SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Allegheny closed the 2015 season with a 63-0 loss at North Coast Athletic Conference rival Wittenberg.  
 
The host Tigers (8-2, 7-2 NCAC) jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, out-gaining the Gators 578-177 in total offense and forcing four Allegheny turnovers to roll to the win. 
 
In his final game in the Blue and Gold, senior Nick Deichler led the Gators with 61 rushing yards on 15 carries to eclipse the 1,200-yard mark for his career.  His 1,226 yards are the most for a Gator since Brian Tamburlin totaled 1,392 between 2008-11.  
 
While Dechler led a Gator rushing unit that gained 109 yards on the day, the team struggled with the passing game.  Wittenberg's defense, which entered the contest ranked second in the NCAC with 16 interceptions, added three more to their total, while limiting the Gators to just 69 passing yards on 14 completions in 33 attempts and allowing no completion of longer than 10 yards.
 
Senior Lucas Morton made a team-leading three catches for Allegheny, with junior John McFarland and freshman Tyler Balla making two apiece.  
 
Junior Ben Capella was one of three Gator defenders to share the team lead with seven tackles, joining sophomores Nick Murgo and Matt Wetzel.  Capella also had a tackle for loss, while Murgo eclipsed the 100-tackle mark for the second consecutive season, ending with a team-leading 104. 
 
Wittenberg did the bulk of its damage on the ground, amassing 303 rushing yards and scoring six touchdowns on the ground. Sean Gary led the way with 148 yards and two scores, while Jimmy Dehnke also ran for a pair of touchdowns. 

Tiger quarterback Zack Jenkins, who entered the finale as the leading passer in the NCAC, completed 14 of 16 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns.  Corey Stump was Jenkins' favorite target, as he hauled in five grabs for 137 yards and a score.
 
For the second consecutive week, the Gators held a decided edge in time of possession, holding the ball for 35:01, but in addition to turnovers, the squad was also hampered by penalties, committing a season-high nine infractions for 95 yards that led to four Wittenberg first downs.
 
The game closed the careers of 11 Gator seniors, including Deichler, Morton, Chris Patrick, Tyler Smith, Zach Harvey, Tyler Kowalski, Chris Bourne, Josh Zenkert, John Hamblen, Mike Meiran, and Tyler Seibert, as well as that of retiring head coach Mark Matlak.
 
Hired in 2002, Matlak is the longest-tenured coach in program history, having presided over 141 career games, while his 62 wins are second-most all time at Allegheny.  A 1978 graduate and 2003 NCAC Coach of the Year, Matlak ran for 2,387 yards and 28 touchdowns during a prolific four-year career on the gridiron for the Gators, and was inducted into the Allegheny Hall of Fame in 1989.