Southern Indiana Today

Winning Streak Ends In Monon Bell

The Wabash College football team's five-game winning streak and march to a North Coast Athletic Conference title ended Saturday on a cold, snowy day in Greencastle. DePauw forced three turnovers and returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a 49-14 win over the Little Giants in the 128th Monon Bell Classic.
 
Wabash finished the season with an overall record of 7-3 with a 6-2 mark in the NCAC, tying Denison for second place.
 
Junior quarterback Liam Thompson set the Wabash and conference single season passing record with 3,588 yards, but the Tigers made it a long afternoon for the reigning NCAC Player of the Year. Thompson fumbled on Wabash's opening drive, threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, and was sacked six times.
 
"They were much more physical on both sides of the ball than we were and played at a higher level than they had all year," said Wabash Coach Don Morel
 
DePauw took the opening kick and rode workhorse running back Gus Bumgartner right down the field, going 75 yards on 10 plays – aided by a pass interference penalty on Wabash – to take a 7-0 lead.
 
From there, it looked like the offensive shoot-out that the massive crowd of 7,988 expected would play out despite the winter-like conditions. Thompson looked in control guiding Wabash on a 14-play drive in response, mixing passes and quarterback keepers all the way to the DePauw 16-yard line. But on second-and-four from the 16, Thompson took off up the middle and was pounded by Ethan Lowery, who forced a fumble that was recovered by Luke Marsh.
 
Wabash's defense stepped up and forced punts on DePauw's next two drives, but the Tigers' defense – the top-ranked unit in the NCAC – kept Thompson and the Little Giants out of rhythm.
 
"They were super aggressive with corner blitzes," Coach Morel said. "We anticipated this and practiced for it all week, but they forced Liam into some tough situations. They were able to bring pressure and maintain coverage at the same time, which made it really hard for Liam. He would look to his first receiver and if he was covered, there just wasn't enough time to look for other targets."
 
Following a three-and-out and a 17-yard punt, DePauw took over at its own 48-yard-line early in the second quarter. Bumgartner rushed for 22 yards and senior quarterback Wally Renie hit Trey Shaw on back-to-back plays, the latter a 23-yard pass in the endzone and the Tigers led 14-0.
 
Another three-and-out by Wabash gave DePauw all the momentum. Bumgartner ripped off runs of 18 and 10 yards, Drew Moore more carried four times for 18 yards, and Renie found Gabe Quigley from seven yards out and DePauw led 21-0.
 
Wabash's huge crowd was still in it. They remembered the Little Giants' epic comeback from a 21-0 deficit in 2021, but it was not to be. Wabash went three-and-out on the next drive and Tigers marched down the field just before halftime. The Tigers appeared ready to take a four-touchdown lead, but Giovonni Zappala picked off Renie's pass at the goal line, which effectively ended the half.
 
Wabash's promising second-half start came to a screeching halt when Thompson, under pressure, heaved the ball downfield. The pass was knocked away by Matthew Coons into the arms of Jake Comer, who raced 54 yards for the pick-six and a 28-0 DePauw lead.
 
Thompson rallied after his second turnover, hitting his brother Connor Thompson on back-to-back completions, scrambling for 18 yards, and connecting on a couple of passes to his reliable junior co-captain, Cooper Sullivan. Wabash finally got on the scoreboard with 9:38 to play in the third quarter when Thompson hit Heisman Skeens from two yards out to cap an 11-play, 72-yard drive.
 
Wabash's defense used the momentum to force a three-and-out, and Thompson drove Wabash 64 yards on nine plays – and things appeared to be swinging the Little Giants' way. But DePauw's pressure got to Thompson, who tried to throw the ball away, but Brevon Gude picked off the pass and raced 75 yards for a 35-7 Tiger lead.
 
Wabash added a late touchdown when Thompson hit junior tight end Penn Stoller on a four-yard pass.
 
Thompson finished his junior season hitting 24-of-41 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 68 yards – but he gave back 29 yards in sacks. For the year, he set single-season records for both passing yards (3,588) and total offense (3,946 yards). His 34 touchdown passes ranks second only to Jake Knott's record of 35.
 
Snyder finished with 80 yards rushing on 20 carries. Sullivan led the Wabash receiving corps with eight catches for 79 yards. Derek Allen Jr. caught six for 64 yards, Skeens had three receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown, and Stoller had five catches for 29 yards and a score
 
Rookie linebacker Gavin Ruppert led the defense with 10 tackles, including one for a loss. Junior linebacker Joe Rios had eight stops, and Zappala and Owen Volk each had six tackles.
 
"I'm really proud of our kids," added Morel. "We finished 7-3 with losses to the top-ranked team in the country and teams with one [DePauw] and two [Denison] losses. Obviously, there are areas we need to improve on next year, and we'll get started on that on Monday."
 
Bumgartner finished with 155 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Renie connected on 13-of-19 passes with four touchdowns.
  

Original source can be found here.