Ashland (0-0) at Bloomsburg (0-0)
Thursday, Sept. 1, 6 p.m., Redman Stadium
Hear, Here
The Ashland-at-Bloomsburg game can be heard live on WNCO-AM (1340) with Matt Brubaker handling the play-by-play and Don Graham providing the commentary. The game can be heard at www.wncoam.com.
Looking Ahead and Behind
Ashland was 8-3 last season, 7-3 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The Eagles ended the 2010 season with a seven-game winning streak. AU finished third in the GLIAC South Division last season. In this year's GLIAC preseason coaches' poll, the Eagles are picked second in the South Division behind Wayne State. AU is listed among, "Others Receiving Votes," in this year's American Football Coaches of America (AFCA) preseason poll.
Bloomsburg is tied for ninth in the AFCA poll. The Huskies were 10-3 last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. Bloomsburg was picked to win the Pennsylvania Conference Eastern Division title in the conference preseason poll.
Bloomsburg is one of two nationally-ranked teams the Eagles will play on the road in the first three weeks of the season. On Sept. 17, Ashland will play at Hillsdale, which enters the year tied for 25th in the AFCA poll.
The Ashland-Bloomsburg Series
This is the fourth consecutive year AU and Bloomsburg have met in the season opener. The Huskies lead the series, 2-1. AU's lone victory in the series came a year ago in Ashland, 24-14. A recap of the series can be found below.
2008 – Bloomsburg 49 at Ashland 42 – Entering the game, AU was ranked 15th in the country and Bloomsburg was 25th. The Eagles led, 21-7 after one quarter and 35-14 at halftime. The Huskies outscored the Eagles, 35-7 in the second half. The teams combined for 988 yards of total offense (AU – 499, BU – 489). AU had the ball for just 11:34 in the second half and Bloom scored on five of nine second-half possessions. Wide receiver Joe Horn had 248 all-purpose yards (84 receiving, 164 kick return). BU had two players go over 100 yards rushing – Kenny Domzalski had 172 yards on 16 carries and Derrick Price had 132 yards on 24 trips.
2009 – at Bloomsburg 10, Ashland 7 – The defenses took center stage in this game. The Huskies scored 10 first-quarter points and made that hold up. AU's lone score came on a 50-yard run by running back Carlin Isles with 2:30 left in the third quarter. Six times the Eagles ventured into Bloomsburg territory and came away without a point. The Eagles lost two fumbles and threw an interception. Linebacker Carmon Wolfe had 11 tackles and defensive back Quinton Scott had six tackles, a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss. Bloom entered the game ranked 13th in the nation and AU was ranked 15th.
2010 – at Ashland 24, Bloomsburg 14 – The Eagles outgained the Huskies, 405-285. Quarterback Taylor Housewright (Ashland, Ohio) made the first start of his career and completed 16-of-26 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns. He did not throw an interception. Housewright threw a 96-yard TD pass to Horn, which tied the school record for the longest pass in school history. Housewright also rushed for a team-high 65 yards on four carries. He had a 53-yard run. AU scored a TD off a blocked punt. The Eagles picked off two passes and collected a pair of sacks.
Ashland's Best Against Bloomsburg
Gregg Berkshire (Ashland, Ohio) – A year ago, Berkshire punted six times against BU and averaged 43.7 ypp. He dropped three kicks inside the 20-yardline and his longest punt went 57 yards. This was Berkshire's first game as AU's punter. He was 1-for-2 on field goal tries.
Julian Goodwine (Dayton, Ohio/Thurgood Marshall) – A senior linebacker, Goodwine has 18 tackles (seven solo) and 3.0 tackles for loss in the last two games against the Huskies. He had 10 tackles a year ago.
Logan Kerr (Ashland, Ohio) – A senior cornerback, Kerr has 15 tackles and three pass breakups in the last two meetings with the Huskies. A year ago he had 10 tackles, an interception and two pass breakups.
About Ashland
Head coach Lee Owens – Owens is in his eighth season as AU's head coach. His record at Ashland is 49-28. His career record on the college level is 89-89. Before taking over the AU program, Owens spent nine years as the head coach at the University of Akron. Owens has guided the Eagles to a pair of NCAA playoffs appearances (2007, 2008). Owens is the only coach to lead AU to the postseason twice and he's the only coach in school history to win a postseason game (27-16 over Minnesota State, 2008). Owens has won eight or more games in a season at Ashland four times.
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. He 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 there was 33-11-1 and his 1985 team won the state title with a 6-0 triumph over Youngstown Cardinal Mooney in the state championship game. Owens has never held a coaching job outside of Ohio.
Streaks and Strings
Taylor Housewright (Ashland, Ohio) – AU's junior quarterback has thrown at least one touchdown pass in seven straight games. The last time he didn't fire a TD pass was at Northern Michigan on Sept. 25. Housewright has thrown at least three TD passes in his last three games. That includes a five-TD performance at Findlay (Oct. 30), which ties the school single-season mark. Housewright had 24 touchdown passes last year, which ties him for the second highest single-season figure at AU.
Logan Kerr (Ashland, Ohio) – A senior defensive back, Kerr has intercepted at least one pass in six consecutive games. A year ago he led the GLIAC in interceptions (eight) and pass breakups (17). He was a second team All-GLIAC selection in 2010.
D.J. McCoy (Cleveland, Ohio/Colllinwood) – The senior tailback has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his last eight games. That streak includes a career-best 275 yards at Findlay (Oct. 30, 2010). The last time McCoy failed to reach the century mark was against Hillsdale on Sept. 18, 2010. A year ago, he was fourth in the GLIAC in rushing with 1,344 yards (5.3 ypc./122.2 ypg.). That rushing total is the fourth best single-season mark in school history. McCoy has 11, 100-yard games in his career. He begins this season with 2,724 yards rushing, which puts him sixth on the school's career list. McCoy was a second team all-conference pick last season.
Preseason All-Americas
The following Ashland players have been cited as preseason All-Americas.
Gregg Berkshire (Ashland, Ohio) – The AU kicker/punter has been honored as a preseason All-America by the Collegiate Development Football League and Beyond Sports Network. Both organizations listed him as a second team All-America.
Logan Kerr (Ashland, Ohio) – Kerr has been named a first team All-America by Collegiate Development Football League (CDFL), Consensus Draft Services (CDS) and The Sporting News.
Jamie Meder (Parma, Ohio/Valley Forge) – Meder was named a first team preseason All-America by D2football.com.
GLIAC Honor Roll
A year ago, Berkshire and Meder were named first team All-GLIAC. Meder was also recognized as the GLIAC freshman of the year. He is the only Ashland player to ever receive that award. McCoy and Kerr were second team all-conference choices. Housewright and senior defensive linemen Jeris Pendleton (Chicago, Ill./Joliet Junior College) and Matt Stoinoff (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) were named honorable mention All-GLIAC. This is the second consecutive season Stoinoff has been on the honorable mention list.
Eye on the Eagles
Goodwine is AU's top returning tackler (71/35 solo). He was second on the team in stops a year ago…junior safety Tyler McFarlin (Ashland, Ohio) had 60 tackles (35 solo) last season and that put him fourth on the team…Meder led last year's team in sacks (five) and tackles for loss (10.5-42). Stoinoff was second on the team in sacks (4.5) and tackles for loss (9.5-47)…McCoy and senior H-Back Mike Knueven (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) had 25 receptions apiece last season. They are the top returning receivers. Ashland doesn't have a receiver on the roster who has started a game at the position…the Eagles led the GLIAC in interceptions (19) in 2010…AU was also the conference's highest scoring team (37.7 ppg.) a year ago. The Eagles have scored at least 30 points in seven straight games. In the final game of last season, the Eagles scored a school record 87 points in a win over Lake Erie (87-17). Over the last seven games of last season, AU averaged 49.0 ppg…the Eagles have had at least 450 yards of total offense in their last three games.
Owens and Openers
At Ashland, Owens and the Eagles are 4-3 in openers. The last time the Eagles have won consecutive openers was in 2004 (48-7 over Saint Joseph's) and 2005 (30-15 over Saint Joseph's). Listed below are some other facts about the Eagles and Owens in openers.
AU's Points Per Game in Openers – 28.4
Most Points Scored – 48 vs. Saint Joseph's, 2004
Fewest Points Scored - 7 vs. Bloomsburg, 2009
Times Played a Ranked Team – 4 (This will be the fifth)
Times Opened on the Road – 3 (This will be four)
The 48 points in 2004 is a school record for most points in an opener.
Going against a ranked team on opening day is nothing new for Owens. When he coached at Akron, Owens and the Zips opened against Penn State (#2, 1999), Nebraska (#6, 1997) and Virginia Tech (#11, 2000).
The Eagles and the Pennsylvania Conference
Ashland is 1-2 against Bloomsburg. In games against Pennsylvania Conference schools, the Eagles are 14-14-1 (.500). The breakdown against the schools can be found below.
Bloomsburg - 1-2-0
California 1-0-1
Edinboro 4-5-0
Slippery Rock 8-7-0
The last time the Eagles won on the road against a Pennsylvania Conference team was in 2000 at Edinboro, 24-17.
Prime Time Teams
CBS Sports Network will air six NCAA Division II games live this season. Ashland's game at Saginaw Valley State (Oct. 20) is one of the six games that will be shown. The Bloomburg-at-IUP game on Sept. 15 is also on the list of national telecasts.
Impressive Feats from the Feet
This week's game features a matchup of two of the best kickers in the country. AU's Berkshire and Bloomsburg's Daniel Fisher are both on the Fred Mitchell Watch List. That's a compilation of the top 50 kickers in the country. A year ago, Berkshire was a finalist for the award.
Fisher, a sophomore, was 20-of-23 on field goal tries last year and 25-of-26 on extra points. His longest field goal measured 43 yards. Fisher scored 85 points. Berkshire was 16-of-23 on field goal tries and 48-of-50 on extra point attempts. Berkshire scored 96 points, which is a school single-season record. The senior has 118 career extra points. His next extra point will make him the school's career leader. He begins the season tied with Jeff Groza (1972-74) for the all-time lead. Berkshire has kicked 16 field goals each of the last two seasons. That is the school record for field goals in a season. Berkshire's 96 points are the most by a kicker in a season at Ashland.
Welcome Matt
Matt Brubaker will make his debut in the WNCO radio booth tonight. Brubaker, who will handle the play-by-play, spent the last four years calling Ashland University football and basketball games on the campus radio station, WRDL-FM.
Interesting Itinerary
The Eagles are scheduled to leave Ashland for Bloomsburg at 8 a.m., Wednesday. They will drive to State College, Pa, where they will practice at Penn State. The Eagles will spend the night in State College. This was the same travel plan the Eagles followed two years ago when they played at Bloomsburg.
Good Hands Guys
Anyone who's watched the Eagles on offense over the last seven years knows that the one word that's never used in connection with their game plan is timid. The Eagles use every second on the clock, rarely settling for taking a knee, even in the waning minutes of a half. They know there is a red zone, but they consider the entire 100 yards a hot box because they believe they can reach paydirt from anywhere.
What's remarkable about all of this is that even when they're going for broke, the Eagles rarely give the ball away.
A year ago, Ashland lost just two fumbles. They fumbled the football four times. AU threw nine interceptions. Over the last eight games of the year, AU quarterbacks were picked off just four times.
This isn't just a one year, flash-in-the-pan thing either. In 2007, AU led the nation in fewest turnovers (nine). That team was fourth in the nation in total offense (528.2 ypg.) and pass efficiency (166.09), sixth in scoring (44.0 ppg.) and 11th in pass offense (290.9 ypg.).
"We do ball security every day before practice,' said Housewright. "It gets old, but it's positive reinforcement. It's 'Don't take chances, don't try to force things. Keep the ball, possess the ball.' The big thing is to know when to check down."
"We're not going to ask our quarterback to make the hard throw, the home-run throw," said Owens. "We want to get the ball out in a hurry. The first thing we ask is, 'Can we protect our quarterback? Second, does our quarterback have a quick answer, can we get it out in a hurry?"
Housewright has shown he can do those things. As good as his predecessor, Billy Cundiff, was at operating the AU offense, Housewright has taken over and maintained a high level of efficiency. There were times over the first three weeks of last season when he struggled but he never lost his poise. Once he got his feet on the ground, the Eagles really took off.
"He makes great decisions, he understands what we want to do," raved Owens.
Owens emphasized a couple of points about his offense. First, it does have some elements of the much-discussed West Coast offense. Second, for all the attention the Eagles get for throwing the ball, AU has always shown great balance. The list of record-setting running backs Owens has coached at Ashland includes Antwan Hart, Jason Schwalm, Dawon Harvey and now, McCoy. Schwalm set a school, single-game rushing record (292 vs. Wayne State, 2005) under Owens.
So, while this offense begins the year relying on youth at wide receiver and the offensive line, don't expect the Eagles to button it up and play close to the vest.
"Last year at Northern Michigan we didn't play offense like we're capable of," recalled Owens. "We didn't want to go out and play ball control. That's just not us. We need to continue to attack."
Ashland lost last year at NMU, 23-19. The Eagles had 271 yards of total offense. That's the last time Owens believes the Eagles went conservative on offense. It's no coincidence that's also the last time AU lost.
No Medieval Kastl
The Bloomsburg game will be the first for Jeff Kastl as AU's offensive coordinator. A year ago, he coached the tight ends and running backs and served as the recruiting coordinator.
Owens has had a number of offensive coordinators during his AU tenure. His first was Tom Stacy, who coached with Owens at Akron and is now back on the staff. For several years, Doug Geiser handled the responsibilities in addition to working with the offensive line. Later, the Eagles employed Matt LaFleur, Joey Lynch and Mike Bath in the position. All three of those coaches were hired from the outside and had to learn the system. Kastl has an advantage in that regard, he was on the coaching staff and worked with Bath, who was the offensive coordinator last year.
"Jeff has worked very hard at keeping us balanced," said Owens. "We really want to be a balanced football team. He knows the scheme very well. Now, every coach will tweak it a little bit. Jeff brings a lot of energy every day. He's on top of every single detail."
This is Kastl's third year on the Ashland staff. He was a two-year letterman as a quarterback at Michigan.
Here's a look at how the Eagles did with their different coordinators
YEAR OC PPG. RUSH/YDS PASS/YDS TO
2007 Matt LaFleur 44.0 237.3 290.9 528.2
2008 Joey Lynch 34.8 145.8 295.9 441.7
2009 Mike Bath 27.2 147.8 242.3 390.1
2010 Mike Bath 37.7 210.1 217.8 427.9
Yard Markers and Milestones
- Owens needs three more wins at AU to move into second place on the career wins chart. Owens has won 49 games. The career leader is Dr. Fred Martinelli at 217-119-12.
- AU's current seven-game winning streak is the longest for the Eagles since a nine-games streak in 1993. This is the second seven-game winning streak AU has had Owens. Ashland and Owens also seven straight in 2007.
The GLIAC Chart
The Eagles are third in all-time winning percentage in GLIAC play. Entering the 2011 season 21 schools have played GLIAC football. These records date back to 1973 and include conference games only. Listed below are the top five schools by winning percentage.
School Games W L T Pct.
Grand Valley State 291 232 56 3 .797
Butler 30 22 7 1 .750
Ashland 209 124 85 0 .593
Saginaw Valley State 289 169 117 3 .585
Hillsdale 293 167 125 1 .570
Sound Bites
Owens on the youth of this team.
"This group (newcomers) is pretty good. After watching this group on the field, they're pretty good. It's a good thing, too, we'll have to play a lot of them. I think we'll have 20 first timers on the bus. They aren't all freshmen, but a good percentage of them are. I think last year it was three or four. What a way to get a baptism. They (Bloomsburg) don't lose a lot there."
Owens on McCoy and his success and running style.
"He very seldom loses yardage. He's not flashy and that's probably why he doesn't get more recognition around the country. He's as strong as he's even been, as healthy as he's ever been. We have to keep him healthy. He was a guy who came out of high school and wasn't highly acclaimed. We play a JV game Monday at Defiance and some of our younger guys who are playing in that game are down in the mouth. We told them D.J.'s first and last JV game was against Defiance and he had 200 yards. That's when we decided he needed to move up to the varsity."
The Scouting Report
Bloomsburg
Head Coach Danny Hale – Hale is in his 19th year at Bloomsburg. He's 154-52-1 with the Huskies. His teams have won outright or shared 11 PSAC East Division titles. Under Hale, Bloomsburg has advanced to the NCAA playoffs seven times. The Huskies made the journey a year ago, advancing to the second round. Hale's career record as a college head coach is 194-65-1. He was the head coach at West Chester for five years before arriving at Bloomsburg.
Tracking the Huskies
Over the last six years, BU has won eight or more games in a season five times and won 10 or more games in a season four times…the Huskies run out of the Pro-I on offense and use the 4-3 defense…Redman Stadium seats 4,775 and has Field Turf…a year ago, the Huskies lost the opener to Ashland and then put together a nine-game winning streak…Bloomsburg lost to Mercyhurst, 56-37 in the PSAC title game…BU defeated California, 28-26 in the first round of last year's NCAA playoffs then lost to Mercyhurst, 28-14 in the second round…a year ago, the Huskies averaged 36.0 ppg., 246.8 yards per game rushing, 167.4 yards per game passing and 414.2 ypg., in total offense…Bloom brings back 10 starters from last season and seven of those players earned All-PSAC honors…the Huskies are normally stout against the run and that was the case last season. BU allowed 85.4 rushing yards per game…Bloom forced 32 turnovers last season – recovering 13 fumbles and intercepting 19 passes. Ashland did not have a turnover against the Huskies last season.
Huskies to Watch
Vince Browning – Browning, a 5-9, 185-pound senior cornerback, had 48 tackles last season. He intercepted four passes.
Pat Carey – This is Carey's second season as the starting quarterback. A year ago he completed 135-of-254 passes (53.1 percent) for 2,026 yards. A 6-2, 205-pound senior, Carey threw 24 touchdown passes and was intercepted 10 times.
Daryl Kutz – This 6-4, 320-pound senior offensive tackle is a three-year starter. He was a first team All-PSAC choice last season.
Franklyn Quiteh – Quiteh, a 5-10, 197-pound sophomore, rushed for 2,015 yards last season. That led all of college football. Quiteh was a first team All-America. At Ashland, he gained 140 yards on 35 carries with one touchdown.
Oscar Rivera – Rivera, a 5-9, 180-pound senior cornerback, is coming off a season where he made 53 tackles, had 17 pass breakups and one interception.
John Pettine – A 6-3, 265-pound senior defensive end, Pettine had 7.5 sacks in 2010.
Jarrett Pidgeon – The Bloom middle linebacker had 77 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack last season. Pidgeon is a 5-10, 225-pound junior.
Chris Steck – Steck is the BU center. A 6-1, 285-pound sophomore, he was a first team all-conference selection last season.
Owens on the Huskies
"They're really physical. We like to think of ourselves as a physical team. I think that's why we've matched up so well in this series. At our GLIAC football coaches meeting this year, one coach said year in and year out you're the most physical team we play. That's the highest compliment you can give our football team."
"What we can't do, what we did two years ago when we were young on offense, we had Billy try to throw it down the field. We never established the running game, we thought we'd let Billy win it. We couldn't convert short yardage because we couldn't establish the run. We're young up front but we've got to run the football. We have to run the football. We have to establish the running game right out of the gate. A quarterback without a running game isn't very effective."
"I think we've practiced them (Bloomsburg) 100 times. Danny (Hale) does a good job of changing just a little bit, tweaking what they do best. The first game you're always feeling each other a little bit and making adjustments on your feet."
Up Next
Ashland returns home next Saturday (Sept. 10, 7 p.m.) to host Indianapolis.
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