Oberlin, Ohio – After a week off, the Oberlin College football team returns to action on Saturday, hosting the Wittenberg University Tigers at 4 p.m.
What: Oberlin College (1-4, 0-3 NCAC) vs. Wittenberg University Tigers (4-1, 3-0 NCAC)
When: Saturday, October 14, 4:00 p.m.
Where: Oberlin, Ohio (Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex)
Online Coverage:
Live Video |
Live Stats
TV: Oberlin Sports Network App on Amazon Fire, Roku, and AppleTV
Inside the Series …
The first meeting between the two schools was in 1894 when Oberlin shutout Wittenberg 12-0 … Oberlin went on to win the next 11 games between the years 1894 and 1935 … However, more recently the Tigers have had the Yeomen's number, winning 22 in a row … Despite being in the same conference, the two foes have played just 42 times over the years with Wittenberg leading the series 30-12 … The Yeomen's last win against the Tigers came in 1954 when they won 28-6 … The closest meeting in recent history was in 2010 when the Tigers escaped town with a 27-21 win … The Yeomen led twice in the game and were driving for a potential go-ahead score, but the Tigers forced a turnover with less than a minute to go to put the game away.
Scouting the Tigers …
The Tigers come in as one of three teams who are still unbeaten in NCAC play this season and are fresh off a 21-7 win over Hiram last week … Wittenberg is averaging 398 yards per game, which is fifth best in the NCAC … Fifth-year wide receiver Dean Tate has wreaked havoc on opposing defenses, leading the conference and ranking 16th in the nation with 117.2 yards per game … Their offense is averaging 32 points per game and is diverse in its approach with 10 touchdowns on the ground and 12 through the air … Garrett Gross and Bryce Anderson make-up the league's best 1-2 punch in the backfield as they have combined for 785 yards and seven touchdowns …Tyre Smith leads the defense with 37 tackles, which includes 2.5 sacks.
Talking Tackles …
Brandon Hall and
Luca Friedman have been two of the NCAC's top tacklers so far this season … In the team's last game against DePauw the duo combined for 28 stops with Hall notching a career-high 15 … Hall is currently second in the league with an average of 8.8 tackles per game, while Friedman sits fourth in the conference with eight stops per contests … Through five games they have combined for 84 tackles.
Red Alert …
The Yeomen have been one of the more stingy team's in the NCAC this season in terms of red zone defense, ranking third in the NCAC by allowing opponents to get points just 76.7 percent of the time … In 30 trips, the Yeomen have surrendered 21 TDs and two field goals … Oberlin is also just one of three teams in the NCAC to have two takeaways in the red zone … Wittenberg on the other hand has given up points on 14 of 15 drives inside the red zone, allowing 11 touchdowns and three field goals as their 93.3 opponent success rate is last in the league.
Big Play Burke …
Over the last two games freshman
Cameron Burke has scored both of Oberlin's touchdown's on two deep passes … Against the Little Giants of Wabash he hauled in a 46-yard TD and against DePauw he corralled a 60-yard touchdown that tied the game at 7-7 in the first quarter … Those two plays mark his lone catches of the year and put him second on the team with 106 receiving yards, while he and
Connor Steele are tied atop the team stats with two TD receptions.
No Penalties, No Problem …
The Yeomen have done an outstanding job in limiting penalties so far this season, surrendering a league-low 188 penalty yards through five games … Oberlin has committed just 29 violations so far this year for an average of 37.6 penalty yards per game.
