In their consecutive 10-0 seasons of 2009 and 2010, that was the closest the Tigers came to losing. Carnevale’s misses at the end of the fourth quarter and again in overtime gave Wittenberg the opportunity to win that game in Pittsburgh, which they did 27-21 on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Ben Zoeller to Josh McKee.
The No. 23 Tigers (6-1) hope today’s 1 p.m. homecoming game against Carnegie Mellon at Edwards-Maurer Field isn’t as interesting. But the Tartans (4-2) do present a challenge.
“They’re a smart team,” Hurtt said. “They run it well. You never really know where the ball’s going. There are so many people moving at the same time. Another thing about their offense, they eat up the clock. It shortens the game a lot. We have to get stops and get the ball to our offense.”
Last year, Carnegie ran for 307 yards against Wittenberg and had the ball for almost 39 minutes.
“They basically powered it up the middle and got some good push,” Hurtt said. “We didn’t play very well, and we’re looking for some redemption.”
The Tartans average 265 yards per game on the ground this season and beat up on the North Coast Athletic Conference’s worst three teams in the past three games, beating Kenyon 35-14, Hiram 24-7 and Ohio Wesleyan 41-10. They lost to Allegheny 33-13 in the second game of the season, and Wittenberg beat Allegheny 38-3.
Carnegie was idle last week, just as Wittenberg gets next weekend off before its biggest game of the season, at Wabash on Nov. 5.
“It’s not a secret that having a bye week before a big game is nice to have, so you can get healthy,” Wittenberg coach Joe Fincham said.
KICKOFF TIPS
Who: Carnegie Mellon University (4-2) at No. 23 Wittenberg University (6-1)
When: 1 p.m. today
Where: Edwards-Maurer Field in Springfield
Radio: WUSO-FM (89.1) and WIZE-AM (1340)
Webcast: www4.wittenberg.edu/news/athletics/sportsnetwork
Series history: Wittenberg leads 3-2.
Last meeting: Wittenberg won 27-21 in overtime last year in Pittsburgh.
Last week: Wittenberg beat Kenyon 45-7, and Carnegie was idle.
Coaches: Joe Fincham, Wittenberg (16th season, 142-32); Rich Lackner, CMU (26th season, 174-82-2).
Wittenberg notes: Quarterback Ben Zoeller is the third Wittenberg quarterback to pass for 5,000 yards in his career and the only one to do so in only two years as a starter. After throwing for 226 yards against Kenyon, he now has 5,038 yards in his career. He trails only Aaron Huffman (6,446) and College Football Hall of Famer Charlie Green (5,575). ... Sophomore Desi Kirkman has 452 kickoff return yards this season, the second most in Wittenberg history. ... Quarterback Reed Florence leads the NCAC in rushing touchdowns with five.
CMU notes: Lackner ranks eighth among active D-III head coaches in career wins. ... Jake Nardone and Patrick Blanks combined to rush for 177 yards against Wittenberg last year. They are back this year, but Justin Pratt, who led CMU with 137 yards last year, is not. Carnegie attempted just five passes against Wittenberg last year, completing four of them. Last year’s starting QB, Rob Kalkstein, also returns. He averages just under 100 yards a game and has thrown three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Broadcast note: Today’s game and the regular-season finale against Wooster will be shown on tape delay on WWRD-TV 32, which is Time Warner Cable Channel 22 or 997. Today’s game will be aired at 9 a.m. Sunday, the Wooster game will be aired at a time to be determined. The broadcasts are produced by the Tiger Sports Network, with Scott Leo providing play-by-play alongside Jim Scoby. The production crew, including camera operators and directors, is entirely comprised of Wittenberg students studying in the innovative Integrated Media Corps.
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