The Little Giants rack up nearly 48 points per game to their opponent average of 10 points per game.
That statistic describes powerhouse Wabash College and its 8-1 season thus far. Their most impressive wins include a 69-0 season opener against Hanover College, and a 66-0 win two weeks ago against the Hiram College Terriers. The point is, Wabash is good. Very good.
Their scoring offense and scoring defense statistics rank as the best in the conference and fifth and fourth in the nation amongst Division III schools respectively. This combination of stellar offense and shut-down defense has led to Wabash's great season thus far, winning eight games in a row until their 35-17 defeat last week at the hands of Wittenburg University. DePauw senior wide receiver Barry Flynn said this will affect the way they play on Saturday.
"They are one of the top teams in the conference, just now having their first loss against Wittenburg last week so you know they are going to be fired up," Flynn said.
The Little Giants are currently ranked 17th nationally on the D3football.com Top 25, reaching as high as 13th during the season.
Their success can be attributed also to the great plays by their leaders in the key positions on both sides of the ball. Anchoring a defense that allows only 63 rushing yards per game, third best in the nation, is senior linebacker Nate Scola. Out of his 62 total tackles amounted so far this season, an astounding 22 of those were tackles for losses. He averages 2.5 tackles for loss per game, tied for second nationally.
Another big contributor at the linebacker position is junior Cody Buresh. His 10 sacks on the season rank sixth in the nation and are a big reason why Wabash leads the conference in sacks with 35.
On the opposite side of the ball several sophomores have been putting up very big numbers for Wabash. Leading the offense is sophomore quarterback Michael Putko. Although the offense does not center on passing as much as other teams, averaging only about 22 pass attempts per game, Putko performs at a very high level. His accuracy on his throws and ability to stray away from turnovers helps out an offense that is third in the conference in pass efficiency. Putko also has a 63.5 percent completion rate, which ranks fourth in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
Wabash has an absolutely stellar rushing game on offense, ranking first in the conference in rushing yards per game, average yards per carry and rushing touchdowns.
Leading this rushing attack is a pair of sophomores in Mason Zurek and Anthony Stella. Zurek has been especially great in the five games he has played so far this season, rushing for 506 yards on only 63 attempts. That adds up to 101 yards per game and an unbelievable eight yards per carry.
The DePauw players recognize the lofty challenge that is ahead and are doing all they can to prepare for the game. Senior running back Nikko Sansone offered his opinion on Wabash.
"They are a great program and have been for a long time. This will be my third Monon Bell game and just like the two years before they were a powerhouse," he said. "All the respect to them and their success."
Flynn agrees and knows it will be a tough fight.
"They are going to come out ready to play us hard and we have to understand that and match their energy."