By Ryan Briggs
Grove City SID
After the first week of Division III football competition, one thing is certain in the Great Lakes Region: The offenses are certainly ahead of the defenses early in the season.
No fewer than 10 teams in the region scored at least 40 points Saturday with three eclipsing the 60-point mark. Capital set a school single-game scoring record in a 65-13 win against Anderson while Grove City piled up 68 points against Hiram, the Wolverines' most points on Opening Day since 1930.
Yet, the Wolverines rank second in the Presidents' Athletic Conference in scoring as Waynesburg spoiled Denison's home opener with a 70-14 pasting in Granville, Ohio.
Among the others to light up the scoreboard over the weekend were MIAA preseason favorite Olivet, which amassed 562 rushing yards in a 44-12 win against Defiance; Mount Union, which rolled past visiting UW-Whitewater, 40-17, to earn the Purple Raiders' 43rd consecutive win; and Muskingum, which upset homestanding Thomas More 40-35.
Wooster and Hope combined for 81 points and nearly a half-mile in total offense as the host Fighting Scots held off Hope 45-36 in non-conference action.
Hope outgained the 25th-ranked Fighting Scots 510-345, including 426 passing yards and four touchdowns from quarterback Phil Butler.
But Wooster rattled off 21 unanswered third-quarter points to take control of the game, including Ryan Jayne's 100-yard interception return (at right) for touchdown that turned a potential tie into a 35-21 Wooster lead.
Moments later, a Hope fumble gave Wooster the ball at the Dutchmen 26. Four plays later, Rob Hooper slammed in from the 1, giving Wooster an insurmountable 21-point lead.
"That's a 21-point swing in about 60 seconds," Hope head coach Dean Kreps told the Holland (Mich.) Sentinel. "How big does that look when we lose 45-36? That was the difference in the game right there."
All-American Tony Sutton led Wooster with 130 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns quarterback Justin Schafer threw for two scores and also ran for 78 yards.
Hope's Jeff Eldersveld pulled in seven Butler passes for 176 yards and a touchdown. Six different Hope receivers caught at least two passes, led by Joe VerSchueren's eight catches.
Neither team had a quarterback sack and the offenses combined for 17-for-32 (53 percent) on third-down situations and a 4-for-4 performance on fourth down.
A different 'Rocky' comeback
In 2002, Capital quarterback Rocky Pentello had his season come to a close in the first quarter of the Crusaders' opener with Anderson. Saturday, Pentello made his triumphant return against Anderson, completing 25 of 31 attempts for 278 yards and three touchdowns in Capital's 65-13 victory.
Matt Friesner caught 11 passes for 162 yards and three scores while the Crusaders also ran for four touchdowns, including a 20-yarder from Pentello.
Pentello and Friesner were not the only players to post big outings among the collective offensive explosion last weekend.
Mount Union wide receiver Randall Knapp set a new school record with 310 receiving yards in the Purple Raiders' 40-17 win over UW-Whitewater on Saturday. Knapp pulled in 11 passes, including a pair of scores, as Mount Union won its 85th consecutive regular season game.
Grove City senior fullback Steve Roberts found the end zone five times against Hiram, highlighted by the Wolverines' first punt return for a touchdown since 1994.
There were several standout defensive performances Saturday, however. John Carroll blanked Thiel 42-0 and held the Tomcats to just 11 yards in the second half and six rushing yards on 31 carries.
Meanwhile, Wittenberg frosh Serge Thebaud made an impressive debut as he blocked a punt that resulted in a touchdown and also had seven tackles as the Tigers limited Albion to just 189 yards of total offense in Wittenberg's 34-7 win.
Hairston makes debut Saturday night
Stacey Hairston makes his debut as Ohio Northern's interim head coach Saturday night as the Polar Bears take on Division I-AA non-scholarship Dayton at 7 p.m. Hairston is replacing former head coach Tom Kaczkowksi, who was placed on administrative leave after ONU discovered rules violations in its football program.
Wingin' it
Pundits of the Wing-T will have their choice of all Wing-T games in the Great Lakes region Saturday. Olivet, which racked up 44 points and 562 rushing yards against Defiance last week, will visit Ohio Wesleyan and the Battling Bishops' multi-back attack. Meanwhile, Wing-T schools Carnegie Mellon and Grove City meet in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon in a battle of traditional non-conference rivals. CMU and Grove City combined for 106 points and 538 rushing yards in respective wins against Bethany and Hiram in Week 1.
Game to Watch
Allegheny at Washington and Jefferson, Washington, Pa.: Despite falling at Baldwin-Wallace 45-26 last week, Allegheny is the highlight game once again.
A number of subplots make this game quite interesting. It is the head coaching debut for Washington and Jefferson's Mike Sirianni, who takes over after spending four years as W&J's offensive coordinator. It's also the first game for new President defensive coordinator John Klein, who had been an assistant at PAC rival Westminster (Pa.).
Saturday's game is also the first home night game in Washington and Jefferson history. But there's more.
W&J athletic director Rick Creehan was AD at Allegheny before heading down Interstate 79 to Washington.
Last year, Allegheny shocked W&J 28-25 in Meadville as the Gators forced eight turnovers. The win was the first for Gator head coach Mark Matlak and snapped Allegheny's seven-game losing streak to W&J.
