out on the ground, carrying the ball four times for 27 yards.
The Tigers got to work early, marching 55 yards on seven plays in over five minutes. Gruber capped off the drive with a 13-yard scamper to put the Tigers up a touchdown.
“Having so many weapons is huge for me, because I know that I just have to get the ball in their hands and they will make plays,” Hunt said. “I think that is one thing I learned this week especially is not to force the ball and just get the ball in their hands.”
After the ensuing kickoff, DePauw junior, Ham Hooper, intercepted an Oberlin pass on their first play from scrimmage. The Tigers capitalized as Gruber found the endzone for the second time eight plays later to put DePauw up by two touchdowns.
While the offense got the Tigers out in front early, the defensive unit made sure the Yeomen couldn’t make a comeback.
“As a whole, the defense is communicating great with each other and as a group, we understand and work together very well,” senior defensive end Craig Neece said. “We’re just really playing great as a team.”
Four times the Tigers intercepted Oberlin quarterback Lucas Poqqiali, while allowing him to throw for less than 200 yards.
The DePauw run defense was stout as well; no Yeomen rusher had more than 30 yards on the ground and the collective unit was held to a total of 79 yards.
Now the Tigers move into the second half of the season with their best start since their final year in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference when they won their first nine games of the season.
The road ahead won’t be as friendly for the Tigers, however. They will play three of their remaining five games away from Blackstock Stadium where they are currently undefeated.
The way things are shaping up among other NCAC teams, DePauw’s week nine game against The College of Wooster and the season finale against Wabash College could have significant postseason implications for all parties involved.
As they stand after week six, Wooster sits one spot behind the Tigers in third place, while Wabash remains undefeated at 5-0.
Next up for the Tigers is a date with the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan University at Blackstock Stadium on Saturday in an odd setting. With the game falling on the first day of DePauw’s Fall Break, attendance at the NCAC matchup could be significantly lower than normal.
Kirchhoff and the rest of the Tigers, however, are still focused on the task at hand. Said Kirchhoff: “While the support from the students is great to have, our main focus is what goes on between the lines.”