The feeling after that 24-21 loss is in the back of the players’ minds this week. No. 15 Wittenberg (3-0, 2-0) plays Denison (3-0, 2-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Edwards-Maurer Field in Springfield.
“They’re a great team,” Ferko said. “We know that. We have to come out here and play the best game we’ve ever played. They’re one of those teams if you don’t come out with everything in line, ready to go, they’re going to beat you. We’ve been practicing hard. We’re locked in.”
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Wittenberg coach Joe Fincham hopes his players have an edge to them in this game. Denison hasn’t won in Springfield since 1952.
“When we lose a game around here, it should stick in your crawl,” Fincham said. “Denison outplayed us, outched us and the whole nine yards.”
Neither Wittenberg or Denison have been tested in their first two conference games. The Tigers beat Oberlin and Kenyon by a combined score of 82-11. Denison routed Allegheny and Oberlin by a 107-43 margin.
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Denison leads the NCAC in scoring offense (52.0 points per game) and total offense (616.7). Quarterback Canaan Gebele completed 33 of 47 passes for 375 yards against Wittenberg last season. He also rushed 18 times for 81 yards.
This season, Gebele, now a junior, ranks second in the conference with 323 passing yards per game. He has 10 touchdown passes and no interceptions. He ranks third in the conference with 102.7 rushing yards per game.
“Offensively, it’s crazy how good they are,” Wittenberg coach Joe Fincham said. “Their quarterback looks like stinking Johnny Manziel running around.”
Around the NCAC: Denison, Wittenberg, DePauw and Wabash are all 3-0 overall and off to 2-0 starts in the NCAC. Wabash plays at Wooster this week and then hosts Denison next week. Wittenberg plays at DePauw and Wabash in consecutive weeks (Oct. 21 and 28). Wabash ranks 25th in the D3Football.com poll. Denison and DePauw are among the teams receiving votes.
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