Dec. 1, 1979

 

ITHACA 14, Wittenberg 10

PHENIX CITY, Ala.—Quarterback Doug Bencsko passed for one touchdown and ran for another, and

the Bomber defense limited top-ranked Wittenberg to just 10 points to secure Ithaca’s first national championship.

 

The win marked the fourth time in five tries that the Bombers had beaten an undefeated opponent.

 

The two teams scored on consecutive possessions in the first half. After recovering an Ithaca fumble in the first quarter, Wittenberg drove 51 yards on 11 plays to score the first points. The Bombers tied the game on their next possession, a 15-play, 76-yard drive capped by Bencsko’s 11-yard touchdown pass to split end Jim Meyer.

 

The Tigers moved ahead again on a field goal with five seconds remaining in the first half.

Another long drive, this one covering 58 yards in 11 plays, led to Bencsko’s one-yard touchdown dive. The score, with 1:33 left in the third quarter, turned out to be the last of the game.

 

All four Tiger fumbles occurred in Ithaca territory, and two were recovered by the Bombers inside the15-yard line. Linebacker Harry Moss and nose guard Don Phillips each had 12 total tackles for Ithaca, and defensive back Tony Smith added 10. All-American linebacker John Laper and defensive tackle Jimmy Hoffman had nine tackles apiece.

Ithaca	0	7	7	0	-	14
Wittenberg	7	3	0	0	-	10

 

WU      —        King 1 run (Dowds kick)

IC        —        Meyer 11 pass from Bencsko (Darling kick)

WU      —        Dowds 34 FG

IC        —        Bencsko 1 run (Darling kick)

 

 

	Ithaca	Wittenberg
First Downs	5	18
Rushes-Yards	45-151	51-219
Passing Yards	66	90
Passes Att-Comp-Int	21-7-1	25-10-0
Total Yards	217	309
Return Yards	3	9
Punts-Average	7-34.1	6-32.7
Fumbles-Lost	2-1	4-4
Penalties-Yards	5-48	5-55

Individual Leaders

Rushing	IC	-	Ferrigno 19-82; Nicolo 15-37; Bencsko 11-32
	WU	-	King 20-81; Delaney 15-62; Buckley 8-54
Passing	IC	-	Bencsko 21-7-1, 66
	WU	-	Delaney 25-10-0, 90
Receiving	IC	-	Duncan 4-45; Meyer 2-19
	WU	-	Moon 3-39