Top 25 Matchup Between Ashland and Bloomsburg Highlights This Week’s Action

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Eight GLIAC teams will be in action this weekend, making their 2008 season debut.

This weekend's schedule features all non-conference games. The first is Thursday, Aug. 28 when Indianapolis travels to play Kentucky Wesleyan in an 8 pm game.

The big matchup for the weekend, though, is when No. 25 Bloomsburg (Pa.) visits No. 15 Ashland Saturday in a battle of top 25 teams.

Tiffin plays a non-conference contest at home against fellow GLIAC member Ferris State. Other games involving GLIAC teams include: former GLIAC member Mercyhurst (Pa.) playing at Wayne State, Winona State (Minn.) traveling to Michigan Tech, Hillsdale hosting St. Joseph's (Ind.), and Findlay playing at Urbana (Ohio).

Idle Grand Valley State sits at No. 2 in the AFCA D-II Coaches Preseason Poll. The Lakers, Northwood, Northern Michigan, and Saginaw Valley State will all begin their seasons on Saturday, Sept. 6.

Six NCAA Division II Northwest region teams appear in the AFCA poll. Besides the two GLIAC teams, there are two teams from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Chadron State, Neb. (9th) and Mesa State, Colo. (23rd). Great Northwest Athletic Conference member Central Washington is ranked No. 11 while Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference affiliate Minnesota-Duluth begins the season ranked 22nd.

This Week's Games

Thursday, Aug. 28
Indianapolis at Kentucky Wesleyan -- 8 pm (EDT)

Saturday, Aug. 30
Findlay at Urbana (Ohio) -- Noon (EDT)
Mercyhurst (Pa.) at Wayne State -- 12:30 pm (EDT)
Winona State (Minn.) at Michigan Tech -- 1 pm (EDT)
Bloomsburg (Pa.) at Ashland -- 1 pm (EDT)
St. Joseph's (Ind.) at Hillsdale -- 2:30 pm (EDT)
Ferris State at Tiffin -- 2:30 pm (EDT)

Indianapolis (6-5, 5-5 GLIAC in'07)
at Kentucky Wesleyan (3-8, 1-4 GLFC in ‘07)
Thursday Aug. 28 -- 8 pm
Owensboro, Ky. /Steele Stadium (3,000)

 The Series:  This is the first time these two teams have ever met.

Indianapolis: Indianapolis opens the season with the first of three straight road contests when it travels to Owensboro, Ky. to battle Kentucky Wesleyan ... KWC, a fellow member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference in its other sports, will be meeting the Hounds on the gridiron for the first time ... UIndy is eying its fourth straight winning season under the direction of 15-year head coach Joe Polizzi ... Polizzi has led his team to a 10-4 mark in season openers ... UIndy has not lost a non-conference tilt since the 1995 season ... The Hounds have two 1,000-yard rushers in their backfield (Craig Jenkins- 1,136 in 2006 and Eric Wright- 1,076 in 2007) ... Senior Kevin Sanford sits just 56 receptions shy of the all-time UIndy record for receptions.

Kentucky Wesleyan:  Five Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers were named to the D2Football.com All-Independent team including first team selection Greg Embers, Perry Freeze, Brandon Hodnett and Ron Rapier.  Embers, a senior strong safety from Louisville (Seneca HS), finished second in tackles with 73.5 and tackles for loss with 12 in 2007. Freeze, a senior from Bowling Green (Greenwood HS), started all 11 contests at guard and tackle. Hodnett, a senior kicker from Clinton, Md. (Gwynn Park HS), led KWC in scoring with 51 points including 36-of-38 extra points attempts and five-of-seven field goal tries including a 40-yarder. Rapier, a senior free safety from Henderson (Henderson County HS), finished third in tackles with 66 and also had three interceptions. Earning second-team honors was senior wide receiver Josh Smith from O'Fallin, Ill. (Marist HS). He caught a second-best 39 catches for 521 yards and five touchdowns as a junior. KWC opens the season Thursday, Aug. 28 by hosting Indianapolis at 7 p.m.

#25 Bloomsburg (Pa.) (7-3, 4-1 PSAC East in ‘07)
at #15 Ashland (8-2, 8-1 GLIAC in ‘07)
Saturday Aug. 30 -- 1 pm
Ashland, Ohio /Community Stadium (6,000)

The Series:  This is the first time these two teams have ever met.

Bloomsburg: The Huskies (7-3, 4-1 PSAC East in 2007) return seven starters to an offensive unit that averaged a PSAC-best 39.8 ppg. Bloomsburg was picked second in the Eastern Division in this year's PSAC Coaches' Poll, trailing only West Chester. The Huskies lost one Eastern Division contest last year, breaking a streak that saw them go unbeaten in the division for two years. BU ended last season with a five-game winning streak and won six of its final seven games.

Ashland: This is the fourth consecutive year the Eagles have opened the season against a ranked foe. Each of the last three years, AU opened the year against Saginaw Valley State and SVSU was ranked each year. A year ago the Eagles established school single-season records for points (440, 44.0 ppg.), passing yards (2,909/290.9 ypg.) and total offense (5,282/528.2 ypg.). Ashland was the NCAA Division II leader in fewest turnovers (9). AU was fourth in the country in total offense and pass efficiency (166.09 rating). Dating back to 1992, Ashland is 6-3 in non-conference games. In the last four years with Lee Owens as head coach the Eagles have blocked 18 punts and/or kicks. Ashland brings back six starters on offense, including junior quarterback Billy Cundiff (Uniontown, OH/Connecticut) who set a school single-season record for completion percentage (61.3) last season. He also set school single-game marks for TD passes (5) and total yardage (425)...running back / kick returner Dawon Harvey (Columbus, OH/Central State) was named a preseason All-American by Lindy's as a return specialist. A year ago the junior rushed for 1,026 yards, averaged 22.6 ypr. on kickoffs and 6.6 ypr. on punts. AU was 4-0 at Community Stadium last season and averaged 56.5 ppg. Ashland's last home loss came to Findlay, 7-0 on Oct. 28, 2006.

Ferris State (7-4, 6-4 GLIAC in ‘07)
at Tiffin (9-2, 5-0 GLFC in ‘07)
Saturday, Aug. 30 -- 2:30 pm
Tiffin, Ohio. /Frost-Kalnow Stadium (4,500)

The Series:  This is the first time these two teams have ever met.

Ferris State: Ferris State kicks off its 2008 11-game campaign and 100th season of varsity competition Saturday, Aug. 30, versus the Tiffin Dragons in a 2:30p.m. (EDT) non-conference matchup at TU's Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin,Ohio. The Bulldogs have won 11 of their last 19 season openers to date, which includes four of their last 11overall. Head coach Jeff Pierce has posted a 6-7-0 career mark in season-opening contests. Ferris recorded a 42-19 non-league triumph over Kentucky State in last year's (2007) season opener held at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich. The 2008 campaign represents the Bulldogs' 100th season of varsity competition. The program actually began in 1900, but no football was played in 1908-09, 1917-18, 1932 and from 1942-45 for various reasons.

Tiffin: The 2008 season for the Tiffin University football team will display some exciting new changes while looking to maintain the level of success the team has enjoyed the past few seasons. The biggest change occurs at Head Coach, with former Division I assistant David Walkosky taking over the reins of the Dragon program. On the offensive side of the ball, the Dragons will rely on an aggressive attack to take advantage of their playmakers' abilities. Senior Matt Root will line up at quarterback for the Dragons after posting career highs in yards (2,396), touchdowns (27) and completion percentage (66%) in 2007. Tiffin's Parris Burt has been named a Consensus Draft Services Division II Preseason All-American. Burt, who landed a Second Team selection, was one of 9 players from Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schools to earn the distinction.

Findlay (5-6, 4-6 GLIAC in ‘07)
at Urbana (Ohio) (6-5, 3-4 MSFA in ‘07)
Saturday, Aug. 30 -- Noon
Urbana, Ohio. /Ellis Field


This Series:  The Oilers currently hold a 9-0 lead over the Blue Knights in the all-time series dating back to the 1925 campaign. The last time the two schools met on the football field came during the 1995 season when the Oilers beat the Blue Knights 37-3.

Findlay: The University of Findlay football team will be on the road to open their season at Urbana University on Saturday, August 30. The non-conference contest is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. in Urbana, Ohio at Urbana Stadium. The Oilers ended last season with a 5-6 record and are picked to finish 11th in the GLIAC this season. Back to lead the team will be junior wide receiver Jonathan Bell, junior linebacker/punter Joe Knopick, junior defensive back Anthony Fields and sophomore kicker Cameron Stevens who each earned honorable mention all-GLIAC status last year.

Urbana: Urbana finished the 2007 campaign with a 6-5 record, including a 3-4 mark in the MSFA. Leading tacklers Eriq McCorkle and Chad Kinkead will be back at the linebacker position as they tied for the team lead with 83 tackles in 2007. Urbana also returns Shawn Lewis and Travis Brisco, who each tallied double digit sack totals for the Blue Knights last season. Lewis was rewarded for his standout season by being named first team all- conference while Brisco was named first team All-American to go along with first team all-conference honors.



Mercyhurst (Pa.) (4-7, 3-7 GLIAC in ‘07)
at Wayne State (3-8, 2-8 GLIAC in ‘07)
Saturday Aug. 30 -- 12:30 pm
Detroit, Mich. /Adams Field (6,000)

The Series:  Mercyhurst leads the all-time series 5-2, which began in 1998. WSU is 2-1 at home against the Lakers, having won the last two meetings by four points each (33-29 in 2002 and 35-31 in 2006).

Mercyhurst: The Lakers went 4-7 in their last season as a GLIAC member, including 3-3 on the road. MC's only home win was against Wayne State. Senior cornerback/kick returner Theo Hall was named NCAA Division II football second team preseason All-American by Consensus Draft Services. MC has seven starters returning on offense and eight on defense.

Wayne State: After posting the program's first winning record in more than a decade in 2006, the 2007 Wayne State squad recorded just three wins but had fourth quarter leads in four of its eight setbacks. This year's team will try to duplicate the offensive records set by the 2007 squad but reduce the number of points allowed and finish games strong. The Warriors should be strong and experienced offensively in every position but tight end, where last year's top three all graduated. The running back tandem of Joique Bell and Daryl Graham rushed for 2,227 yards and 28 touchdowns last year. The top four returning wideouts contributed 52 receptions in 2007 for 841 yards. Four starters return to the offensive line, while Brian Rilley takes over at fullback. The two incumbents at quarterback are senior Mickey Berce and sophomore Zack George. They are backed-up by three true freshmen. The seven returning starters on defense include linemen Jachym and Thomas, linebackers Black and Nuckols, and defensive backs Dillard, Dunn, and Wisniewski.

Winona St. (Minn.) (10-2, 9-0 NSIC in ‘07)
at Michigan Tech (6-5, 6-4 GLIAC in ‘07)
Saturday Aug. 30 -- 1 pm
Houghton, Mich./Sherman Field (3,000)

The Series:  Michigan Tech leads the all-time series, 19-10 . WSU won last meeting in 2007, 47-44. 

Michigan Tech: Michigan Tech opens its 85th season of intercollegiate football Saturday vs. non-conference opponent Winona State. Tech faced the Warriors last year in what was the Huskies' first non-conference regular season game in 13 years. WSU won that game, 47-44, in overtime. Tech will debut its new synthetic turf in Saturday's contest. ProGrass, Inc., based out of Pittsburgh, installed the turf and completed the project in mid-July . Team captains for the 2008 season will be senior defensive tackle Derek Harter (Rudyard, Mich.), senior wide receiver Keith White (Rhinelander, Wis.), senior linebacker Sean Spellman (Phoenix, Ariz./Pinnacle) and junior quarterback Steve Short (Iron Mountain, Mich. Kingsford) . Michigan Tech will host its first three games of 2008, marking the first time the Huskies have opened with three straight at home since 1975 . Head coach Tom Kearly enters his third season as Tech's skipper with a 12-9 record.

Winona State: The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference has come out with its annual Preseason Coaches Poll and Winona State University has been chosen to capture the NSIC South Division championship.   The NSIC has expanded to 14 teams this season and the league has decided to break up the teams into two seven-team divisions. Winona State received five of the southern division first-place votes to total 35 points.  Winona State totaled 148 points and four first-place votes to received the No. 2 ranking in the overall championship poll. UM-Duluth received seven first-place votes and came up with 151 points to take the No. 1 spot. Winona State is the defending NSIC champion.

St. Joseph's (Ind.) (4-7, 3-2 GLFC in ‘07)
at Hillsdale (8-3, 7-3 GLIAC in ‘07)
Saturday Aug. 30 -- 2:30 pm
Hillsdale, Mich. / "Muddy" Waters Stadium (8,500)

The Series:  Saturday's game marks the first between the Chargers and Pumas since Sept. 16, 1995. Hillsdale leads the all-time series between the two teams 6-2, and won the last meeting 49-0.

St. Joseph's: The Great Lakes Football Conference released their annual preseason coaches poll, picking Saint Joseph's College second behind Missouri University of Science and Technology. Both schools finished last season 3-2, tied for second in the GLFC with Central State. The Pumas, which finished last season 4-7overall, received 20 points and one first place vote. Just ahead of SJC are the Miners with 23 points and four first place votes. Central State (17), Kentucky Wesleyan (10), and Lincoln (5) rounded out the preseason standings. The Pumas open the 2008 campaign August 30th at Hillsdale College.

Hillsdale:  For the third time in five years, the Hillsdale College football team plays its first game of the season at home Saturday. The Chargers welcome St. Joseph's College to Muddy Waters Stadium for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.  Several members of the Hillsdale College football team were given preseason honors by various college football publications and websites. Senior LB Tom Korte was named Division II Pre-season All-American by The Sporting News, D2football.com, and the NFL Draft Bible. Junior OL Jared Veldheer joined Korte on each of those All-American lists, while junior TE Matt Patillo was a Second-Team All-American choice by Lindy's College Football Magazine and D2football.com. Senior WR Aaron Waldie had a record-shattering season in 2007, and is in position to sit atop several statistical categories this season. He has 22 career touchdown receptions, and needs three to break the school's career record. Eighteen of those TD catches came last season, which led all Division II players.