Box Score Reed Florence passed for 271 yards and three touchdowns and Jimmy Dehnke rushed for 137 yards and three scores as No. 20 Wittenberg held off Denison for a 45-27 win from Piper Stadium in Granville, Ohio.
Wittenberg jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the opening two minutes of play thanks to a pair of Jimmy Dehnke touchdown runs. The second Tiger score came after the Big Red fumbled the ensuing kickoff.
With their backs against the wall the Denison offense responded on its third drive of the game. That's when Steven Lilley took a quick handoff from Max Paulus for a 1-yard TD run, capping off a 12-play 65-yard drive.
The DU defense would respond with a three-and-out after a sack by Nat Kell, and senior workhorse Sam Fioroni responded with a 42-yard touchdown run on 1st and 10, tying the game at 14-14 heading into the second quarter.
The Tigers would respond with a big play of their own when Florence hit Brandon Cunningham for a 45-yard scoring strike, to take back the lead, 21-14.
Later in the quarter, Denison place kicker Matt Puracchio connected on a 19-yard field goal with 1:30 left before halftime. The field goal came after Denison marched down the field on a methodical 12-play 64-yard drive that featured nine carries by Fioroni.
After the Denison kickoff landed Wittenberg on its own 28-yard line, the quick strike ability of the Tigers went on full display once again. Florence connected with Cunningham for 28 yards on first down. Then he found Stephen Zumdick for a 31-yard gain down to the DU 7-yard line with 30 seconds left in the half. On the next play, Florence hit a wide open Jonathan Stoner for a 7-yard TD, turning momentum back in the favor of the Tigers and sending DU into the locker room trailing 28-17.
On Denison's second possession of the third quarter, DU went back to the run game and Fioroni. On the 17-play drive that covered 66 yards, Fioroni would log 10 carries and account for 38 yards. The drive would stall on Wittenberg's 9-yard line but Puracchio would convert his second field goal of the game from 26 yards, making it a one score game at 28-20 with 2:20 to play in the third quarter.
The big play would sneak up on the Denison defense once again as Florence tossed a 43-yard TD pass to Jonathhan Stoner after a DU defender fell down in pass coverage.
In the fourth quarter, Paulus would hit Braden Layer on a 19-yard fade pattern for his sixth touchdown catch of the season, setting the final score at 45-27.
Fioroni carried the ball 35 times for a season-high 168 yards. He reached the end zone once while also catching four passes for 49 yards. He needs just 45 yards to surpass 1,000 yards for the second straight season.
Paulus was 17-of-32 for 181 yards and one touchdown. He was sacked three times. His favorite target was Layer who caught seven balls for 89 yards and one TD.
For Wittenberg, Cunningham caught five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. Florence was 15-of-21 for 271 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, Dehnke toted the ball 18 times for 137 yards and three scores.
Defensively for the Tigers, Spencer Leno was everywhere, totaling 17 tackles and one half sack. Kyle Sanning finished with 12 tackles while Mark Swope posted 11 stops.
Denison was led by senior Teddy Kuntz who posted five tackles and two sacks.
The loss drops DU's record to 2-6 overall and 2-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. No. 20 Wittenberg improves to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play. The Big Red hits the road next Saturday for a clash with NCAC newcomer, DePauw. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Greencastle, Ind.
