Three-Peat: DePauw rolls to third straight win in Monon Bell Game

It may have taken a little bit to start cashing in on scoring opportunities, but back-to-back offensive plays sandwiched by an interception proved to be all DePauw (10-0) needed to turn back Wabash, 42-21 Saturday at DePauw, and secure its third straight win in the Monon Bell rivalry. 

Those three plays helped spur an explosive second half for the Tigers and allowed DePauw to pull through when Wabash tried to cut the deficit to one score in the third quarter. 

Not only did the Tigers secure possession of the bell again, the Tigers captured the North Coast Athletic title outright for the fourth straight year, and the win was the 24th consecutive regular season one for DePauw. 

"It feels amazing because this is what we set out to do. Anytime you have a goal, you work really hard to achieve those goals. We are not done with our goals yet for this season, but we are on our way. We are hitting our checkmarks and this is a big one and a big checkmark to get off our list to our ultimate goal," DePauw coach Brett Dietz told GIANT fm WREB after the win. 

Holding onto a 14-7 halftime advantage, the Tigers wasted little time scoring on their first offensive possession of the third quarter, as quarterback Nathan McCahill hit Gabe Quigley on a 75-yard touchdown pass seconds into the frame. Following an interception from Jonathan Bruder, DePauw had another opportunity inside the Wabash 5-yard line. Moments later, Caden Whitehead took a handoff from McCahill and scooted into the end zone, stretching the DePauw advantage to 28-7.

Despite trailing, the Little Giants refused to go away quietly, putting together a 10-play drive that was capped by Cole Dickerson hitting paydirt, cutting the deficit to 28-14. The Tigers responding with a touchdown from Caden Whitehead and another score from Quigley to go up 42-14 with just under four minutes left. 

DePauw had several opportunities in the first half to take total command of the contest. Defensively, the Tigers forced Wabash to punt on its first five possessions, while the offense had three drives that went into Wabash's red zone, but came away empty handed each time, as the Tigers missed a field goal attempt and had a pass from McCahill batted down and then intercepted by Mike Holsclaw at the Wabash 2-yard line. 

After forcing a three and out to open the game, DePauw's offense went on the attack, drawing first blood. The Tigers cracked the scoreboard with a 35 yard pass from McCahill to Lleyton Lukowski. DePauw tacked one more on moments later, as McCahill drilled Gabe Quigley for a 28-yard strike, pushing the lead to 14-0. 

Despite its efficiency on offense, the Little Giants managed to put together a scoring drive right before halftime, as Wabash covered 75 yards and capped the drive with a 16-yard pitch and catch from quarterback Brand Campbell to Connor Thompson, cutting the deficit to 14-7.

With the victory, DePauw posted back to back undefeated regular seasons. 

"It is a great group of kids, and a great group of coaches. Our group is a fantastic group, and these 16 seniors really made us and within those seniors we have fantastic, unbelievable football players. I had just hoped we could achieve our potential and to see us achieve that potential is where it gets really exciting," Deitz said.

McCahill echoed those sentiments. 

"It's very special. We knew with Covid we had a special group coming in four years ago that could elevate this program and to see it come to fruition is pretty nice," he said. 

Next up is the Division III Playoffs for the Tigers, something that excites Deitz and his Tigers.

"I think our kids are going to be excited to show the playoff bracket. We've made the playoffs three straight years and have only won one game in three years. They are not satisfied and we want to do something special in the playoffs. Anytime you win a conference and go to the playoffs, it is special. I am not looking past us winning the conference four straight years, but we have a thing here at DePauw football where we try not to count our success until after the season. We are trying to get better," Dietz said. 

McCahill said the Tigers are different this year than past years entering the tournament. 

"In years past, our goals didn't really go that far past the bar, but the seniors this year made sure to set the bar really high and we are ready for a playoff run, and we don't expect anything less. We are a gritty football team and no matter how the game starts, we are going to finish hard," McCahill said.