Knott threw five touchdown passes and ran for another as the Little Giants took over second place in the NCAC standings with a 5-1 conference record.
Knott and his Little Giant teammates waited over an hour for the game to start as seven inches of snow that fell overnight had to be removed from the field. After the field was cleared, Wabash went to work.
After Allegheny opened the scoring with a four-play, 49-yard drive to take a 6-0 lead, Knott found tight end Ryan Short (Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian) for a 4-yard TD pass to put the Little Giants in front 7-6. The Gators answered with another drive midway through the second quarter to move in front 12-7.
Knott struck once again, this time hitting Kurt Casper (Greenwood, IN/Center Grove) to cap a six-play, 67-yard drive. Casper grabbed a pass to complete the two-point conversion, giving Wabash a 15-12 lead. Knott and Short hooked up for the second time in the game, this time on a 14-yard pass with :12 remaining in the half to put the Little Giants in front 21-12.
Midway through the third quarter, Knott gave Wabash a 15-point lead when he scored from two yards out for his single rushing TD of the game. He finished the game as the Little Giants' leading rusher with 11 carries for 56 yards.
Wabash continued to respond to each challenge that Allegheny presented on Saturday. When the Gators returned an interception for touchdown to cut the Wabash lead to 27-18, the Little Giants responded with a three-play drive the ended with Casper going the distance on a 76-yard catch and run. Just when it looked as if the Little Giants had taken control again, Allegheny intercepeted the two-point conversion pass and returned it for a defensive two-point score. Once again Wabash responded, this time when Nick Dawson (LaFontaine, IN/Wabash Southwood) hauled in a 39-yard pass from Knott to give Wabash a secure 39-20 lead.
The Little Giant defense pressured Allegheny all afternoon. After the Gators rushed for 93 yards on the first two drives of the game, Wabash held the Gators to 60 yards for the final three quarters of the contest. The Little Giant defense recorded its first safety of the season in the fourth quarter to make the final score 41-20. Matt Mercer (Carmel, IN/Carmel) led the defense with 7-1/2 tackles, one sack (-5 yards), two tackles for losses (6 yards), and one fumble recovery. Junior Chad Springer (Bringhurst, IN/Carroll) had seven tackles. The Little Giants forced three Allegheny turnovers and has six sacks in the game.
With his 374 yards against Allegheny, Knott is now 140 yards away from passing Chris Ings ’96 for the Wabash career passing record. Knott has thrown for 7,498 yards in his three-year career.
Wabash is 6-2, 5-1 in the NCAC. The conference season comes to an end on Saturday for Wabash as the Little Giants travel to Denison to face the Big Red. The kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. (EST).