Ashland (1-2/0-2 GLIAC) at Northern Michigan (2-1/2-0 GLIAC)
Saturday, Sept. 25, 4 p.m.
Superior Dome, Marquette, MI
Hear, Here
The Ashland-at-Northern Michigan game will be broadcast live on WNCO-AM (1340) with Ken Carman on the play-by-play and Don Graham providing the commentary.
Looking Ahead and Behind
Ashland embarks on its longest trip of the year this week, heading north to Marquette, MI. A lot of baggage will be stowed underneath the bus. What the Eagles hope is that they don't carry excess baggage, such as the thoughts that go with a two-game losing streak. After beating Bloomsburg in the season opener, the Eagles have dropped a game at Indianapolis (17-12) and another at home last week to Hillsdale, 27-17.
Northern Michigan lost its opener, a non-conference affair with nationally-ranked Minnesota State-Mankato, 7-6. Since then, the Wildcats have won two consecutive GLIAC games. Last Saturday, the Wildcats won at Northwood, 31-17. The week before that, NMU blasted Findlay, 49-10.
This is Ashland's final late game of the season – no other game on the 2010 card will begin later than 1 p.m. This Saturday's game is also the only time this year the Eagles will play indoors. Finally, after this week's journey, the Eagles return home for a pair of games, hosting Northwood (Oct. 2, 1 p.m.) and Tiffin (Oct. 9, 1 p.m.).
No Masking This – NMU is a Tough Assignment
Syracuse had the Dome Ranger. Maybe Northern Michigan should be called the Dome Strangers.
Located on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Wildcats are 2-1 and have won two consecutive games. Their success can be traced to a defense that ranks in the nation's Top 10 in three categories and in the Top 11 in four categories. NMU's only loss this season is a 7-6 verdict on the opening weekend to Minnesota State-Mankato (3-0), which is ranked 11th in the country.
A year ago, NMU lost its opener to Northwood, 23-21 and then reeled off five consecutive wins. That put the 'Cats in the regional picture before three consecutive losses ended any postseason hopes (NMU finished 6-4). Despite that success, when this year's GLIAC coaches' preseason poll was released, NMU was picked in the middle of the pack. Maybe it's their style, or the fact that they are located off the beaten path, but the Wildcats never seem to garner a lot of preseason publicity. NMU had one first team All-GLIAC selection a year ago, linebacker Nathan Yelk, and he was lost to graduation.
It seems that every year, the GLIAC produces a surprise team. A year ago, Northern Michigan and Findlay were in that mix. This year, NMU and another UP team, Michigan Tech, along with Indianapolis, could end up with that moniker. Tech is listed "Among Others Receiving Votes," in this week's AFCA Top 25 poll.
Every team Ashland has played this season is listed in this week's AFCA national poll. Hillsdale is ranked 12th and Bloomsburg and Indianapolis can be found in Among Others Receiving Votes. Indianapolis took Grand Valley State to the wire at GVSU last Saturday night before losing, 38-31. Since losing at AU, 24-14, Bloomsburg has defeated Clarion, 41-13 and IUP, 47-20.
Ashland's opening slate would provide a stern test for a team loaded with veterans. For a team with a first-year starting quarterback and some other holes to fill, playing this trio of teams has been a daunting task. Yet Owens and the Eagles maintain that they are fine and pushing forward.
"As coaches we realize that and our players realize it to," said AU head coach Lee Owens when asked about the strength of schedule. "Maybe we beat the best of three (Bloomsburg). What you have is a young quarterback who's cutting his teeth against the best in Division II football. Coach Bath (offensive coordinator Mike) asked me, 'Have you been through this before?' I have."
Owens points out that every week sophomore quarterback Taylor Housewright (Ashland, Ohio) gains a little more experience. That's why Owens believes that as the season progresses, the Eagles will get better. He emphasizes that as a team, offense and defense, the Eagles are all on the same page, especially with the quarterback.
Sound Bites From Ashland
Owens on Northern Michigan
"Coach (defensive coordinator Randy) Awrey has been there a while now. That's afforded him an opportunity to get players who fit his system. He's a 3-4 guy. He gets a 300-pound nose tackle. He gets the corners to play the two coverage he likes to play. They built that team around his personality on defense, which is not a bad thing to do."
Saga of the Series
Ashland holds a 13-5 lead in the all-time series with Northern Michigan. The teams first played in 1990. The last time Ashland and NMU played was in 2007.
The Eagles bring a three-game winning streak against NMU into this week's game. The last time the Wildcats got the better of the Eagles was in 2004, 35-27 at Northern Michigan. AU has won four of the last five games between the schools.
2007 – at Ashland 47, Northern Michigan 21 – Javan Javey rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries and the Eagles rushed for 290 yards while improving their record to 4-1. Javey ended the game with 169 all-purpose yards, just ahead of Dawon Harvey, who had 144 all-purpose yards. Quarterback Billy Cundiff was 16-of-25 for 247 yards and two touchdowns. The game was knotted, 7-7 late in the first quarter. Ashland scored the next 20 points and NMU had to play from behind the remainder of the afternoon.
2006 – Ashland 24 at Northern Michigan 17 – Tailback Blaine Maag rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries to lead the Eagles. AU led, 24-3 with 7:43 left in the third quarter and then held on for dear life as NMU scored 14 fourth-quarter points. The Eagles sacked quarterback Buddy Rivera seven times and intercepted him once. Linebacker Allen Lattimore had three of the sacks and defensive lineman Jake Grove had two sacks. AU also blocked a punt and recovered a Wildcat fumble.
Series Notes
- Only once in the last seven games has the point spread in this series been seven points or less.
- AU has scored at least 24 points against NMU in five consecutive games.
- Since Owens arrived at AU plenty of wide receivers have had big days. Here's one of the biggest - in 2005 Dalorean "Skip" White caught four passes for 155 yards against NMU. He averaged 38.8 ypc.
- In 2004, Ashland led NMU, 20-3 at halftime. The Wildcats outscored the Eagles, 32-0 over the last two quarters, scoring on five of seven second-half possessions.
- AU owns two, four-game winning streaks against Northern Michigan. Those came from 1991-1994 and 1996-1999. The Wildcats have never won consecutive games against the Eagles.
- The Eagles are 4-5 in the Superior Dome.
Ashland's Best Against Northern Michigan
Joe Horn (Waynesfield, Ohio/Waynesfield-Goshen) – Horn didn't have a catch against NMU in 2007, but he had one punt return for 16 yards. Horn is a senior wide receiver.
Kyle Jacob (Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) – Jacob snared a touchdown pass in 2007 against Northern Michigan. That was a 12-yard strike and it was his lone catch of the game.
Da'Vell Winters (Marion, Ohio/Harding) – Winters is a running back now. Two years ago, he played defensive back and had two tackles against the Wildcats.
About Ashland
Head Coach Lee Owens – Owens is in his seventh season as AU's head coach. His record at AU is 42-27 and his career record is 82-88. 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 3-1 against Northern Michigan.
Recapping Last Week
The Eagles played the first night game in the history of Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field at Dwight Schar Athletic Complex. In front of a facility record crowd of 4,874 fans, the Eagles lost to Hillsdale, 27-17. That was AU's second consecutive loss.
For the second consecutive week, turnovers played a large role in AU's demise. After giving the ball away four times in a 17-12 loss at Indianapolis on Sept. 11, the Eagles had two turnovers against the Chargers. Both came on interceptions and both came deep in HC territory.
The nationally-ranked Chargers (13th last week) are playing offensively as well as any team in the GLIAC right now and they put their entire attack on full display. Tailback Joe Glendening had 185 yards and a touchdown on 38 carries and wide receiver Andre Holmes caught nine passes for 147 yards and two scores. One of those touchdowns came on a 69-yard pass play. Hillsdale quarterback Troy Weatherhead completed 21-of-25 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers outgained the Eagles, 434-339. Hillsdale enjoyed a huge advantage in time of possession – 38:06-21:54. Ashland couldn't get its defense off the field and once the Eagles fell behind, they were in trouble. The Chargers led, 17-7 at halftime and 27-17 after three quarters.
The Eagles received 78 yards rushing on 18 carries from junior tailback D.J. McCoy (Cleveland, Ohio/Collinwood). He was AU's leading rusher. That marked the first time this season Housewright did not lead the Eagles in rushing. Housewright completed 11-of-22 passes for 195 yards and two scores and ran for 35 yards on six carries.
Players to Watch
Julian Goodwine (Dayton, Ohio/Thurgood Marshall) and Carmon Wolfe (Tonawanda, N.Y./Erie C.C.) are an active pair of linebackers. The two are tied for seventh in the GLIAC in tackles. Both players have 29 stops. In last week's game against Hillsdale, Wolfe had a team-high 13 tackles (six solo). Goodwine had 12 tackles (seven solo), one tackle for loss (six yards) and a fumble recovery. Goodwine is a junior and Wolfe is a senior.
Freshman defensive lineman Jamie Meder (Parma, Ohio/Valley Forge) is tied for third in the GLIAC in sacks (three). The rookie has 20 tackles (seven solo). Another newcomer up front, junior Jeris Pendleton (Chicago, Ill./Joliet Junior College), blocked a field goal attempt last week. He has 11 tackles (four solo) and 1.5 tackles for loss. Junior defensive lineman Matt Stoinoff (Cincinnati, OH/Colerain) has 14 tackles (10 solo) and two sacks. He had one sack against Hillsdale.
Senior safety Tarell Lewis (Redford, Mich./Bowling Green) is third on the team in tackles (28/16 solo). Lewis had 11 tackles (eight solo) a week ago. Safety Tyler McFarlin (Ashland, Ohio) was in on seven tackles (one solo) last week. He's fourth on the team in stops (21/seven solo). McFarlin returned a kickoff 48 yards last week. That was his first kickoff return of the season.
Housewright is third in the GLIAC in total offense (284.3 ypg.). The sophomore has completed 51-of-85 passes (60 percent) for 682 yards. He has four TD passes and five interceptions. Housewright has rushed for 171 yards (7.8 ypc.). That puts him second on the team behind McCoy (175 yards).
AU's leading receiver is senior wide receiver Christian Livingston (Newark, Ohio). He has 12 receptions for 229 yards (19.1 ypc.). H-Back Mike Knueven (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) has 10 catches for 91 yards (9.1 ypc.). Horn has just eight catches, but is averaging 22.9 ypc.
Junior Gregg Berkshire (Ashland, Ohio) handles both the placement and punting duties. He's first in the conference in punting (42.5 ypp.) and first in field goals per game (1.33) and field goal percentage (66.7). Berkshire is ninth in the country in punting and 16th in field goals per game. He is 4-for-6 on field goal tries this season.
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.
- The Eagles are fourth in the GLIAC in rushing defense (110.0 ypg.) and scoring defense (19.3 ppg.) and fifth in total defense (320.3 ypg.).
- Ashland has not led in time of possession in a game yet this season.
- In the last two games, AU has allowed 20 third-quarter points.
- AU has lost one fumble in three games. A year ago in 11 games, the Eagles lost just seven fumbles.
- Horn has caught at least one pass in the last 26 games he has played.
- Berkshire kicked a career-long 48-yard field goal last week. He also missed from inside of 29 yards for the first time in his career, missing wide right from 25 yards. In his two-plus years at AU, Berkshire is 10-for-11 on field goal attempts from 20-29 yards.
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
About Northern Michigan
Head Coach Bernie Anderson – Anderson is Upper Peninsula through and through. He's had two college head coaching jobs and both have been in the UP – at Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan. Anderson is in his fifth season at Northern Michigan where he is 18-25. He spent 19 seasons as the head coach at Michigan Tech. His record there was 93-96. He is MTU's career leader in victories. Anderson's overall record as a collegiate head coach is 111-121.
Anderson is a 1978 Northern Michigan graduate. He earned his master's degree from NMU in 1984. Anderson coached several years of high school football in Michigan before taking a job as an assistant coach at Western Michigan in 1983. The next year he moved to Michigan Tech as an assistant. Three years later, he was the head coach of the Huskies. He guided MTU to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2004. That was the first postseason invite in the program's history.
Players to Watch – Defensive tackle Zach Anderson is the league leader in tackles for loss (7.0) and is second in sacks (3.5). Anderson is a 6-3, 305-pound sophomore. Last week against Northwood, Anderson had six tackles, two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss (17 yards). NMU has impressive size in the defensive line. Nose guard Matt Forward is a 6-2, 300-pound junior.
Linebacker Edwin Knoblock, a 6-2, 235-pound junior, has a team-high 22 tackles (12 solo). Cornerback Marcus Tibble, a 6-1, 185-pound junior, has picked off two passes. Defensive end Eric Wells, a 6-2, 220-pound senior, is the GLIAC leader in fumbles forced (two).
Quarterback Carter Kopach, a 6-0, 215-pound junior, has been named the GLIAC offensive player of the week each of the last two weeks. He's second in the conference in pass efficiency (153.5) and fourth in passing yards per game (230.3) and total offense per game (278.7). In last week's 31-17 win over Northwood, Kopach completed 13-of-25 passes for 254 yards and two scores and ran for 81 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In this year's victory over Findlay, he threw five touchdown passes.
The Wildcats provide steady work for both starting wide receivers – 6-2, 210-pound freshman Christian Marble-King and 6-0, 185-pound senior Dustin Brancheau. Marble-King has 15 catches for 197 yards (13.1 ypc.) and one touchdown and Brancheau has caught 14 passes for 202 yards (14.4 ypc.) and four scores.
Most of NMU's success offensively has come through the air. Kopach leads the team in rushing with 145 yards.
The Rundown on the Wildcats
- NMU leads the GLIAC in total defense (227.0 ypg.), pass defense (101.3 ypg.) and pass efficiency defense (81.9 rating). The 'Cats are second in scoring defense (11.3 ppg.). In this week's national statistics, NMU is third in pass defense, seventh in pass efficiency defense, 10th in total defense and 11th in scoring defense.
- Last week at Northwood, NMU had 11 tackles for loss (40 yards).
- Former Saginaw Valley coach Randy Awrey is the NMU defensive coordinator.
- The Wildcats are first in the GLIAC in turnover margin at +6. NMU has forced 10 turnovers (four fumbles, six interceptions). The 'Cats are 11th in the country in turnover margin.
- NMU runs out of the Pro I on offense and uses the 3-4 defense.
- The 'Cats bring back seven starters on defense. A year ago, that unit yielded 16.1 ppg., and shut out two opponents.
Sorting Out the Wideouts
It would appear that the Eagles have clarified their pecking order at wide receiver. After experimenting with several players over the season's first few weeks, the Eagles have settled on Horn and Livingston as the starters and senior Alan Dunson (Columbus, OH/Walnut Ridge) and Jacob as the reserves. Against Hillsdale, Dunson had two catches for 55 yards while Jacob had a 10-yard touchdown reception. On the year, Dunson has four receptions.
At Indianapolis, the Eagles tried Ohio State transfer Rocco Pentello (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South) at wide receiver. The coaching staff does not plan to pursue that plan. Pentello will remain as the backup quarterback.
Dunson may be the one player with the chance to gain significant playing time. The coaching staff likes his downfield blocking and what that does for the running game. They admit that his presence makes a difference in practice and on game day.
"Alan has a class and gets here late on Tuesdays," said Owens. "When he's on the field, in the huddle, there's more of a spark. No one has worked harder on his hands in the offseason than Alan. No one worked harder with Rocco than Alan. No one wants to win more than Alan."
Jacob could see more passes coming his way, too.
"KJ is a survivor," noted Owens. "With Joe, Christian, Alan and KJ I think we've found the four guys we want to play."
Anatomy of an Interception
When a pass gets intercepted, that number goes by the quarterback's name. Owens emphasized that while the black mark goes with the quarterback, there are plenty of factors that go into the turnover.
"Any time a pass is intercepted there are route issues, protection issues and rep issues," explained Owens. "It's not as easy as, 'The quarterback threw an interception.' As coaches, we're always looking to digest everything. It's real easy to say, 'The quarterback made a bad decision.' How do we fix it so he has the right picture, the right call, so he's not in an in-between situation."
Owens says the Eagles can do some things to help Housewright, who has thrown five interceptions. Alterations can be made with certain plays, personnel groups can be tweaked and the coaching staff can take a long, hard look at what they're asking players to do. Housewright looked exceptional in the season-opening victory over Bloomsburg. As Owens points out, that may have raised expectations to unrealistic levels, especially this early in his career. But what that also shows is the kind of potential he owns. Look for the Eagles to keep searching for ways to bring that out.
Blanket Coverage
Owens had words of praise for AU's special teams last Saturday. He pointed to McFarlin's 48-yard kickoff return, the blocked kick by Pendleton, Berkshire's 48-yard field goal and his 43.5 ypp., average on two punts. What delighted the AU head coach the most, however, was the way the Eagles covered kicks.
"Our special teams played well, they gave us a chance to score," reminded Owens. "It probably was as good a game as we've seen in kick coverage in a long, long time."
Hilldale's average starting position was its own 24-yardline.
The Eagles have had exceptional special teams throughout the Owens tenure. The AU head coach believes this year's special teams have an added element because of the presence of Berkshire as both a punter and kicker.
On Deck
Ashland will be back at home next Saturday (Oct. 2, 1 p.m.) against Northwood. That is homecoming.
AU
FB/ALK
