DePauw tight end Tyler Leising secures the football, scoring another
touchdown for the Tigers. REBECA BAGDOCIMO / THE DEPAUW
After suffering their first loss of the season two weeks ago to Ohio Wesleyan University, DePauw wasn’t planning on letting another "W" slip before facing Wabash. The Tigers came out on Saturday and promptly slaughtered Oberlin College 53-0.
The game marks the third time this season that the defense has shut out another team, and gives the Tigers the confidence boost they desperately need for the upcoming Monon Bell game.
“Our coaches put together a great game plan, and obviously winning 53-0 goes to show how well we as a team executed this game plan,” said junior receiver Ian Good. “When we follow our game plan as we did Saturday against Oberlin, we can't be stopped.”
Good had the first big touchdown of the day in the second series—a 28-yard reception that was the first of three touchdown throws for junior quarterback Matt Hunt. He connected with senior tight end Tyler Leising for the other two: one, a 59-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter, and the other a four-yard pass towards the end of the half.
While passing made up for 21 points, the other 32 came from the running game—namely junior running back Jason Kirchhoff, who had 86 yards and three touchdowns.
“It was an all-around team win,” said Kirchhoff, “with the defense stepping up and getting the shut out, and the offense being able score points.”
Kirchhoff will need to step up again, along with sophomore quarterback Jake Lasky, to fill in the hole in the running game left by sophomore running back Jack Gruber’s season-ending knee injury he suffered this week. Gruber has accounted for five touchdowns this season and 300 yards.
The defense outmuscled Oberlin, shutting them out despite not being able to force them to turn the ball over once. Senior linebacker Philip Ganser led the team with six tackles, followed by junior linebacker Thomas Gray with five. First-year defensive lineman Nate Orrison had the lone sack of the game.
Of the victory, Orrison said, “When a team has an explosive offense that can score on any play and a defense that never quits, there can be games that turn into blow-outs."
The team obviously has the Monon Bell game in mind, but the prospect of winning the NCAC conference is just as prominent.
“We felt that Oberlin was game two of our three-game conference playoff," Kirchhoff said. "In order to play for the conference championship [against Wabash] we had to beat Denison and then Oberlin—and we did that."
Now, the biggest test of all faces the Tigers: the Monon Bell game against bitter rival Wabash.
“We are a confident team after this great season but we aren't content," Good said. "Our goal is to go 1-0 this week just like the weeks leading up to this. This game means so much to so many people. It will be a hard fought 60 minutes but we will be ready to do what it takes to get that bell back.”
The game will be at 1:07 p.m. at Blackstock Stadium. Look for the special section in Friday’s paper for extended predictions and analysis on the game.