Tiffin (1-4/0-4 GLIAC) at Ashland (2-3/1-3)
Saturday, Oct. 9, 1 p.m.
Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field at Dwight Schar Athletic Complex
Hear, Here
The Tiffin-Ashland game will be broadcast live on WNCO-AM (1340) with Ken Carman on the play-by-play and Don Graham providing the commentary. The campus radio station, WRDL-FM (88.9), will broadcast the game live with Matt Brubaker providing the play-by-play.
Looking Ahead and Behind
The Eagles put an end to a three-game losing streak last Saturday, knocking off Northwood on homecoming, 37-17. That victory was also Ashland's first in GLIAC play. The Eagles are playing at home for the second straight week, this is the only time in 2010 AU has consecutive home games. Tiffin is one of four Ohio schools the Eagles will play in 2010. Later this season, the Eagles will meet Findlay, Ohio Dominican and Lake Erie. Those are all GLIAC games. This is the first year Ohio Dominican and Lake Erie have played GLIAC football.
Tiffin comes to town looking to rebound from a 71-10 loss to top-ranked Grand Valley State last Saturday. The Dragons have lost four consecutive games. Their lone win came on the opening week of the season, 31-21 over non-conference foe Malone.
Buckeye Brawls
It wasn't that long ago that Ashland was the lone NCAA Division II institution in Ohio. That status put the Eagles on a unique perch. There was the Mid-American Conference and a bevy of Division III schools, but if a player didn't find a fit there, AU was the lone choice for Division II.
Findlay was the next school to make the move to Division II. Tiffin joined the GLIAC in 2008 and this year, Lake Erie and Ohio Dominican are in the league. A number of other Ohio schools – Malone, Walsh and Notre Dame – all have football programs and are in the process of making the move to Division II.
All of this has changed the landscape in Division II. That's true in recruiting. Ohio Dominican is in the Columbus area and certainly hopes to mine that talent-rich area. Lake Erie and Notre Dame are in the Cleveland area. There are plenty of players to be found in that venue, too. There could be some pitched recruiting battles taking place in the next several years.
Ashland is obviously the most entrenched Division II school in football. The Eagles have been to the NCAA playoffs in 2007 and 2008 and have a new football complex which might be as complete a facility as any in the country. Ohio Dominican is looking into upgrading its football facility. Lake Erie plays a night game this week against Wayne State and will have a postgame fireworks show. It's obvious the Storm is trying to build excitement for its program.
"Any time we play a team from Ohio we'll get their best shot," said AU head coach Lee Owens. "I think all of the teams in Ohio look to us as the program they need to beat. If makes their season if they beat us."
Owens does not view the growing ranks of Division II in the state as a negative.
"It's two sided," the AU head coach said. "The positive is the exposure for our program. More people know about Division II football in Ohio, us, our league. It's being talked about around the state. That's good.
"The flip side is we have more competition for players," continued Owens. "It's important that we have success against the other teams in Ohio and that we have a facility like we do."
The emergence of more Division II programs in Ohio, some playing in what's considered one of the top football conferences in the country, opens all kind of opportunities. Maybe it will lead to more televised games, or the chance to widen the scope of recruiting.
Those are issues for athletic directors and sports marketing representatives to worry about. As for Owens, he'll concern himself with what takes place on the field with his Ohio brethren. That begins this Saturday.
Sound Bites From Ashland
Owens on Tiffin
"They've thrown the ball pretty well. Their kickoff return is pretty good. We've got one more win than they do. The big emphasis this week is on the Eagles, making sure everyone is working individually to improve. That's what we need to focus on right now.
"Good football teams don't do just enough to get by. They find a way to play at their level. They find a way to play better than the week before."
Saga of the Series
This series is in its infancy. The teams have played twice, once in Ashland and once in Tiffin. This is the Dragons' first visit to Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field at the Dwight Schar Athletic Complex. AU has a 2-0 edge against Tiffin.
2009 – Ashland 41, at Tiffin 14 – The Eagles ran their record to 3-1 in their first visit to Tiffin. AU led, 21-0 after one quarter and 28-7 at halftime. The Eagles outgained the Dragons, 567-365. Tiffin gave the ball away three times (two interceptions, one fumble). AU averaged a whopping 7.8 yards per play and collected five sacks.
2008 – at Ashland 34, Tiffin 6 – AU couldn't separate itself from the Dragons until midway through the first half. The Eagles broke a scoreless tie with 13 second-quarter points. Tiffin struggled to stop running back Dawon Harvey, who had 116 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Tiffin quarterback Matt Root came into the game as one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country. The Eagles intercepted him four times and sacked him twice. Root completed 21-of-45 passes for 201 yards with one touchdown.
Series Notes
- In two games against the Eagles, Tiffin has turned the ball over eight times.
- Former AU quarterback Billy Cundiff threw one interception last season (305 attempts). That pick came at Tiffin on a ball that bounced off the hands of running back Carlin Isles. Ty Richardson got the interception.
- Tiffin has offered football as a varsity sport since 1986. In 2007, the year before the Dragons joined the GLIAC, they went 7-2.
- Ashland has outscored the Dragons, 75-20 in the two games the teams have played.
- AU had seven scoring drives in last year's game. The longest one of those drives consumed 3:39 and three took less than 90 seconds (1:04, 0:57, 1:14).
Ashland's Best Against Tiffin
Joe Horn (Waynesfield, Ohio/Waynesfield-Goshen) – In two games against the Dragons, Horn has caught eight passes. In last year's victory, he hauled in seven passes for 55 yards.
D.J. McCoy (Cleveland, Ohio/Collinwood) – McCoy has been an unstoppable force against Tiffin. Last year, he rushed for a career-high 179 yards on 15 carries (11.9 ypc.). In 2008, he picked up 61 yards on eight carries. Add it all up and McCoy has gained 240 yards on 23 carries (10.4 ypc.).
Quinton Scott (Fort Wayne, Ind./Indiana State) – Scott had three tackles in last year's game. He also intercepted one pass and returned it 30 yards. He had one tackle for loss (five yards).
Cory Skoczen – Skoczen is a student assistant coach with the Eagles. In 2008, he had eight tackles (four solo) and a pass breakup against the Dragons.
About Ashland
Head Coach Lee Owens – Owens is in his seventh season as AU's head coach. His record at AU is 43-28 and his career record is 83-89. Owens has guided the Eagles to pair of NCAA playoffs appearances (2007, 2008). Before taking over the program at AU, Owens spent nine years as the head coach at the University of Akron. Owens also served a stint (1993-1995) as an assistant coach at Ohio State.
Before coaching on the college level, Owens was a successful high school coach in Ohio. His record on the prep level in 11 seasons is 89-32-2. Owens coached four years at storied Massillon Washington High School where he went 35-13. He won a state championship in 1985 while coaching at Galion (14-0). His record at Galion was 33-11-1 and his Galion team won the state title with a 6-0 victory over Youngstown Cardinal Mooney. Owens has never held a coaching job outside of Ohio. Owens is 2-0 against Tiffin.
Recapping Last Week
Ashland established season highs in points (37) and total yards (436) in last week's victory. For much of this season, the Eagles have struggled to punch the ball into the end zone. Entering last week's game, AU was 13th in the GLIAC in red zone offense. Against Northwood, AU went five-for-five in red zone scoring (four touchdowns, one field goal). For the second consecutive week, AU did not have a turnover.
McCoy rushed for 131 yards on 28 carries with touchdown runs of 5 and 14 yards. This was his second straight 100-yard game. Over the last two weeks, McCoy has rushed for 268 yards on 56 carries (4.8 ypc.). McCoy has five 100-yard games in his career.
Sophomore quarterback Taylor Housewright (Ashland, Ohio) completed 20-of-24 passes for a career-high 284 yards and two touchdown passes. Horn caught seven passes for 100 yards. Horn has two 100-yard receiving games this season and nine in his career. In the four games before last week, the senior had eight receptions.
The Eagles played extremely well on defense, limiting the 'Wolves to three field goals and one touchdown. NU rushed for 311 yards, but the Timberwolves completed just three-of-10 passes for one yard. Northwood did not complete a pass until the third quarter. Prior to last week, the last time AU held the opposition to under 10 yards passing was in 2006 when Findlay had eight yards through the air in a 7-0 win over the Eagles.
Last week's game was tied, 6-6 after one quarter and Ashland led, 16-9 at halftime. The Eagles put the Timberwolves in a huge hole, scoring 14 points in the third quarter. That gave the Eagles a 30-9 lead entering the final 15 minutes and without a passing game, that was too much for NU to overcome.
This was the second consecutive year Ashland hosted Northwood on homecoming and came away with a victory.
Players to Watch
Senior linebacker Carmon Wolfe (Tonawanda, N.Y./Erie. C.C.) is this week's GLIAC defensive player of the week. Wolfe is the second AU player to receive GLIAC weekly honors this season. Earlier, defensive back Ryan Stackhouse (Ashland, Ohio/Youngstown State) was named the special teams player of the week. That came after the Bloomsburg game. Wolfe had a career-high 17 tackles (11 solo) against Northwood. He also had two sacks (eight yards), three tackles for loss (eight yards) and one forced fumble. Wolfe is third in the GLIAC in tackles per game (10.2). He's been in on 51 tackles (23 solo) this season. The senior is 18th in the nation in tackles per game.
AU's other starting linebacker, junior Julian Goodwine (Dayton, Ohio/Thurgood Marshall), had 12 tackles (11 solo) last week. Goodwine is second on the team in tackles (44/22 solo). Sophomore safety Tyler McFarlin (Ashland, Ohio) had eight tackles (six solo) last week and is fourth on the team in takedowns (31/15 solo). Junior defensive lineman Matt Stoinoff (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) recorded five tackles (four solo) and two tackles for loss (13 yards) last week. Stoinoff is the club leader in tackles for loss (6.0-34) and is tied with freshman defensive lineman Jamie Meder (Parma, Ohio/Valley Forge) for the team lead in sacks (three).
McCoy is fifth in the conference in rushing yards per game (88.6). The junior has rushed for a team-high 443 yards (4.5 ypc.). Housewright has completed 83-of-129 passes (64.3 percent) for 1,069 yards. He has six TD passes and five interceptions. The sophomore is second in the league in total offense (253.2 ypg.), third in passing yards per game (213.8) and fifth in pass efficiency (141.5 rating).
Housewright has provided equal opportunities to his receiving corps. Senior wide receiver Christian Livingston (Newark, Ohio) has 17 catches for 297 yards (17.5 ypc.). Horn has caught 16 passes for 290 yards (18.1 ypc.) and junior H-Back Mike Knueven (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) has 16 catches for 150 yards (9.4 ypc.). Knueven has a team-leading three touchdown catches.
Junior kicker Gregg Berkshire (Ashland, Ohio) is one of the top kickers in the country. Berkshire is nine-for-13 on field goal attempts and 10-for-11 on extra points. He's averaging 43.8 ypp. This is his first season as AU's punter. Berkshire is the GLIAC leader in kick scoring (37 points/7.4 ppg.), field goals per game (1.8), field goal percentage (69.2) and punting (43.8 ypp.). Berkshire is fifth in the conference in scoring. He's tied for fifth in NCAA Division II in field goals per game and is sixth in punting.
Nest Eggs
- Berkshire has field goals this year of 50 and 48 yards. The 50-yarder is his career long. Last week, Berkshire was honored as one of the top kickers in the country for September. That list was put together by the Fred Mitchell Award committee, which will name the kicker of the year in December. Berkshire was one of 32 kickers honored (32-Division I, 8-Division II, 10-Division III and 2-NAIA).
- When the calendar turns to October the leaves fall, but the Eagles often rise. In 2007 and 2008, the Eagles were a combined 6-1 in October. The only loss was a six-point setback to top-ranked Grand Valley State.
- Heinz Field in Pittsburgh has a reputation as being a death trap for kickers. The opposite could be true of Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field at the Dwight Schar Athletic Complex. Last week, NU's Pat Siljan connected on field goal tries from 49, 52 and 24 yards. The 52- and 49-yard field goals are the longest in the stadium's history. Berkshire has a 48-yarder at home this season. So far this season, kickers have connected on 10-of-14 field goal tries (71.4 percent) in Ashland.
- Senior wide receiver Alan Dunson (Columbus, OH/Walnut Ridge) returned an onside kick 40 yards for a touchdown last week. That's the first kickoff return for a score of Dunson's career. Dunson is better known for blocking kicks (five in his career). That kickoff return for a score is AU's first since Carlin Isles returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown against Indianapolis on Oct. 31, 2009.
- Since the start of the 2008 season, the Eagles have returned four kickoffs for touchdowns.
- Knueven has three touchdown receptions. The last time an Ashland tight end/H-Back had more than three TD receptions in a season was in 1998 when Omari Parks caught five touchdown passes.
- Horn has caught at least one pass in the last 28 games he has played.
- The Eagles are second in the GLIAC in sacks (13) and pass defense (142.2 ypg.). AU is fourth in total defense (302.2 ypg.) and fifth in scoring defense (19.6 ppg.). The Eagles are 11th in the country in pass defense.
The Trophy Case
Each week, the AU Gridiron Club names an offensive, defensive and special teams player of the week. This year's list of honorees appears below.
Game Offense Defense Special Teams
Bloomsburg T. Housewright Logan Kerr Gregg Berkshire
Indianapolis Matt Knez Jamie Meder Gregg Berkshire
Hillsdale D.J. McCoy Matt Stoinoff Tyler McFarlin
No. Michigan D.J. McCoy Quinton Scott Gregg Berkshire
Northwood Joe Horn Carmon Wolfe Alan Dunson
About Tiffin
Head Coach David Walkosky – Walkosky is in his third season as Tiffin's head coach. This is the only head coaching position he has held on the collegiate level. Walkosky has spent 17 seasons as college coach. He was an assistant coach at Toledo (1998-2006) where he coached the special teams. His career also includes a stop at Washington State and a stint as the defensive coordinator at Tennessee-Martin.
Players to Watch – On offense, the Dragons have speed and talent at wide receiver. Senior Trey Williams has caught a team-leading 26 passes for 307 yards (11.8 ypc.) with two touchdown grabs. Junior Brendton Williams has 17 catches for 356 yards (20.9 ypc.) with three scores. Trey Williams is fifth in the conference in receptions per game (5.2) and ninth in receiving yards per game (61.4). Brendton Williams is fourth in receiving yards per game (71.2). Another wideout, senior David Singleton, has 16 catches for 206 yards (12.9 ypc.). Singleton is also a dangerous return man, he's fourth in the GLIAC in kickoff return average (26.5 ypr.).
Tiffin has employed two quarterbacks in 2010. Freshman Jason Young has completed 43-of-84 passes (51.4 percent) with five touchdowns and four interceptions. He was nine-for-22 passing a week ago for 110 yards. Earlier this season, Young fired four touchdown passes against Ferris State. AU could also see sophomore Nate Scully, who has been on target with 42-of-77 passes (54.5 percent) for 607 yards and three touchdowns.
Freshman running back David McKnight has rushed for a team-high 298 yards (4.1 ypc.). He's seventh in the conference in all-purpose yards per game (114.0 ypg.). McKnight rushed for 124 yards on 23 carries against Grand Valley State.
Freshman defensive lineman Joseph Collard is the GLIAC leader in tackles for loss (11/2.2). He's fifth in the nation in that category. Collard had six tackles last Saturday, including four tackles for loss. Tiffin's leading tackler is inside linebacker Kody David. The sophomore has 44 tackles (28 solo) and is tied for seventh in the GLIAC in tackles per game (8.8). Free safety Mike Virgin, a sophomore, has 42 tackles (27 solo) and is tied for 11th in the conference in tackles per game (8.4). Virgin had seven tackles (four solo) against Grand Valley State. Outside linebacker Sandro Sean-Baptiste has 26 tackles (17 solo) and an interception.
The Rundown on the Dragons
- When Singleton returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown against Wayne State, it was the first kickoff return for a score by a Dragons player since 2007.
- Tiffin has one GLIAC win since joining the league in 2008. That was a four-overtime decision over Northern Michigan, 34-28.
- It would appear that the Dragons know how to recruit around the country. Take a look at their projected starting lineup (22 players) and you see four players from Florida, two from California, two from Arizona, one from Michigan and one from South Carolina.
- Former Tiffin wide receiver Nate Washington has gone on to play in the NFL. He is the school's career leader in receptions (212). Washington began his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's now a starter with the Tennessee Titans.
- The 71 points Tiffin allowed last week is the most in school history.
- Like Ashland, the Dragons rely on one player to handle the punting and kicking chores. At Tiffin, that falls under the domain of senior Mike Rutkowski. He's averaging 35.9 ypp., and is three-for-six on field goal tries.
Upstairs, Downstairs
One change the Eagles made last week that was not observed by most AU fans was the stationing of offensive coordinator Mike Bath upstairs in the coaching booth. Bath had spent the first four games of the season down on the sidelines. This was done for several reasons, one so that Housewright would have his position coach close by during the game. But Owens has always preferred to have his offensive coordinator upstairs. That's where former coordinators Tom Stacy, Matt LaFleur and Joey Lynch were positioned. It appears that's where Bath will be from now on, too.
"Jeff (running backs coach Kastl) was seeing what fronts they were in and Mike saw the back end," said Owens of last week's coaching alignment. "I think that helped us. I know it helped me.
"What I'm asking from upstairs is what coverage they're in," said Owens. "What route do we need to run? Mike does a good job of that, he was a quarterback."
Bath is in his second year on the staff and is more comfortable this year than last with knowing the personnel and what Owens expects. As for the AU head coach, he's known for his expertise on offense. Lining up the staff like this should make everyone on the Ashland side of the field comfortable.
'Hoof Prints
Since his return from injury three weeks ago, senior defensive lineman Dirk Dickerhoof (Massillon, Ohio/Washington) has provided a lift to the defensive line. That's quite a statement since this unit has been steady all season.
A year ago, the Eagles played Dickerhoof at defensive tackle. This year, he's at defensive end and his size (6-2, 262) is suited better to that spot.
"After Carmon, he was the guy we considered for defensive player of the week," reported Owens, when asked about Dickerhoof's play. "There was one series, he stopped them by himself.
"He and Stoinoff are on the outside and you add in Houska (Tyler), you have three playmakers," said Owens. "Then inside you have Meder (Jamie), Jeris (Pendleton) and Berry (Mikel). It's the most improved part of our defense."
Dickerhoof has four tackles (all solo) this season and one tackle for loss.
Not Backing Down, Backing Up
After last Saturday's game, McCoy insisted that nothing has changed in his game from the start of the season except that now he's healthy. McCoy was dinged in the season opener against Bloomsburg, suffering a hip injury. Now he's running with abandon and the Ashland ground game is blossoming.
The question now is if McCoy can hold up through the remainder of the year. Owens has always preferred to use two or three players in the backfield and divide the work load. He doesn't have that luxury this season.
"It's too big a dropoff," replied Owens, when asked if anyone will be relieving McCoy soon. "Maybe we'll see it happen."
McCoy is 5-8, 193 pounds and doesn't look to run around tacklers.
"He's been pretty durable," noted Owens. "It's just the conditioning factor we've dealt with.
McCoy has never had more than 160 carries in a season. Right now, he's averaging 19.8 carries per game and has 99 carries.
Early To Rise
It wasn't hard to perceive what the Eagles were trying to do in the early stages of last week's game. There was an emphasis on getting the ball into the hands of Horn, who had two catches in the two games before the Northwood contest. AU made a point of getting Horn involved in the game from the outset. He caught a pass on Ashland's first play from scrimmage and had two catches in the first quarter.
"That's our responsibility," Owens said about getting the speedy senior the football. "We haven't done as good a job as we have in the past. We got some quick throws to the perimeter to get him going."
Owens said that those plays have been in the game plan all year, but that maybe they weren't pushed as hard as they were last week. With a new quarterback and somewhat of a revamped offensive philosophy, Horn didn't get as many looks early this season as he did the last two years. But Owens is quick to point out that the coaching staff has always been concerned about getting Horn touches.
"We challenged Joe a little bit," said Owens. "He hadn't seemed to be himself. He responded well. Joe's always been a competitor. He knew we were trying to get him the ball. He has to play every down hard and he did that."
Owens added that Horn blocked well against Northwood, saying this might be the best game of his career in that regard.
On Deck
Ashland will play at Wayne State next Saturday (Oct. 16, noon).
AU
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