The College of Wooster football team's (2-6, 1-5 North Coast Athletic Conference) final road trip of the 2024 season takes place on Saturday when the Fighting Scots visit Hiram College (0-6, 0-4 NCAC) for a noon kickoff. Wooster is coming off a 46-21 win over Oberlin College (0-7, 0-5 NCAC), while Hiram lost 41-14 at Ohio Wesleyan University (4-4, 3-3 NCAC) on Saturday.
All-Time Series: Wooster leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1906, 44-5. Wooster won the first meeting 95-0. The Scots have dominated the series of late, with victories in 17 of the last 18 meetings. Wooster logged a 23-game winning streak in the series from 1919-74. The Scots have scored at least 35 points in each of the last eight games in the series played at Hiram.
Last Meeting: Wooster kept the chains moving all afternoon, completing 80 percent of its passes and rushing for 304 yards, while defensively, the Scots held visiting Hiram to 11 rushing yards in a 47-14 Black & Gold Weekend win on October 28, 2023. Then-sophomore quarterback
Chanden Lee (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) went 20-of-25 for 214 yards and two touchdowns. While Wooster had over 550 yards of total offense, there was no true standout. Wooster's 304 rushing yards were spread among six players, with then-sophomore
Shakir Perkins (Austintown, Ohio/Mineral Ridge) (84), then-sophomore
Jarvis Mims Jr. (Baxley, Ga./Appling County) (71), and Lee (57) leading the way. It was a similar story for receiving yards, as then-junior
Andrew Hammer (Uniontown, Ohio/Lake) (96), then first-year
Jace Austin (Youngstown, Ohio/Chaney) (56), and then-junior
Brazos Gadler (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek) (49) led the way. Defensively, then-senior
Neil Clayton (Boydton, Va./Bluestone) had two of Wooster's four sacks.
Offense Notes: Wooster has lost just one fumble through eight games this fall, and that total ranks seventh nationally. There are now just six teams within Div. III who have yet to lose a fumble this fall. Wooster is allowing under a sack per game, placing the team in the top-45 nationally in fewest sacks allowed. Gadler is coming off a career day with 11 receptions, 163 yards, and three touchdowns. The receptions and receiving yards marked new career-highs, while the three receiving touchdowns matched his career-best. Gadler logged 382 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 22 receptions over three career games against Oberlin. Sophomore quarterback
Michael Boyle (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) has completed 54-of-94 passes for 726 yards and nine touchdowns in three collegiate starts.
Defense Notes: Sophomore
Isaac LaFay (Canal Fulton, Ohio/Northwest) moved into a tie with Clayton for the team lead with three sacks on the year. Wooster is up to 15 sacks after a five-sack afternoon at Oberlin. First-year
Amari Lee (Marion, Ark./Marion) logged a second interception on the year and is tied for the team lead. Wooster is at eight interceptions on the year, with Lee, junior defensive back
Louie Lindsay (Waynesboro, Pa./Waynesboro Area Senior) and sophomore
Wyatt Wilkie (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) all having two. Junior linebacker
Wyatt Harris (Cave Creek, Ariz./Notre Dame Preparatory) is over 50 tackles on the year, while Lindsay and Wilkie are both five shy of hitting 50 on the year.
Special Teams Notes: Wooster is one of nine teams nationally with at least two kickoff return touchdowns on the season. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater leads the country with three kickoff return touchdowns. Both of Wooster's kickoff return touchdowns have started games. Senior
Carter Warstler (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus Academy) started the year with a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown in the season-opener against Wilmington College. Gadler logged a kickoff return touchdown from 85 yards out in last Saturday's win at Oberlin. Wooster is 228 kickoff return yards away from setting a program record for kickoff return yards in a season.
