The Battle for the Old Red Lantern: Saturday's matchup between Denison and Wooster will be the 85th meeting between the two teams. The series started in 1889, with Wooster holding a slight 40-37-7 advantage in the all-time series. This game also marks the 22nd "Battle for the Old Red Lantern," a commemorative train lantern representative of the teams' mode of transportation during the series' earliest matchups. It was established in 1989 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of this rivalry. The Fighting Scots are 11-9-1 in Old Red Lantern games, while the Big Red have won back-to-back matchups and four of the last five.
How to Watch: It is Big Red Weekend on the campus of Denison University. Tickets are available at the entrance to Piper Stadium 90 minutes prior to kickoff. Food Trucks will be on campus from 10 a.m. until kickoff at 1 p.m. They will be located in front of the Mitchell Center. If you can't make it to Piper Stadium, The Denison Sports Network is providing live video and audio of the contest beginning at 12:45 p.m. The broadcast team of Will Hibbard (play-by-play) and Alex Kaufman (color) will be describing the action.
Scouting the Big Red: Denison is 2-0 after a pair of blowout victories over Marietta and Oberlin. Last Saturday, the Big Red jumped out to a 33-0 halftime lead en route to a convincing 54-7 victory. Sophomore wide receiver David Weimar logged his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game, finishing with nine catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. Fellow sophomore Canaan Gebele returns under center. He has completed 70 percent of his passes and is averaging 244 yards per game.
Scouting the Fighting Scots: Wooster enters with a record of 1-2. The Scots are coming off a 35-24 loss to DePauw. Starting quarterback Gary Muntean has completed 86-of-141 attempts for 1,165 yards. The junior is on pace to throw for over 3,800 yards this season. On defense, sophomore linebacker Marcus Bowers averages 11 tackles per game, fourth-best in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
Gebele Named POTW: Quarterback Canaan Gebele was named NCAC Offensive Player of the Week after leading the offense in Denison's win over Oberlin. In the 54-7 victory, Gebele completed 20-of-32 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown. He also added 135 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 75-yard rushing TD.
Weimar at Wideout: Sophomore David Weimar is quickly becoming Gebele's favorite target. He has started the season with 19 receptions for 254 yards and two TDs in two games. His 9.5 receptions per game is ninth in the NCAA. Weimar is also averaging 39.5 yards per punt.
Baird Claws: Senior safety Andrew Baird is leading the team with 15 tackles this season. He has 267 for his career, second-most all-time. The record is held by Tim Koprowski, who amassed 335 tackles from 2001-04.
Dunn Splits the Uprights: Senior kicker Conor Dunn made 4-of-5 field goal attempts last week. This season, he has made all 10 extra point attempts and 6-of-7 field goals. His 19 career field goals is tied for second all-time, behind only Matt Puracchio, who made 23 field goals from 2011-14.
Hatem Approaches a Milestone: With his next win, head coach Jack Hatem will move into a tie for third-most wins in program history. In the middle of his seventh season, Hatem has a record of 35-27. Since starting play in 1892, Denison has had 20 head coaches. Keith Piper, who coached from 1954-1992, holds the record with 200 career victories, while Walter Livingston, who coached from 1911-26, is in second place with 76 wins.
