Bloomsburg (0-0) at Ashland (0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 4, 1 p.m.
Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field at Dwight Schar Athletic Complex
Hear, Here
The 2010 season opener 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 on the call.
Talking Tickets
Tickets for the Bloomsburg-Ashland game are still available and can be purchased by contacting football ticket manager Dana Freeman at 419-207-6163.
Looking Ahead and Behind
Ashland was 6-5 a year ago, 6-4 in the GLIAC. The Eagles finished tied for fifth in the GLIAC. The Eagles won their final two games last season, defeating Indianapolis (19-3) and Findlay (41-28). AU missed the postseason in 2009 after advancing to the NCAA party in 2007 and 2008. In this year's GLIAC coaches' preseason poll, Ashland was picked fourth. Defending champion Grand Valley State got every first-place vote but one. Hillsdale and Saginaw Valley State tied for second in the preseason poll. Northwood was picked fifth, two points behind AU. Ashland enters the year unranked. The Eagles return 38 lettermen and 16 starters (eight on offense, seven on defense, one on special teams).
Bloomsburg went 8-3 last season, 5-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division action. BU began the year 8-0 and then dropped three consecutive games – to Shippensburg (28-27), West Chester (30-14) and Gannon (10-7). Before that slide took place, the Huskies were on their way to a postseason invite. The Huskies are picked to finish second in the PSAC East in 2010. In the PSAC coaches' preseason poll, West Chester was the choice to win the East with BU next in line. Bloomsburg is listed, "Among Others Receiving Votes," in this year's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) preseason poll.
No More Secrets Between the Eagles and Huskies
ABBA went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland last year and one of the hits that earned them a plaque in the Cleveland museum was "Knowing Me, Knowing You."
Ashland and Bloomsburg certainly can understand that phrase. This is the third consecutive year the teams have opened the season against each other. Two years ago, neither team knew exactly what to expect from each other. That's no longer the case. Both teams know plenty about the other.
The characteristic that makes AU and Bloomsburg so strong year after year is that they also know a lot about themselves. They know what their success is based on and they don't stray far from that.
"They are very fundamental," said junior defensive back Logan Kerr (Ashland, OH) in summing up the Huskies. "They don't do a lot, but they do enough to win. They don't give the game to you. You have to go out and beat them. They will never roll over."
"They're a great running team," said junior defensive lineman Matt Stoinoff (Cincinnati, OH/Colerian). "They live off of it, they base their offense on that. They have a great offensive line."
The two games these two teams have played have gone down to the last seconds. In 2008, Ashland led, 35-14 with 1:06 left in the first half. BU outscored the Eagles, 35-7 in the second half and broke a 42-42 tie with 54 seconds left on a 23-yard scoring run by Kenny Domzalski. BU held on to win, 49-42.
Last year at BU's Redman Stadium, the Huskies were in front, 10-0 after one quarter and went on to win, 10-7. That was probably AU's best defensive performance of the season, but it wasn't enough to produce a victory because the Huskies held Ashland to 261 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers (two fumbles, one interception). AU also failed to convert three fourth-and-one plays. Ashland was 0-for-6 on fourth down and 4-of-15 on third down. In the second quarter, the Eagles ran 20 plays on Bloomsburg's side of the field and failed to score.
"They know how to win and they expect to win," said AU head coach Lee Owens. "They will fight you to the end. It's an experienced coaching staff that has experienced success there. This will be as good a test as we have all year long. They're not real fancy on offense and defense. But they're sound, physical, tough."
This year, both teams are replacing veteran quarterbacks – Dan Latorre at BU, Billy Cundiff at AU. The Eagles believe they have a defense that can dominate the game and they are anxious to see it perform. The Huskies always seem to have an airtight defense and they feature that pounding running game Stoinoff mentioned.
In the opener of the 2010 season, the Eagles and Huskies will re-acquaint themselves with each other and find out if they can rely on the same formula for success that's served them so well in the past.
Sound Bites From Ashland
Owens on Bloomburg
"They beat us the last two years because they were more physical. They were more physical on special teams, on offense, on defense. We've committed to be more physical up front and on special teams. This is a good test for us. For us to beat them, we have to match them there.
"This isn't a team that will beat itself. We have to go out and win the game, finish the game. Bloomsburg will make you do that, they won't self-destruct, make it easy. Against us they've come from behind and they've held onto a lead to win. What do they do best? They win."
Linebacker Carmon Wolfe (Tonawanda, NY/Erie C.C.) on last year's game
"We played aggressive as a unit and that started at Bloomsburg. We set the bar really high that first game. It was tough for us the rest of the season."
Saga of the Series
Ashland and Bloomsburg have played twice. A recap of the series can be found below.
2008 – Bloomsburg 49, at Ashland 42 – So many times throughout the first half, it appeared as if the Eagles were on the verge of throwing a knockout punch. AU led, 21-0 with 1:57 left in the first quarter, 35-14 with 1:06 remaining in the first half and 35-21 with 10:39 to play in the third quarter. Bloom tied the game, 35-35 with 2:11 left in the third quarter and took a 42-35 lead with 11:37 remaining in regulation.
The second half belonged to Bloomsburg. AU's ability to run the football took a serious blow when Dawon Harvey was forced to the sideline due to dehydration. AU had the ball for just 11:34 in the second half. Bloom scored touchdowns on five of nine second-half possessions.
AU outgained the visitors, 499-489. Cundiff was 26-of-35 for 359 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Joe Horn (Waynesfield, OH/Waynesfield-Goshen) had 248 all-purpose yards (84 receiving yards, 164 kick return yards). BU had two running backs surpass 100 yards – Kenny Domzalski had 172 yards on 16 carries (10.8 ypc.) and Derrick Price finished with 132 yards on 24 trips.
2009 – at Bloomsburg 10, Ashland 7 – AU's lone score came on a 50-yard run by Carlin Isles with 2:30 left in the third quarter. The Huskies scored on their first two possessions and never scored again. Bloomsburg outgained the Eagles, 288-261. BU's Justin Presley had eight tackles (five solo) and three sacks.
Series Notes
- In four quarters of second half football against Bloomsburg, AU has scored 14 points.
- Last year in the second half, Ashland had the ball for 10:47. In 2008, AU controlled the ball for 11:34 after the intermission.
- In two games against Bloomsburg, AU has 31 first downs. Only 11 of those have come in the second half.
- The Eagles have not lacked for big plays against the Huskies. In 2008, AU averaged 13.8 yards-per-completion against BU and had seven pass plays of 20 or more yards. In that game, AU had a 31-yard rushing play and Horn returned a kickoff 84 yards. In last year's game, Ashland had a 50-yard run and three pass plays that covered 20 or more yards.
- This is the first time in the three meetings that both teams are not ranked going into the game. In last year's AFCA poll, Bloomsburg was 13th and AU was 15th. In 2008, AU was ranked 15th and Bloomsburg was 25th.
Ashland's Best Against Bloomsburg
Joe Horn (Waynesfield, OH/Waynesfield-Goshen) – In two games against the Huskies, Horn has caught eight passes for 141 yards (17.6 ypc.) with a touchdown.
Tarell Lewis (Redford, MI/Bowling Green) – Lewis, a safety, played against Bloomsburg in 2008 and had eight tackles (four solo). He recovered a fumble and returned it 33 yards.
Quinton Scott (Fort Wayne, IN/Indiana State) – In last year's game at Bloomsburg, Scott had six tackles (four solo), two sacks (11 yards) and three tackles for loss (12 yards). Scott is a safety.
Carmon Wolfe (Tonawanda, NY/Erie C.C.) – A year ago, Wolfe, a linebacker, recorded a career-high 11 tackles (four solo) against the Huskies.
About Ashland
Head Coach Lee Owens – Owens is in his seventh season as AU's head coach. His record at AU is 41-25 and his career record is 81-86. 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.
Players to Watch
The Eagles feature one of the most productive wide receiver tandems in the country in Horn and senior Christian Livingston (Newark, OH). Livingston led last year's team in receptions (57). He averaged 11.1 ypc., with five TD passes. Horn caught 45 passes for 677 yards (15.0 ypc.) and seven scores. Horn has been named second team all-conference each of the last two years and Livingston was a GLIAC honorable mention pick in 2009.
Junior D.J. McCoy (Cleveland, OH/Collinwood) was Ashland's leading ground gainer a year ago with 833 yards on 160 carries (5.2 ypc.). Along the offensive line, look for three seniors to clear the way for McCoy and the other slot backs. That trio consists of left tackle Justin Magruder (Westerville, OH/South), center Matt Knez (Lexington, OH/Millersville) and right tackle Kyle Stout (Ashland, OH/Penn State).
The Eagles will be breaking in a new quarterback in 2010. Sophomore Taylor Housewright (Ashland, OH) will be making the first start of his career on Saturday. Last season, he backed up Cundiff. Housewright played in five games last season and threw nine passes, completing three.
AU's top returning tackler is Scott. The 2009 season was his first at AU and he earned honorable mention All-GLIAC laurels. Scott had 65 tackles (39 solo), a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and a pair of interceptions. He was named the GLIAC defensive player of the week once. Scott was third on the team in tackles last season.
Wolfe was fourth on the team in tackles last season (64/33 solo). He had 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Junior defensive lineman Matt Stoinoff (Cincinnati, OH/Colerain) had 45 tackles (23 solo), 8.0 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Stoinoff was named to the GLIAC honorable mention list in 2009.
Ashland's most experienced cornerback is junior Logan Kerr (Ashland, OH). He was fifth on the team in tackles (56/39 solo) last season and had a team-high 10 pass breakups. In addition to Scott, AU has an experienced safety in Lewis. Lewis did not play football last season. In 2008, he was fifth on the team in tackles (64/37 solo).
Gregg Berkshire (Ashland, OH) is the AU kicker. This year, he will also assume the punting duties. Berkshire established a school, single-season record for kicking points in a season (81) last season. He was 16-of-20 on extra points and 33-of-35 on extra points.
Nest Eggs
- McCoy has three 100-yard rushing games in his career and all came last season. The last time he hit the century mark was on Oct. 3, 2009, at Wayne State when he had 170 yards on 38 carries. His career high came last year at Tiffin when he gained 179 yards on 15 trips. The junior was fifth in the GLIAC in rushing yards per game (83.3) last season.
- Horn begins the season fifth in career receptions (121) at AU. He's fourth in career receiving yards (1,803) and tied for third in career receiving touchdowns (16). Horn has seven 100-yard games in his career. He has caught at least one pass in the last 23 games he has played.
- Berkshire is 10-for-10 on field goal tries at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field at the Dwight Schar Athletic Complex. Dating back to last season, Berkshire has connected on his last six field goal tries.
- In 2009 Ashland was seventh in the country in turnover margin (+1.09). AU led the country in fewest turnovers (nine) in 2007.
- A year ago, defensive back Brian Gamble led the Eagles with four interceptions. The Eagles have not had a player with more than four interceptions in a season since defensive back Toure Carter had nine picks in 2003. That's the only time from 2001-2009 than an Ashland player had more than four interceptions.
- This marks the first time the Eagles have opened the season at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field at the Dwight Schar Athletic Complex. AU was 3-2 at home last season (the first year in the new facility) and hasn't finished below .500 at home since 2006 (2-3).
Preseason All-Americas
Four AU players were recognized as 2010 preseason All-Americas by Consensus Draft Services.
Horn was tabbed as a second team All-America. Magruder, Scott and senior H-Back Mike Knueven (Cincinnati, OH/St. Xavier) were all named to the CDS honorable mention All-America list.
About Bloomsburg
Head Coach Danny Hale – Hale is in his 18th season as BU's head coach. His record at the school is 144-49-1 (.745). His career record in 22 seasons is 184-62-1 (22 years). Before taking over at Bloomsburg, Hale was the head coach at West Chester. The BU head coach has been the PSAC East Division Coach of the Year 10 times and has been named the AFCA national coach of the year once. Under Hale, Bloomsburg has advanced to the NCAA playoffs six times. In 2000, the Huskies made it to the NCAA title game where they lost to Delta State, 63-34.
Players to Watch – Junior tailback Derrick Price has been a first team All-PSAC East Division selection each of the last two years. He missed the AU game in 2009. Price rushed for 762 yards (5.5 ypc.) and 12 touchdowns last season. In 2008 he was named the PSAC East Freshman of the Year. That year, he finished with 1,279 yards. Price is 10th in career rushing yards at the school.
Guard-center Pat Casey was a first team all-conference selection and was named a preseason All-America by Consensus Draft Services. Tight end Bean Weaber is a ferocious blocker and he's a threat in the passing game, too. Weaber had 25 receptions last season.
What most BU fans will be watching is the quarterback spot. Like AU, the Huskies are replacing a veteran. Dan Latorre was one of the PSAC's top quarterbacks the past few years. Two juniors, Pat Carey and Mike Wagner, along with redshirt freshman Adam Diltz, are in the mix to replace Latorre.
The secondary is home to Oscar Rivera, a first team All-PSAC pick in 2009. The junior has also been named a preseason All-America by CDS. Rivera had 58 tackles and an interception last season. Another defensive back, senior Alex Landis, was in on 51 tackles last season. Mike Varanavage and Thomas McFarland are two active linebackers. Varanavage was second on the team in tackles (90) last season and McFarland was third on the club in stops (74). He had eight tackles for loss.
Tracking the Huskies
- Bloomsburg has won 11 or more games in three of the last five years. The Huskies haven't won less than seven games in a season since the 1998 team was 5-6. That's the last time BU finished below .500. BU's last trip to the NCAA playoffs was in 2008 when the Huskies knocked off West Chester (28-21) and lost to California (27-24). Bloomsburg has advanced to the NCAA playoffs three times (2005, 2006, 2008) in the last five years.
- Bloomsburg returns three starters along the offensive line. They know how to grow offensive linemen at Bloomsburg. During this past offseason, former BU offensive lineman Jahri Evans signed a contract extension with the New Orleans Saints for seven years and $56.7 million dollars. That's the richest contract every doled out to an NFL guard. Evans was a fourth round pick of the Saints in 2006 and was an All-Pro last season when the Saints won their first NFL championship.
- Since 2000, Bloomsburg is 92-25.
- A year ago, the Huskies were third in the nation in scoring defense (13.36 ppg.) and 19th in total defense (288.27 ypg.).
- BU tailback Irv Sigler won the Harlon Hill Trophy in 1997.
- The Huskies are 5-1 all-time against GLIAC schools. They are 2-0 against Ashland and Wayne State, 1-0 against Saginaw Valley State and 0-1 against Grand Valley State.
Opening Lines
- Owens is 3-3 in opening games at AU. In the six previous opening games he's coached at AU, four have come against nationally-ranked teams (Saginaw Valley twice, Bloomsburg twice). When he was the head coach at Akron, Owens and the Zips had some difficult opening day assignments. Owens and the Zips played Penn State (#2, 1999), Nebraska (#6, 1997) and Virginia Tech (#11, 2000).
- The most points AU has ever scored in an opening game came in the first game Owens coached at Ashland. That was in 2004 when the Eagles won at home against Saint Joseph's, 48-7.
- The seven points the Eagles scored in last year's opener at Bloomsburg is their lowest output on opening day since 1996 when Ferris State blanked the Eagles, 26-0.
- In six openers under Owens, the Eagles have averaged 29.2 ppg., and have scored 40 or more points twice.
Spinning the Color Wheel and Mixing Black and Orange With Purple and Gold
The 2010 Eagles list seven players who played their football at Ashland High School. That list includes Berkshire, Housewright, Kerr, Stout, junior defensive lineman Dan Icenhour, sophomore safety Tyler McFarlin and senior defensive back Ryan Stackhouse.
Many small colleges in towns the size of Ashland have players from the local schools. What makes this unique is that all seven former Arrows are expected to see significant playing time this season. Five of the seven are in the starting lineup.
This emphasizes just how successful the AHS program has been over the past several seasons. The head coach there is Scott Valentine. He played at AU, served as an assistant coach at the school and is the son of the late John Valentine, the longtime defensive coordinator under Dr. Fred Martinelli. The AHS defensive coordinator is Dan Fuller, a member of the AU Hall of Fame who is one of the best defensive players in school history. He once was an assistant coach at AU.
AHS assistant coaches John Saccomen and Carl White both coached at AU. The presence of so many coaches who worked at AU and the college level in general, is a huge edge for players who have the ability to play in college.
"I would talk with the coaches," said Kerr, when asked how the AHS staff helped him determine his future. "You have to know, too. They knew what level you could play on, where you could play."
Three former AHS players now on the roster talked about the preparation and game plans put together by Valentine and Fuller. McFarlin talked about coming out of a system where defensive players were required to make checks. That was something he discovered many players in other high school programs didn't do.
"A lot of guys told me they didn't have checks like we did," related McFarlin. "They played zone, or man, and didn't have checks like we did. That really helped me out."
"We had great coaches," said Housewright. "Coach Fuller and Coach Valentine, they prepared you, they got you ready. "You knew the work that was expected, what it took. Coach Valentine instills a work ethic."
"When you have coaches like that you have a head start," said McFarlin.
Since Valentine took over as the AHS head coach, the Arrows have been an annual participant in the postseason. It's not unusual to see AHS go deep into the state playoffs. That could be true again in 2010. Last Friday, the Arrows opened the season with a 49-7 victory over Willard. AHS quarterback Marcus Fuller, the son of Dan Fuller, completed 15-of-23 passes for 317 yards and five touchdowns.
Make Them Stumble, Not Rumble
Owens believes that the one area where the Eagles will show marked improvement on defense is stopping the run. A year ago, the Eagles allowed 165.5 ypg. Hillsdale's Vinnie Panizzi rushed for 231 yards on 28 carries (8.2 ypc.) with three touchdowns and Harlon Hill Trophy winner Joique Bell of Wayne State rushed for 272 yards and five touchdowns on 32 carries.
As Owens points out, he will get an indication of how much better the Eagles are Saturday when they square off against Bloomburg's Price.
"He's as good a back as we'll see all year," said Owens of Price. "We struggled with some running backs last year, the back from Hillsdale, Bell from Wayne State. The big, strong guys gave us trouble. We were just small on defense. Bell was bigger than most of the guys he went against. We've gotten more physical and bigger. I hope we haven't lost the speed we had last year. This will be a great test. I don't know if we'll see another team that comes out and plays like Bloomsburg likes to play. They want to knock you off the ball."
The Eagles allowed four running backs to gain over 100 yards last year, but none reached the century mark after Bell's outburst on Oct. 3, 2009 (streak of five games).
Personality Development
Ashland will play 11 regular season games in 2010. The Bloomsburg game is just one game. It gains a great deal of attention because it's the opening game, but as one former AU football coach once said, "After the first weekend, half the teams in America are 1-0 and the others are 0-1."
The point that coach was trying to make is it's a long season. Still, much can be revealed in an opening date. Owens talks about how the first game reveals weaknesses, but also strengths. He recalls his second year at AU, in 2005, when the Eagles opened at Saint Joseph's. That was a game the Eagles were supposed to win with ease.
At halftime on a hot afternoon in Rensselaer, IN, the Eagles were trailing, 9-3. SJC had scored on a safety when the Pumas tackled tailback Jason Schwalm in the end zone and quarterback Nick Strance threw an interception that was returned 86 yards for a touchdown. At halftime, AU had held the Pumas to 50 yards of total offense and trailed by seven points. The Eagles had thrown three interceptions and lost a fumble.
Owens said that in the locker room at halftime, he told the Eagles they wouldn't throw again until they scored a touchdown on the ground. AU came out and took the kickoff and marched 76 yards in 12 plays and scored on a 1-yard run by Schwalm. Every play in that drive was a running play. AU took a 10-9 lead and never trailed again on the way to a 30-15 win. The Pumas ended the afternoon with -25 yards on the ground and were outgained, 336-230.
That was the first win in a year that saw the Eagles go 9-2. The two losses came to ranked teams, Michigan Tech (17-14) and Grand Valley State (14-10).
"That was a game that set the personality of that team, the kind of team we were going to be that year," explained Owens. "It was defense, special teams and offense and you can win a lot of games that way. If you asked me where we are now and to rank them, I'd go defense, special teams and offense."
One game against Bloomsburg has been high scoring, the other was a tight, defensive battle. What will this opener bring?
"That's the fun of coaching, finding out what kind of team you're going to be," said Owens.
Being Special on Opening Day
Teams focus a great deal on offense and defense in getting ready for opening day and that often leaves the special teams as the unknown variable. Those coaches who give the specialty units equal time often have an edge.
"It's always a factor," acknowledged Owens of the special teams.
Under Owens and his staff, AU has thrived in this area. In the game against Bloomsburg two years ago, AU scored a touchdown when BU punter Kyle Ream fumbled and Lewis picked up the ball and dashed 33 yards for a score. Horn took the opening kickoff and returned it 84 yards to the BU 8-yardline. Horn finished the day with five kickoff returns for 164 yards.
On Deck
Ashland hits the road for the first time in 2010 next Saturday (Sept. 11), playing at Indianapolis (6 p.m.).
AU
FB/ALK
