The DePauw
Little Giants to claim Monon Bell victory
Usually, when a 4-5 football team with an inexperienced freshman quarterback faces off against an 8-1 program with an all-state offensive player of the year under center, predictions for the game are fairly easy to make. For the upcoming Monon Bell Classic game, however, that is not the case.
First, it would be unfair to call Matt Hunt the average first-year quarterback. He is averaging 213 passing yards per game, throwing for 14 touchdowns in only eight games for the Tigers. Hunt's 1701 yards thus far this season beats out Wabash College quarterback Michael Putko by almost 300 yards. After an 0-2 start to his college career, Hunt has won four of his last five games. The lone loss comes at the hands of the College of Wooster, who the Tigers lost to by only three points on Nov. 2.
The Tigers will be returning their leader in all-purpose yards, senior tail back Nikko Sansone. It is hard to imagine Sansone as a non-factor in the last game of his college career. After all, he is averaging 147 all-purpose yards per game, 42 percent of the Tigers offense on the average game. This, however, isn't the average game.
Sansone will have trouble against the third-best run defense in the nation, giving up only 63 yards per game. Sansone, senior Armani Cato and sophomore Amen Galley need to mind their Ps and Qs against the Wabash defense, led by linebackers Nate Scola and Cody Buresh.
One thing is for certain: the Wabash offense will have a big game. Putko and company puts up 48 points a game, including 69 against Hanover College and 66 against Hiram College. The Little Giants offense puts the team in a position to score on every drive.
Furthermore, DePauw's defense has given up touchdowns in the red zone 72 percent of the time this season. Combine that with the loss of junior linebacker Garrett Rice to injury, who had two interceptions earlier this year, and senior defensive tackle Pat Keller, an offensive lineman's worst nightmare, and the chances of keeping Wabash under 21 points seems slim to none.
The Tigers' chances of winning falls on the shoulders of their 6-foot-5-inch star wide out, senior Barry Flynn. Flynn wouldn't be put under the pressure that Sansone will have to endure with Wabash's front seven. The tallest player in the Little Giants' secondary is 6-foot-1-inch sophomore safety Justin Woods. The Little Giants' starting corners, who both stand at 5 feet 9 inches, will barely be able to get a hand up against Flynn. Even against double coverage, and less time in the pocket for Hunt, a simple game of pitch and catch between the two will be hard to defend.
Two weeks ago, Flynn had eight receptions for 130 yards and three touchdowns against Wooster, tying a school record. Expect a similar stat line on the biggest stage of the Tigers' season.
At the end of the day, with nationally ranked players on both sides of the ball, Wabash has upper hand, and is the favorite to win. Nevertheless, Little Giant head coach Erik Raeburn and the rest of his staff will leave Nick Mourouzis field shaking in fear of what next year may hold.
Prediction: Wabash 40, DePauw 27
- Eric St. Bernard is sports editor of The DePauw.
The Bachelor
Drama won't keep Wabash from the win
A poor start doomed Wabash College Saturday in its only loss of the season to Wittenberg University. Mental errors and bad fundamentals spotted the Tigers a 14-0 lead after one quarter, and a 28-3 lead at the half. The Little Giants will need to start much better this Saturday to retain the Monon Bell for a fifth consecutive year.
Four decisive Bell game victories by a combined score of 147-26 have given a notion of dominance in the rivalry by Wabash. A quick DePauw deficit would remove its confidence that things will be different this year. To their credit, the Tigers have some solid wins en route to a 4-4 conference record. They easily handled Oberlin College 45-11, and upset Ohio Wesleyan University on the road, 23-21.
DePauw is also streaking. It has won four of its last five with the only loss coming by three points to Wooster. Coach Bill Lynch has returned to the Tiger sidelines and entrusted his offense to first-year quarterback Matt Hunt, and he has delivered. The Indianapolis native has thrown 14 touchdowns to just three interceptions, and averaged over 200 yards passing.
Nine of Hunt's touchdowns have gone to senior receiver Barry Flynn. The tall receiver will cause matchup issues for the Wabash secondary. To further complicate matters, cornerback junior Houston Hodges and sophomore safety Justin Woods will not be available in the first half. Wittenberg's big receivers used their bodies well against Wabash shielding the defender from the ball. The Tigers will undoubtedly try the same approach with their go-to playmaker, and the Little Giants need to do a better job tightening down the coverage.
However, Saturday will serve as the biggest game of Hunt's young career. Little Giant pass rushers will need to make him uncomfortable early in the pressure-packed contest. Junior Cody Buresh and senior Nate Scola are third and fourth in the conference's sack rankings with 10 and 8.5 sacks, respectively. If Hunt struggles to find a rhythm, it should spell a long day for the Tigers as they are not likely to find success on the ground against Wabash's conference-low 63.4 yards-rushing allowed.
Wabash's offense will need a fast start also as Saturday showed it is not built to play catch up. The unit had little success in coming up with quick-strike-scoring plays to eliminate Wittenberg's lead. When successful, the Little Giants have pounded the ball on the ground and mixed in a variety of play-action and quick-screen passes. Wabash tops the conference in rushing with almost 240 yards-per-game, despite five running backs receiving a significant amount of carries at some point this season.
Saturday's Bell game should provide a little more drama than in recent memory, but a ticked off, hungry Wabash team will set the tone early and remind everyone its football program is still on a higher level than DePauw.
Prediction: Wabash 31, DePauw 10
- Jocelyn Hopkinson is the sports editor for The Bachelor, Wabash College's student newspaper.