Freshman quarterback Jeremy Robinson (Roswell, Ga./Milton) fired a 17-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Deji Adebiyi (Canton, Mich./Plymouth) on the opening possession of the game and senior running back Jesse Beachy (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) scored on a 7-yard run to bring the Bishops within 14-13 at halftime, but 20th/22nd-ranked Wittenberg pulled away in the fourth quarter and posted a North Coast Athletic Conference win over Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday at Selby Stadium.

Sophomore running back Trey Dixon (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) returned the opening kickoff 35 yards to the Ohio Wesleyan 45-yard line, and on the second play from scrimmage, Robinson hit junior wide receiver Sasoun Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) for 35 yards and a first down at the Wittenberg 17.  On the following play, Robinson found Adebiyi for the touchdown and Ohio Wesleyan led, 7-0, less than 90 seconds into the contest.

Wittenberg answered with a scoring drive, with Jake Kennedy finding Thad Snodgrass for 13 yards on a third-and-12 call from the Tiger 10-yard line, then connecting with Bryce Bailey for 19 yards.  After a 22-yard run by Jaheem Washington, Kennedy found Jeff Tiffner on a 28-yard scoring play, and Adam Acquista evened the score at 7 at the 9:38 mark of the first quarter.

The Tigers took the lead on their next possession, which was kept alive by an Ohio Wesleyan penalty on a Wittenberg punt from its own 29-yard line.  The Tigers took advantage of the opportunity, with Kennedy connecting with Nick Kendall for 16 yards, Liam Duncan for 19 yards, and Sam Kayser for the final 21 yards to complete an 83-yard, 13-play drive that put the visitors ahead, 14-7.

Ohio Wesleyan responded with a drive of its own, getting a 22-yard strike from Robinson to junior wide receiver Mher Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) and a 28-yard connection from Robinson to junior wide receiver Justin Lowry (Litchfield/Buckeye), but the drive stalled and freshman kicker Gabe Philhower (Reynoldsburg) had a 33-yard field goal attempt go wide right.

The Bishops had a chance to cut the deficit when junior defensive end Kyle Hogan (Centerburg) intercepted a pass at the Wittenberg 29-yard line and returned it to the Tiger 20, but Robinson was sacked for a loss of 14 yards on third down to push the Bishops out of field goal range.

On Wittenberg's next possession, senior cornerback Sterling O'Hara (New Canaan, Conn.) recovered a fumble at the Tiger 22, and this time, the Bishops cashed in.  Robinson found freshman wide receiver Kenny Streb (Willowick/Eastlake North) for 16 yards and a first down at the Wittenberg 7, and on the next play, Beachy's second effort got him over the goal line.  Philhower's point-after try hit the left upright, however, leaving the Bishops down, 14-13.

Tiffner returned the ensuing kickoff 57 yards to the Bishop 38, with junior running back Carlos Cintron (San Diego, Calif./Countryside) making the stop to save a touchdown.  Washington ran for 16 yards and Kennedy picked up 15 yards to move the ball to the Ohio Wesleyan 3, but on the next play, Kennedy fumbled and sophomore safety Cole Nixon (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) recovered at the OWU 2-yard line to keep the score at 14-13.  Consecutive sacks by sophomore linebacker Cody Streit (Griffin, Ga.) on third and fourth down ended the Tigers' following possession at the Bishop 29-yard line, and the half would end with the score still 14-13.

Late in the third quarter, Jonathan Seay intercepted a Robinson pass and returned it to the Ohio Wesleyan 10, and on the first play of the fourth period, Kennedy found Bryce Bailey on a 3-yard scoring pass for a 21-13 lead.  On the Bishops' ensuing possession, on third-and-20 from the Ohio Wesleyan 25, Troy Jones intercepted a Robinson pass and returned it 40 yards for a score.

The Bishops followed with a drive that saw Robinson connect with Adebiyi for 12 yards on a third-and-6 call from the Bishop 49, and then find Sasoun Tcholakian for 10 yards on third-and-7 from the Wittenberg 36, but on third-and-8 from the Tiger 24, Robinson lost the handle on the ball and Thomas Scholl recovered at the Wittenberg 19.  Jones intercepted a pass by freshman running back Martin Sesma (San Diego, Calif./Sweetwater) at the Wittenberg 2-yard line to thwart a Bishop drive, Seay returned an interception 12 yards for a touchdown with 3:25 left in regulation time, and Terrance Crowe wrapped up the scoring with a 62-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Robinson completed 18 of 36 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown.  Adebiyi had a team-high 6 receptions for 78 yards and a score.  Beachy led Bishop rushers with 21 yards on 8 carries.

Senior nose guard Chicho Rodriguez (San Clemente, Calif.) led Ohio Wesleyan with 9 tackles and added a pass breakup; senior nose tackle David Praul (Sunbury/Buckeye Valley) added 8 tackles, including a sack and 2 for loss; and Nixon finished with 8 tackles, including half a tackle for loss.

Kennedy completed 17 of 32 passes for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Snodgrass had 3 receptions for 41 yards and Kendall caught 3 passes for 33 yards.  Washington led all rushers with 84 yards on 15 carries.  Seay led the Tiger defense with 8 tackles, forced a fumble, and intercepted 2 passes.