You can't blame them for trying - but it just didn't work for the fourth straight year.
Despite trick plays and new offensive formations, the DePauw football team was beaten by Wabash College in the Monon Bell Classic.
In the 119th installation of the rivalry Saturday afternoon, the visiting Tigers didn't score one touchdown, crossed midfield just once, and never threatened the Little Giant defense in the red zone. The Wabash running attack ran free for much of the game, and the Little Giants retained the Monon Bell for the fourth straight year, 23-0. In the past three Monon Bell games, DePauw has been outscored, 115-7.
"Our defense was fantastic today," Wabash head coach Erik Raeburn said.
"All in all, a great effort, and I'm really proud of our seniors who are graduating all four years with the bell," he said.
Early on, the bell was up for grabs as both offenses couldn't sustain drives to score. However, DePauw did unveil a new wrinkle not seen throughout the entire season.
On the Tigers' first offensive possession, junior running back Armani Cato lined up in the wildcat formation and charged ahead after receiving the snap. The play didn't catch the Little Giants' defense off-guard, and Cato was stopped at the line of scrimmage.
In the second offensive series, sophomore Drew Seaman and freshman Justin Murray, both quarterbacks, lined up on the field for the first time together. Murray was split out wide to the right, and Seaman threw a screen pass to him for a gain of four yards.
The only reason why Wabash remained scoreless till five minutes in to the second quarter was because of nine penalties that killed momentum and called back big plays. But for Wabash's first touchdown, it was a DePauw penalty that kept the drive alive.
Little Giants' quarterback Chase Belton heaved a pass to the left corner of the end zone from the Tigers' 26-yard line. Senior defensive back Myron Burr was called for pass interference, and two plays later, Belton found Sean Hildebrand wide open for a 13-yard touchdown.
At halftime, Wabash led 9-0 after a missed extra point attempt and a field goal. Despite the Little Giants being penalized 14 times for 104 yards, the Tigers could not muster any good scoring chances.
DePauw's defense struggled containing the Wabash running game. The Little Giants amassed 145 yards on the ground while Belton threw for 65. Belton was just 5-15 at the half, but had 60 yards on the ground to go along with 92 from running back Tyler Holmes.
"Every yard he got was because of guys doing the wrong things," DePauw head coach Scott Srnka said. "It wasn't necessarily they were whipping us up front. We weren't doing what we were supposed to do."
It didn't get any better for the Tigers in the second half as another penalty dimmed hopes of a win. After forcing a three-and-out on Wabash's first offensive series, punt returner Taylor Wagner caught the ball on a run and tore through the middle of the field toward the right sideline. He made it all the way down around the Little Giants' 30-yard line, but freshman Hamm Hooper was called for roughing the kicker, and Wabash retained the ball.
"We had a freshman trying to do a good thing and made a mistake," Srnka said. "I hate it because that was critical. They ended up scoring on that drive. Sometimes that happens."
The Little Giants, led by seven carries from Holmes, capitalized on DePauw's miscue. Holmes capped off the 12-play, 72-yard drive with a nine-yard run up the middle. The junior broke one tackle then dived across the end zone to extend the Little Giants' lead, 16-0.
While the Wabash running game found success, it was the opposite for DePauw.
Cato gained 25 yards on the ground on just five carries as the Tigers attempted to utilize the versatile running back on screen passes. However, Wabash was prepared for the schemes, and Cato caught just two passes for negative two yards.
"We've had so much adversity this year," DePauw senior linebacker Cody Crook said. "I can't say how proud I am of my teammates and the coaching staff. Losing the bell all four years sucks, and that's tough to deal with."
DePauw totaled 142 yards to Wabash's 432. On third down conversions, the Seaman-and-Murray-led offense was just three of 14. Seaman finished the day 14-31 for 103 yards while Murray was 2-7 for four yards.
The 2-8 season finish is the Tigers's worst record since 1994. Srnka said he's already challenged his 20 juniors to think about next year and how to get the program on the right track again.
"I think with a strong recruiting class, we can get this ship going exactly where it was in the past and moving ahead," Srnka said. "It's going to take a lot of hard work from our guys who are here."