#9 Ashland (5-0/4-0 GLIAC) at Ohio Dominican (3-2/2-2)
Saturday, Oct. 6, 1 p.m.
Panther Field, Columbus, Ohio
Sights and Sounds
The Ashland-Ohio Dominican game will be broadcast 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 wncoam.com.
Looking Ahead and Behind
The Eagles are off to their best start since the 1991 team began the year 7-0. Last Saturday night at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field, the Eagles pounded Lake Erie, 68-21. AU is ranked ninth in this week's AFCA Top 25 poll and the Eagles are 18th in the d2football.com Top 25 poll. That AFCA ranking is the highest the Eagles have reached since Lee Owens became the head coach in 2004. Ashland sits alone in first place in the GLIAC South Division.
Ohio Dominican defeated Walsh, 24-13 in Columbus last Saturday. The Panthers are in third place in the GLIAC South Division.
Ashland-Ohio Dominican
The teams have met twice and the series is tied, 1-1.
- The first meeting between AU and ODU was played in Columbus in 2010 and the Eagles won, 44-15.
- Last year, on the 10th weekend of the season, the Panthers came to Ashland and
upended the Eagles, 20-17.
- In that first meeting wide receiver Joe Horn caught eight passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Taylor Housewright (Ashland, Ohio) completed 19-of-25 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns. AU led in total yardage, 452-282 and forced three turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble).
- ODU is one of seven Ohio schools the Eagles play this season. Every game left on the schedule is against an Ohio institution.
- AU head coach Lee Owens is 1-1 against Ohio Dominican.
Ashland-Ohio Dominican – 2011
ODU's Chris Vortkamp kicked a 33-yard field goal with 8:55 left in regulation to break a 17-17 tie and those three points made the difference as the Panthers held off the Eagles, 20-17.
Ashland had problems all afternoon getting off the field on defense. ODU had the ball for 33:08, including 12:02 in the fourth quarter. The Panthers were 13-of-21 (.619) on third down conversions. They got the ball at their own 28-yardline with 6:03 left in regulation and ran out the clock. During that drive the Panthers converted two third downs. That drive had four first downs, three on the ground. The game ended with the Panthers on the AU 22-yardline.
ODU running back Mike Noffsinger had 104 yards on 31 carries – this was his second 100-yard day - against the Eagles. Panthers quarterback Jeremy Fudge completed 25-of-35 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 50 yards on 12 carries. Tyler Purcell caught 12 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Ashland had a 17-10 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter. The Eagles were able to move the ball in the air – Housewright was on target with 22-of-31 passes for 199 yards. Wide receiver Anthony Capasso (Columbia Station, Ohio/St. Edward), in the midst of a late-season surge, caught seven passes for 101 yards and touchdown.
Ashland Head Coach Lee Owens
Lee Owens is in his ninth season as AU's head coach. He was named to that position in December, 2003. He is the 14th head coach in AU football history.
- Owens is 60-33 at Ashland. He is second in career wins, trailing only Dr. Fred Martinelli (217). Owens is second in career winning percentage (.645) at AU. The only coach he trails is Bob Brownson (.672/1954-57). Martinelli is third (.641/1959-63).
- Owens has guided the Eagles to the NCAA playoffs twice (2007, 2008). He is the only football coach in school history to do that and he is the lone Ashland football coach to win a postseason game (27-16 over Minnesota State, 2008).
- Under Owens, the Eagles have won eight or more games in a season four times and have won nine games twice (9-2/2005, 9-4/2008). He went 5-6 in his first season at Ashland (2004). In the two seasons before he arrived the Eagles won a total of four games.
- Since Owens became the head coach 10 players have been recognized as All-Americans. Last year, defensive lineman Jeris Pendleton was taken in the seventh round of the NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He's the first AU player to be drafted since 1972.
- Before arriving at AU, Owens spent nine years as the head coach at the University of Akron. His career record as a college head coach is 100-94. He also served as an assistant coach under John Cooper at Ohio State (1992-95).
- As a high school head coach in Ohio, Owens had an 89-32-2 mark in 11 seasons. His 1985 Galion team won a state title with a 14-0 record. Owens was also the head coach at Massillon Washington (1988-92), Lancaster (1987), Galion (1983-87) and Crestview (1981-82).
- Owens is a 1977 Bluffton College graduate and he earned his master's degree at AU in 1981.
Last Look at Last Week
The Eagles scored on every possession against Lake Erie except for when they fumbled away a punt. The final score was 68-21. AU was in front, 21-0 after one quarter, 41-7 at halftime and 48-21 after three quarters. The Eagles accumulated a season-high 603 yards of total offense. AU rushed for 258 yards and averaged 7.2 ypc., and threw for 352 yards. The final point total was AU's highest since scoring 70 against Tiffin last season.
Housewright threw four touchdown passes for the third consecutive week. He completed 19-of-30 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns. His TD passes covered 36, 1, 53 and 5 yards. His night was done midway through the third quarter. Capasso came close to a 100-yard night with six receptions for 93 yards.
Sophomore running back Jordan McCune (Bellville, Ohio/Clear Fork) had 102 yards on 10 carries. That's the third 100-yard game of his career and his first since the Northwood game of last season. Housewright carried the ball five times for 68 yards (13.6 ypc.).
The Eagles picked off two passes, blocked a punt, recovered a LEC fumble and had a pair of sacks. Junior linebacker Cody Bloom (Napoleon, Ohio) had 10 tackles (five solo), 2.5 tackles for loss (4 yards), a fumble recovery he returned 30 yards and an interception he brought back 26 yards. Bloom has a team-high two interceptions.
NCAA Numbers
Listed below are Ashland's Top 25 rankings in this week's NCAA statistics.
Individual
Category Player Rank Number
Pass Efficiency Housewright 4 177.99
Total Offense Housewright 21 298.80 ypg.
Team
Category Rank Number
Pass Efficiency 6 174.99
Scoring Offense 14 40.20 ppg.
Scoring Defense 15t 16.00 ppg.
Kickoff Returns 17 25.50 ypr.
Sacks Allowed 19t 0.80
Turnover Margin 20 1.20
Pass Offense 22 289.00 ypg.
Pass Efficiency Def. 23 105.15
Net Punting 25 36.53 ypp.
GLIAC Numbers
Housewright is the GLIAC leader in touchdown passes (15) and he's third in the conference in passing yards per game (279.2). Bloom is fifth in tackles per game (10.0), Capasso is sixth in receiving yards per game (78.4) and freshman fullback Steve Nagy (Hudson, Ohio) is tied for seventh in scoring (42 points/8.4 ppg.).
The Eagles lead the conference in pass efficiency defense (105.15). AU is tied for second in points per game (16.0) and is fourth in yards allowed per game (318.4). The Eagles are second in scoring (42.0 ppg.) and second in passing yards per game (289.0).
On the Plus Side
Housewright is in his third season as AU's starting quarterback. Throughout his tenure, the one area where he's excelled is in protecting the football. When fans look at the takeaway-giveaway column, they often focus on the turnovers the defense forces. Housewright, throughout his career, has helped the Eagles build a positive number because he rarely allows them to give the ball away.
Housewright has not thrown an interception this season and in his career, has been picked off 12 times. He threw five in his first three career starts, which means in his last 24 games he's been intercepted seven times. Here's a look at AU, turnover-wise, with Housewright at quarterback.
Year Fumbles Lost Interceptions Total Takeaways +/-
2012 2 1 3 9 +6
2011 8 3 11 24 +13
2010 2 9 11 27 +16
Eagle Nation
AU players and coaches remarked after last Saturday night's game how impressed they were with the crowd. AU has drawn more than 4,000 fans for each of this year's three home games. All of those games were at night and the next three home games will kick off at 1 p.m.
Since Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field has opened, AU has drawn eight crowds in excess of 4,000 fans. Last week's game against Lake Erie drew 4,766 fans, the second largest crowd in stadium history. The facility attendance record was set on Sept. 18, 2010, when 4,874 watched the Eagles play Hillsdale.
The year-by-year attendance for the facility can be found below.
Year Average Attendance
2012 4,483 (3 Games)
2011 3,831
2010 3,764
2009 2,880
Logjam On the Line
At one time, dropping back to pass presented numerous dangers. A quarterback could be intercepted, he could fumble or he could be sacked.
Against the GLIAC's top teams, the sack is going the way of the whooping crane – it's becoming extinct. Look at the chart below for further proof.
Team Passes Thrown Sacks Allowed
Saginaw Valley State 207 0
Grand Valley State 132 1
Ashland 159 4
Hillsdale 158 4
There are multiple reasons for the drop in sacks. The first is that quarterbacks come into the college game with so much more experience than they did a decade ago.
"I can't imagine 10 years ago having your quarterback call your protections like they do today," said Owens.
Today, teams spend a great deal of time spreading the field and getting the ball out of the pocket as fast as possible. Quarterbacks excel at changing the play at the line of scrimmage and altering the protection package. With the right quarterback behind center, the spread offensive becomes the ultimate weapon.
"If makes it a lot easier for quarterbacks to see it," said Owens of the spread and how it helps a quarterback read a defense. "That's why you spread it. They (defense) have to tip their hand. If they don't tip their hand they aren't going to get there in time."
Here's a statement that will make old-time football coaches and fans blanch. Once, the running game was the backbone of offensive football. As Owens states, today the running game is often used to protect the quarterback and give him a break from throwing the ball and it protects the defense by giving it a chance to recover before it has to go out and contend with another high-octane attack.
Rivalry Week
This week is designated as "Rivalry Week," in the GLIAC. So, at mid-season Grand Valley State plays Ferris State, Northern Michigan meets Michigan Tech, Northwood tangles with Saginaw Valley State and Malone takes on Walsh.
For many AU fans, Ashland-Ohio Dominican doesn't have the same ring to it as Ashland-Findlay or Ashland-Hillsdale. Yet this game shouldn't be sold short on the intensity meter.
"We're similar schools and there's the location," said Owens. "We compete in the same recruiting base. The formula for a rivalry is in place."
Owens has been part of two red-hot rivalries – Ohio State-Michigan and Massillon-McKinley (Ohio high school). Both of those rivalry games were played on the final weekend of the season. The GLIAC stages its rivalry games at midseason when the weather is better. There are some other positives to the game being played now.
"There's good and bad," admitted Owens. "When you play the rivalry game in the last game of the year and you put so much into it, your next game is impacted. You get that high, you're going to be down the next week. Having it in the middle of the year could be a positive. You might not want it at the end of the year if you have a postseason game the next week."
Reacting To Rank
AU is ranked ninth in this week's AFCA poll. That's the highest the Eagles have been ranked since Owens became Ashland's head coach. Owens admits that he looks at the rankings each week because he wants to see if the posting can be used as kindling for the opposition.
"For other teams it's an incentive," Owens said. "What gives our opponent incentive I have to be aware of. I don't think our team or our coaches pay much attention to it. The ranking is nice, but it doesn't help us in preparation, it doesn't help us get better."
Full Bloom
Bloom led the Eagles in tackles last season with 109 (53 solo). He's the first AU player to reach the century mark in tackles since safety-linebacker Tom Brenner in 2008 (126). Brenner and Bloom are the only AU players to post 100 tackles in the last seven seasons. The last player to notch consecutive 100-tackle seasons was linebacker-safety Devin Conwell (118/2004, 121/2003). Through five games, Bloom has 50 tackles, which means he's on pace to reach the century mark again.
Listed below are the last five AU players to put together consecutive seasons of 100+ tackles. Tim Houseman was the last player to have three consecutive years of 100+ tackles.
Player Position Tackles/Years
Devin Conwell Linebacker 2004-118, 2003-121
Brock Swonguer Linebacker 2001-106, 2000-102
Chad DiFranco Def. Back 1996-121, 1995-134
Tim Houseman Linebacker 1993-125, 1992-143, 1991-104
Ron Greer Linebacker 1991-135, 1990-138.5
As a freshman, Bloom was a reserve linebacker. He was in the starting lineup for the first time a year ago and there is a perception that he was a total surprise. AU coaches say that's not the case.
"He plays at a high level," offered defensive coordinator Tim Rose. "Like anyone else he has strengths and weaknesses. He's fast, durable and accountable.
"We could see in the spring of 2010 that he deserved to be on the travel squad," continued Rose. "He had two guys in front of him in 2010. It (2011) was no surprise to us as coaches."
Owens points out the Bloom used every snap to his advantage.
"I think it (success) just came with confidence," said the AU head coach. "Sometimes when you play as a freshman it's overwhelming. As a linebacker you have to process in a hurry. You've got to click the picture really fast, especially with teams that use a no huddle. You have to see a lot in a short period of time. For Devin, that came naturally. It hasn't for Cody, but he's learning."
Growing Up
Not much has been said about the AU offensive line in recent weeks. One indicator of a line's success is when little is said about it. That usually means that protection problems are few and there are no issues with running the ball.
Counting the tight end spot, AU is starting three juniors, two sophomores and a freshman up front. While they continue to improve with each week's game, Owens says this is not a finished product.
"They're getting better," said the AU head coach. "Maybe it's the position where we need to make the most improvement. We're not where we need to be by any means."
In years past, the Eagles always seemed to have one veteran lineman that anchored the unit. When a line doesn't have that, it normally has linemen who are too concerned about their own jobs to worry about leading anyone else.
"We're still pretty young," reminded Owens. "We still need to improve with our first down run efficiency and our blitz pickup."
Gridiron Club Players of the Week
After every game the Eagles win this season, the AU Gridiron Club will honor a player of the game for offense, defense and special teams. This year's recipients can be found below.
Game Offense Defense Special Teams
Indianapolis Housewright Gamble Capasso
Wayne State Thompkins Meder Housewright
Ferris State Housewright Houska Casey
No. Michigan Housewright Harrison McFarlin
Lake Erie McCune Bloom Hagenimana
Yard Markers and Milestones
- Ashland is third in winning percentage among the 21 schools that have played GLIAC football. Grand Valley State (.794./239-60-3) is first, Butler (.750/22-7-1) is second and the Eagles (.593/130-89) are third. Saginaw Valley State (.588/185-111-3) is fourth.
- Doug Geiser is the only assistant coach on the Ashland staff who has been with Owens all nine years the head coach has been at AU.
- AU's all-time record at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field is 13-4 (.764)
- In the last four games, the Eagles have had at least seven players catch a pass each week. Eight players caught at least one pass against Lake Erie.
- Since Owens became the head coach AU has scored 60 or more points in a game four times.
- Ashland has outscored the opposition, 61-7 in the second quarter and 116-21 in the first half.
- The last time AU started a season 6-0 was in 1991. That team won its first seven games. In the first six games, AU defeated Valparaiso (30-7), Ferris State (35-7), California (51-10), Hillsdale (29-7), Wayne State (26-6) and Saginaw Valley State (28-6). The 1991 season is also the last time the Eagles started 3-0 on the road.
- Through five games the Eagles have allowed 80 points. The last time Ashland allowed fewer points over the season's first five games came in 2005 when the Eagles gave up 67 points.
- What a stretch this is for the Tresey family. AU assistant Patrick is with a program that's ranked ninth in the country and his father, Joe, is the defensive coordinator at Youngstown State, which is 4-0 and ranked third in the country (FCS).
The Scouting Report – The Ohio Dominican Panthers
Head Coach – Bill Conley (Third Season, 12-14)
Last Year's Record – 7-4/6-4
Noteworthy
Bill Conley is in his third season as ODU's head coach. He's the second head coach in the program's history. Conley spent 17 years as an assistant coach at Ohio State…the Panthers were picked to finish second in the GLIAC South Division in the GLIAC Coaches' Preseason Poll…ODU ended last season with wins in five of its last six games…Ohio Dominican uses a 4-3 defense and the spread offense…last year, ODU led the nation with three Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-Americans…both of ODU's losses this season have come on the road to ranked foes. The Panthers lost at Hillsdale, 38-20 when the Chargers were ranked 25th and they fell at Grand Valley State, 46-41 when the Lakers were ranked fourth…at GVSU, the Panthers rushed for 395 yards and had 630 yards of total offense…last week against Walsh, the Panthers set a school, single-game record for rushing attempts (58)…Ohio Dominican is producing 37.8 ppg., and allowing 33.0 ppg…at halftime of Saturday's game, ODU will retire the baseball jersey of Jonathan Sanchez, who pitched for the Panthers. Sanchez is with the Colorado Rockies organization and has also pitched for the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals. He was a 27th round draft pick of the Giants.
Watch List
Freshman running back Brandon Schoen has been running wild. At Grand Valley State, he gained a school-record 298 yards on 27 carries and last week he had 139 yards on 25 carries. The 5-11, 190-pound Schoen has rushed for a team-high 437 yards on 52 carries (8.4 ypc.). He's averaging 218.5 ypg…quarterback Mark Miller, a 6-1, 190-pound sophomore, is fourth in the GLIAC in touchdown passes (11). He's completed 74-of-122 passes (60.7 percent) for 1,032 yards. Last week, Miller completed 18-of-21 passes for 240 yards and rushed for 63 yards. Miller is a cousin of former AU linebacker Brady Miller…sophomore Abe Johnson, a 5-10, 180-pound wide receiver, has a team-leading 25 catches for 285 yards (11.4 ypc.) and has returned seven kickoffs for 128 yards (18.3 ypr.)….wideout Ronald McCloud, a 5-11, 185-pound redshirt freshman, has 14 catches for 309 yards (22.1 ypc.)…junior defensive back Justin Bell has 42 tackles (19 solo) and is 14th in the conference in tackles. In last year's game against Ashland, the 5-10, 170-pound Bell had nine tackles (eight solo) and three pass breakups….defensive back Billy Eakins, a 5-11, 180-pound freshman, has 28 tackles (18 solo), two forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions…Eli Kovach, a 6-2, 260-pound senior defensive lineman, has 16 tackles (13 solo) and 6.5 tackles for loss (34 yards)…kicker Brent Wahle is off to a good start, he's 7-for-8 on field goal attempts and 22-of-23 on extra points. Wahle's longest field goal is 43 yards.
Owens on Ohio Dominican
"They're a very good football team, very well coached. I know their offensive and defensive coordinators and they do a great job of putting a plan together. It's not by accident that they went on the road last year and spoiled Hillsdale's playoff chances, then beat Indianapolis and beat us. They should have won at Grand Valley. They do a great job with the running game. Mark Miller's got great leadership and toughness. Defensively they're salty up front. Their front is as good as any front we've seen and we've seen some good ones with Indianapolis, Wayne State and Ferris State."
Up Next
It's homecoming at Ashland next Saturday (Oct. 13, 1 p.m.) and the Eagles will entertain Walsh. This will be the first meeting between the schools on the gridiron.
AU/FB/ALK
