Location: Perkins Stadium, Whitewater WI
Time and Date: Noon (CST), Saturday, December 5, 2009
Who are the Tigers?
The Wittenberg University Tigers (Springfield Ohio) visit Perkins Stadium for the D3 Quarterfinals with a 12-0 record. The Tigers qualified for the 2009 D3 playoffs by winning the North Coast Athletic Conference. Wittenberg won their first round game 42-14 over Mt. St. Joseph. Last Saturday, they defeated Trine 34-17.
Defense
The Tigers come into the game boasting the number 1 rated defense in the nation, allowing 172.67 yards per game. They are also the number 1 rated defense in points allowed, giving up an average of 7 points per game. Heading into the playoffs, the Tigers allowed more than 7 points only once all year (giving up 10 points to Allegheney in a 52-10 win on November 7th). None of the Tigers first eight opponents scored a single point in the first half this year.
The Tigers are led by 6'2" 220 lb defensive lineman Eddie Vallery. Vallery, voted the 2009 NCAC Defensive Player of the Year, broke the school record with 15.5 sacks.
Offense
The Tigers are about as balanced offensively as a team can be. They average 228.83 yards rushing per game and 226.92 yards passing per game. The Tigers are led by QB Aaron Huffman, who is the 7th rated passer in the nation. Huffman has thrown for more yards than any QB in Wittenberg History. First Team All Conference junior tailback Corey Weber leads the rushing attack with a 5.6 ypc average and totaling 1145 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Tigers have a triple threat receiving corp. Michael Cooper, Josh McKee, and P. Williams have all caught at least 39 passes and have combined for 2,106 yards and 25 TD's.
The Coach
Joe Fincham is in his 14th season as coach of the Tigers. His overall record is 126-29.
Bet U Didn't Know:
Wittenberg ranks FIRST on the NCAA's list of All Time Winningest D3 Football teams with 677 wins in 115 years of college football.
Biggest Question for Wittenberg
Simply put, the biggest question for the Tigers is whether they are in the same class as UWW. They have dominated the NCAC, but the NCAC is not the WIAC. Last year's NCAC playoff representative, Wabash lost in round 2 to Wheaton 59-29. Two weeks later, Wheaton was dominated by Mount Union 45-24. In 07, NCAC Champion Wabash visited UWW in the quarterfinals and walked away a 47-7 loser. Has enough changed for Wittenberg to compete at UWW's level?
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