Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets at Ohio Northern University Polar Bears
Saturday, October 6, 2012
1:30 p.m.
Dial-Roberson Field
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RADIO -- BW campus radio station WBWC, 88.3 FM, broadcasts all home and away Yellow Jacket football games. You also can listen to the games live via the WBWC Internet Web site atwww.wbwc.com. The pregame show generally starts 20 minutes prior to kickoff. For more information, please call the station offices at (440) 826-2145 or its listening line at (440) 826-2187. Senior Kelly Rosemond (krosemon@bw.edu) is the Sports Director.
TODAY'S GAME: The Baldwin Wallace University Yellow Jacket football team will look to get back on the winning track when it travels to Ada, Ohio to play Ohio Athletic Conference rival Ohio Northern University.
The Yellow Jackets enter this game with a 3-1 overall and 2-1 OAC record following a 38-17 loss at home to Otterbein University last Saturday (Sept. 29). BW is ranked No. 24 in this week's AFCA (Amercan Football Coaches Association) poll and are in the "Others Receiving Votes" in this week's d3football.com poll. The loss to Otterbein also broke a four-game winning streak dating back to last season.
The Polar Bears enter this game with a 1-3 overall and 1-2 OAC mark following a 54-0 shutout loss at No.1-ranked the University of Mount Union in Ada. ONU has been outscored 127-48 in its first four contests.
SERIES NOTES -- The Yellow Jackets and the Polar Bears have previously met 37 times on the gridiron with Baldwin Wallace holding a 25-11-1 series lead. The series began in 1923 with the Polar Bears defeating the Yellow Jackets, 20-13. A year ago, on October 15, 2011, BW beat ONU, 20-6, before 5,950 fans on Homecoming at The George Finnie Stadium in Berea. The last ONU won came on Oct. 16, 2010 when the Polar Bears beat the Yellow Jackets, 41-21, in Ada. ONU has won two of the past three contests.
LAST MEETING: Last year, BW defeated ONU, 20-6, in front of 5,950 Homecoming fans in Berea. BW led 13-6 after one quarter, at halftime and after three periods. BW ran for 293 yards and had 371 yards of total offense compared to just 235 for ONU. The trio of current senior first-team All-OAC running back Tyler Lohr (Kent/Roosevelt), current senior then "wildcat" quarterback and now safety Andrew Dziak (Maple Heights/Padua Fransiscan) and departed RB Willie Jackson combined for 285 yards on the ground and 306 overall to pace the offense. Leading the way was Lohr with a career-high 137 yards on 25 carries. Dziak ran for 88 yards in 12 attempts, including a 9-yard TD run late in the first quarter. Jackson ran for 60 yards in nine attempts and caught a key 21-yard screen pass. Graduated All-OAC linebacker Brett Thompson '12 opened the scoring when he intercepted an ONU pass and returned it a school and Finnie Stadium-record 95 yards for a TD midway through the first stanza. Current junior All-OAC wide receiver/ kick return specialist Josiah Holt (Elyria/Grafton Midview) led BW receivers with two catches for 33 yard, including a 28-yard catch and run for a TD. In addition to Thompson on defense, graduated three-time All-OAC safety Ryan Dugan '12 had a career-high 16 tackles, current senior All-OAC tackle Max Wagner (Mentor) had a career-high 11 stops. On special teams, current junior punter Matt Harmon (Canfield) averaged a career-best 47.2 yards on four attempts, including a 51-yarder that landed inside the ONU 20-yard line.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS -- Offensively, the Yellow Jackets average 26.8 points-per-game and 379.2 yards of total offense, including 145.5 rushing and 233.8 passing yards. Senior Academic All-OAC and CAPITAL ONE Academic All-District 7 QB Ryan O'Rourke (Avon) runs the offense and has completed 51-of-98 passes for 52 percent with 908 yards and eight TD and four interceptions. He also ran the ball 26 times for 27 yards and a TD. In the backfield, Lohr combines with sophomores Sebastian Zuluaga (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast) and Nolan Sordyl (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Toenship) and freshman Isaac Reed II (Lehigh Scres, Fla./ Lehigh). Lohr leads the way with 222 yards in 58 attempts with a TD. The receiving corps is led by juniors Holt and Gabe Adams (Hudson). Holt has a team-leading 18 catches for 419 yards and five TDs and Adams is second with nine grabs for 109 yards. The line is anchored by senior Academic All-OAC tackle Clay Wolf (Parma Heights/Padua Franciscan) and junior guard Jason Cook (Streetsboro).
Defensively, the Yellow Jackets allow 21.2 ppg. and 334.0 yards of total offense per game, including 149.5 rushing and 184.5 passing yards. The defensive line is led by Max Wagner and senior end Joe Fitch (Elyria/Elyria Catholic). Fitch tops all linemen with 16 tackles and leads the team with 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 QB sacks. Junior MLB Michael Stacchiotti (Girard) and senior Academic All-OAC student-athletes Nick Milano (North Royalton/Padua Franciscan) and Tom Goebel (Brunswick/Padua Franciscan) are the top linebackers. Stacchiotti leads the team with 43 tackles, Milano is tied for second with 22 and Goebel is fourth with 20 stops. The secondary is led by junior Zach Barley (Hudson) with 22 tackles and an interception.
On special teams, BW has two of the top kickoff returnmen in Division III in Holt and fellow junior and starting CB Kevin Johnson (Maple Heights/St. Ignatius). Holt averages 29.4 yards in five returns this season and has three career return TDs. Johnson averages 32.5 yards in five returns this season with two career return TDs. Junior backup CB Kory Gillissie (Parma/St. Ignatius) and senior backup WR Pat LaGuardia (Brunswick/ Padua) return punts. LaGuardia tops the squad with a 12.3-yard average in three returns. Junior Chris Moehler (Kent/Roosevelt) is the kicker. He is a perfect 12-of-12 in PATs and 5-of-8 in field goals to rank second on the team in scoring with 27 points. Harmon is the punter and averages 32.8 yards in 16 attempts with three landing inside the opposition's 20-yard line.
LAST WEEK VS. OTTERBEIN -- In its last game, a 38-17 loss to Otterbein University on September 29 in Berea at The George Finnie Stadium, BW lost for the first time this season and broke a four-game winning streak dating back to last season. It also dropped BW from being ranked No.9 last week to No.24 this week in the AFCA Coaches poll. Offensively, O'Rourke completed 13-of-22 passes for 260 yards with two TDs, but was sacked four times and fumbled once. He completed seven passes to Holt for a career-high 191 yards and two TDs. He was named as the Al Koran Temple/ Shriners' Player of the Game for BW. The Jackets only ran for 25 net yards in 23 attempts. On defense, Stacchiotti had a career-high 16 tackles
SCOUTING THE POLAR BEARS -- Offensively, the Polar Bears average 12.0 points-per-game and 303.8 yards of total offense, including 125.5 rushing and 178.2 passing yards. The Polar Bears run a two-QB system with senior Tyler Rue, who was injured and did not play against Mt. Union, and senior Tate Humphrey running the offense. Rue has completed 38-of-74 passes for 51.4 percent with 458 yards and two TDs and six interceptions. When Humphrey has been in the game, he has completed 27-of-45 passes for 60% with 255 yards and two TDs and three interceptions. Rue also has rushed the ball 26 times for 102 yards and one TD. Humphrey has carried the ball 36 times for 143 yards and one TD. In the backfield, look for junior RB Devian McKennie, senior Carter Paul and junior Justin Buenger to carry the ball. McKennie leads the way with 157 yards in 49 attempts with one TD. Paul has 31 attempts for 133 yards and Buenger has carried the pigskin 15 times for 16 yards. The receiving corps is led by senior WR Justin Wilson, freshman Devon Price, senior Anthony Fletcher and junior Kyle Baker. Wilson has a team-leading 25 catches for 190 yards and one TD. Price is second with 10 grabs for 118 yards. Fletcher has nine grabs for 169 yards and Baker has six grabs for 34 yards.
Defensively, the Polar Bears allow 31.75 ppg. and 393.2 yards of total offense per game, including 200.2 rushing and 193.0 passing yards. The defensive line is led by senior nose tackle Cody Kelly and junior end Josh Simon. Kelly tops all linemen with 20 tackles and has a QB sack. Simon has 17 stops, tops the POlar Bears with 4.5 tackles for loss and also has a QB sack. Sophomore Steven Kenny, junior Dillon Kwiat and senior Joe Powell are the top linebackers. Kenny leads the team with 32 tackles. Powell is second with 31 stops, is third with 2.5 tackles for loss and first with 1.5 QB sacks. Kwiat is tied for third with 25 tackles. The secondary is led by senior Cory Spelman with 25 tackles and one interception. Senior Chance Moore has 15 tackles and a team-leading two interceptions.
On special teams, ONU sends senior RB/ kick return specialist DeMarqus Payne and Price back to return kickoffs. Payne averages 17.1 yards in nine returns and Price averages 18.8 yards on five returns. Sophomore WR Austin Griffin return punts and tops the squad with a 4.8-yard average in six returns. Freshman Matt Chaney is the placekicker and is 6-of-7 on PATs and 0-of-1 in field goals. Junior Kevin Weslosky is one of the OAC's top punters. He averages 37.3 yards in 27 attempts with eight landing inside the opposition's 20-yard line.
LAST GAME AT MOUNT UNION -- Last week, the Polar Bears traveled to Alliance, Ohio and lost to the No.1-ranked University of Mount Union Purple Raiders, 54-0. Senior Tate Humphrey was 9-of-14 passing for 37 yards and junior Tyler Rue was 2-of-6 passing for 86 yards to lead the ONU offense. Senior Justin Wilson caught five passes for 27 yards and senior Anthony Fletcher caught four passes for 97 yards to lead the ONU receivers. Senior Joe Powell had a game-high 10 tackles to lead the Polar Bear defense. ONU had just 147 yards of total offense, including 79 yards on one pass play and just 68 yards in its other 48 plays. Mt. Union led 20-0 after one quarter, 30-0 at halftime and 51-0 after three quarters.
