UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — A furious fourth-quarter rally brought No. 25 Wabash College within three points, but the Little Giants' comeback came up just short in a 31–28 North Coast Athletic Conference loss to No. 16/19 John Carroll University on Saturday afternoon at Don Shula Stadium.
Trailing 31–6 early in the fourth quarter, Wabash (4-1, 2-1 NCAC) threw for 220 yards and a touchdown and ran for another. The comeback started after the Wabash defense provided a spark with a crucial turnover deep in John Carroll (4-1, 3-0 NCAC) territory.
Defensive end Carson Foxen delivered a key strip-sack on John Carroll quarterback Nick Semptimphelter, forcing a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Michael McGinley at the Blue Streaks' 3-yard line. One play later, running back TJ Alexander powered into the end zone, and Campbell connected with Nick Witte for the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 31–14 with 10:06 remaining.
The Wabash defense followed with another stop, and the offense capitalized again. Campbell engineered a 75-yard drive, capping it with a one-yard scoring plunge with 4:34 left. After another defensive stand, Campbell found Witte streaking down the middle for a 45-yard touchdown strike with 1:46 remaining to pull the Little Giants within 31–28.
The Little Giants' comeback effort came after a rough start that saw John Carroll build a commanding first-half lead behind a balanced offensive attack and a big special teams play.
The Blue Streaks opened the scoring midway through the first quarter with a nine-play, 79-yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown pass from Semptimphelter to Cohen Klimak. On Wabash's next possession, John Carroll's Griffin Pay broke through the line to block a punt, and Eric Kasperowicz recovered the loose ball in the end zone to put the Blue Streaks ahead 14–0.
John Carroll extended its lead early in the second quarter when Semptimphelter found Tyren Montgomery for a six-yard touchdown to finish a 72-yard drive. After a Brody Rucker 49-yard field goal briefly cut into the deficit, Semptimphelter connected with Kenneth Rawls on a 17-yard scoring strike with 5:30 left in the first half to make it 28–3.
The Blue Streaks added a Colin Schuler 38-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter before Wabash mounted its late rally.
Rucker's field goals of 49 and 38 yards moved him past Ian MacDougall '14 into third place on the Wabash career list with 27 made field goals. The senior also averaged 40.2 yards per punt and sent two of his four kickoffs for touchbacks.
Wabash completely flipped the momentum after halftime, outgaining John Carroll 222 yards to 66 in total offense over the final two quarters. The Little Giants' defense limited the Blue Streaks to just 3 points in the second half while forcing a key turnover and registering two sacks.
Witte finished with three catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, while Alexander added 52 receiving yards and a rushing score. Running back Xavier Tyler led Wabash with 51 rushing yards and added 33 receiving yards for 84 all-purpose yards.
Defensively, Gavin Ruppert led the Little Giants with 11 tackles, including one for loss, while Gage Gulley added nine stops. Along with Foxen's 30-yard sack-fumble, Dakota Johnson recorded another sack that halted a John Carroll drive in the second quarter.
Semptimphelter led John Carroll by completing 21 of 28 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns. Rawls caught seven passes for 109 yards and a score, while Nemo Jenkins ran for 102 yards on 16 carries.
Wabash, ranked 25th in the latest American Football Coaches Association poll, finished with 288 total yards and converted both of its fourth-down attempts while outscoring John Carroll 22–3 in the second half. The Blue Streaks, ranked 16th by D3football.com and 19th by the AFCA, remained unbeaten in NCAC play with the win.
The Little Giants return to action next Saturday at home against Ohio Wesleyan University at Little Giant Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.