AU Football Returns To Field Saturday, Begins 100-Year Celebration Season Sept. 4

When Ashland University's football team walked off the Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field turf on Nov. 16, 2019, following a 31-10 win over Northern Michigan, no one could have imagined that the Eagles' next game wouldn't be until Sept. 4, 2021.
 
The COVID-19 pandemic canceled AU's 2020 season, and pushed back the program's 100-year celebration, as well. The Eagles' first training camp practice for the upcoming 2021 campaign is Saturday (Aug. 14) morning, three weeks away from the season-opener on Sept. 4 at noon at Notre Dame College.
 
"We've got a real good feel for the team," said Ashland head coach Lee Owens, starting his 18^th year with the Eagles. "They understand that this is such a significant year, for lots of reasons. It maybe adds a little bit more to the season. I think we have a pretty good handle on what we're going to get with the guys that are coming back, and need to work real hard to know the young guys that are coming in."
 
Quite a bit has changed for the Eagles since that last game 21 months ago, most importantly being playing in a new conference, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. One carryover from what would have been a 2020 season will be the celebration of the first century of Ashland football, and that will be prior to the Sept. 11 home opener vs. Ferris State.
 
"We can't look past going to Cleveland and playing Notre Dame," said Owens. "It will be a big challenge for us. That's on everybody's mind right now. We've got to really focus on that. The next game will take care of itself. It's Ferris State – you don't have to say anymore. But it's our alumni, they're going to be back, it's the dedication of this room…there's a lot to go with that game.
 
"It's going to be an event."
 
Offensively, Ashland has the makings of a potent group – led by junior quarterback Austin Brenner, sophomore tailback Gei'Vonni Washington and senior wide receiver Logan Bolin. Brenner is in his third year as a starter, Washington was the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in 2019, and Bolin is No. 8 in program history with 125 career catches.
 
"He's more determined than ever. He's throwing the ball as well or better than he's ever thrown it," Owens said of Brenner. "That third season with the quarterbacks we've had in the past, they really come into their own. He's a pretty special guy, not just on the field, but off the field. He's our leader."
 
Of Washington, Owens said, "We really wore him out (264 carries in 2019). But he's durable and he's tough and he's strong. I don't think there was a better freshman in Division II in 2019."
 
Bolin is the leader of a group which is deep and talented, and is coached positionally by former Ashland High School head coach Scott Valentine, an AU Hall of Famer from his time as an Eagle football player.
 
"He's really added some stability to the position, continuity to the position," Owens said. "He does such a great job of developing talent, recognizing talent, motivating talent."
 
At tight end, senior Austin Phillips is the established veteran, despite missing multiple seasons and having not played since 2018.
 
"His determination, his perseverance, his character and his ability are kind of exciting," Owens said.
 
Along the offensive line, there are veteran starters in juniors Gavin Posey (right tackle), Samson Hairston (center) and Sam Puthoff (right guard). There also is an intriguing senior left tackle in Eric Pickering, who has been a defensive end and tight end in his time at AU.
 
"If there's been a superstar in the two year's we've been off, it's been Eric Pickering," Owens said. "He's got three really good practice seasons to get ready for this fall."
 
In the defensive secondary, the conversation starts with junior safeties Jourdan Swett and Justin Moore, and continues with junior cornerback Jacob Williams, who missed all of 2019 due to injury, and junior whip Tad Onwu.
 
"When they all line up and they all stay healthy, it's really an impressive group," Owens said. "They're dynamic, they're athletic, they're smart."
 
Linebacker also is a deep and young group, headlined by a pair of sophomores – Luke Crabtree and Jackson Myers.
 
Along the defensive line, senior Scott Valentine is joined by intriguing prospects in sophomore Jeffrey Barnett, who was a tailback two years ago, and freshman Youngstown State transfer Chris Julian. Inside, the top two tackles are juniors Curtis Roupe and Nick Cone.
 
"He's a warrior now. He's turned into a machine," Owens said of Valentine. "He's bigger and stronger and more physical than he's ever been before, and he's always played hard, he's always played smart."
 
On special teams, Brenner continues as the punter after two strong campaigns, and kicker will come down to junior Storm Elsesser and sophomore Jackson Welsch.