SPRINGFIELD — Josh Montgomery’s nickname could be the Human Flyswatter. The sophomore defensive tackle from Reynoldsburg has a knack for getting his hands on passes at the line of scrimmage.

Montgomery leads the line with four pass breakups, and it’s a unique skill because the rest of the line has two pass breakups total. Of course, Montgomery might go the rest of his career without breaking up a pass more important than the one he deflected against Wooster last year. It led to an interception in the final minutes and eventually the touchdown that saved the Wittenberg University football team’s 10-0 regular season.

“It’s one of those things. You’ve either got it or you don’t,” Wittenberg coach Joe Fincham said. “He does have it. He can time the quarterback’s throw and get himself in passing lanes. Montgomery is a really good athlete. He can jump up and grab the rim with two hands. ... He can also sit down to lunch and eat eight plates of food.”

Big hit award: Cornerback Jamaal Everett proudly carried a sledgehammer around after Saturday’s 38-3 victory over Allegheny at Edwards-Maurer Field. For 10-12 years, Wittenberg has been awarding the hammer to the player with the biggest hit. They sign the sledgehammer, write the score of the game on it and keep it in front of their locker for a week.

Many of the signatures from past years have faded away. Everett won the hammer for a hit in the 20-17 victory over Washington University.

The streak: Where does Wittenberg’s 24-game regular-season winning streak rank in NCAA Division III football? Here’s the list of other schools with active regular-season streaks of more than 20 games: Mount Union (56), Wisconsin-Whitewater (26) and Thomas More (24).

Another streak: Ron Sortman, who for many years held the title of football team computer coordinator until new computer programs made that job obsolete, missed his first Wittenberg game since the 1978 Stagg Bowl when the Tigers visited Washington University on Sept. 17. His streak ended at 342 games.

Sortman is the only person to witness victories No. 400, 500, 600 and 700. Assistant coach Rob Linkhart said Sortman still volunteers his time and money to keep the coaches’ offices stacked with chips and pop.

Polls: The Tigers moved from 19th to 16th in this week’s D3Football.com poll. In the American Football Coaches Association poll, they jumped from 18th to 15th.