2002 Ashland University Football: The Saginaw Valley State Game
September 23, 2002

Saginaw Valley State 3-0/2-0) at Ashland (0-4/0-3)
Saturday, Sept. 28, 1 p.m.
Community Stadium

This Week’s Storyline
Mr. French won’t be in town and Buffy and Jody won’t be at Community Stadium either. But when Ashland tangles with Saginaw Valley State this week, it will definitely be a Family Affair.

The AU football family will bring back former players this week for Football Alumni Day. Former AU players and coaches will gather to see if the Eagles can knock off nationally-ranked Saginaw Valley State. This is the Second Annual Football Alumni Day and this year’s event is highlighted by a presentation with former AU head coach Dr. Fred Martinelli, a member of this year’s College Football Hall of Fame induction class.

Having all those ex-Eagles in attendance can’t hurt as the present-day Eagles face one of the best teams in the country. The high-flying Cardinals will present a major challenge on both sides of the ball. All told, this should be one of the most exciting dates on the 2002 home schedule.

Eyes and Ears
All Ashland University football games can be heard live on WNCO (1340 AM). This is the 10th consecutive year WNCO has carried the games. The broadcast team is comprised of play-by-play man Sam Renfroe and color commentator Bill Linson. This is Renfroe’s seventh season doing the games and this is Linson’s second season behind the microphone.

The Ashland Times-Gazette covers all home games and selected road games. As usual, T-G sportswriter Dusty Sloan will report on the proceedings in Monday’s paper. The Mansfield News Journal staffs all AU home games and will have a recap of this game in the Sunday edition. WRDL-TV, the campus television station (Channel 2), will show the game on a tape-delay basis.

Honorary Captains
At every AU home football game, two former Ashland University football players are brought back to campus for a football Saturday. The two experience every facet of game day, attending coaches and player meetings, joining the team at the pre-game meal and spending the game on the AU sideline. This week’s honorary captains are Brian Newland (Class of 1977) and Ron Riggs (Class of 1966).

Who’s the Boss?
Ashland’s head coach is Gary Keller. Keller is in his ninth season as AU’s head coach and brings a 47-41-0 record into this week’s game. This is Keller’s 20th season with the Eagles, prior to being named the head coach he was an assistant coach under Dr. Fred Martinelli. Keller was the defensive coordinator for nine years before being elevated to the top spot and as the “D” coordinator, he directed defenses that led the country in total defense twice and was the national leader in rush defense twice. As the head coach, he guided the Eagles to a Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1997. He was the conference coach of the year in 1997. Keller is a 1973 Bluffton (OH) graduate.

The Cardinals are under the guidance of Randy Awrey. This is Awrey’s fourth season with the Cards and his record at SVSU is 27-11. Awrey’s Cardinals have made the journey to the NCAA Division II playoffs each of the last two seasons and this year’s team is in position to make it three postseason runs in a row. Last year’s team set or tied 20 school or conference records on the way to an 11-2 mark.

Awrey’s also been the head coach at Lakeland College (WI) and Kentucky Wesleyan. His career record is 75-52-1. This is his 13th season as a college head coach. Awrey is a 1978 Northern Michigan grad. He was a four-year starter for the Wildcats as a defensive back and running back. He was the most valuable player in the 1975 national championship game when NMU won a national title.

Ashland-Saginaw Valley State
SVSU is in front in the all-time series, 6-4. The Cardinals have beaten the Eagles the last two times the teams have met. Awrey has never lost to AU as Saginaw’s head coach. A year ago the teams met on the fifth week of the season at Saginaw Valley and the Cardinals won, 20-3.

That game was closer than the final score would indicate. After three quarters, SVSU was in front, 6-3, on a pair of Eric Houle field goals. The home team took control in the fourth quarter. First, Damion Bridges scored on a 20-yard run with 14:13 to play. That SVSU drive was prolonged by a costly roughing-the-punter penalty on the Eagles. Then with 8:33 left in regulation SVSU cornerback Demons Bryant picked off a pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. Bridges finished the game with 102 yards on 22 carries. AU was outgained, 415-299. Ashland was held to 97 yards on the ground.

Ashland’s last win in the series came at Community Stadium in 1997, 27-20. Both teams were nationally ranked entering that game. That year, AU went on to win a share of the MIFC championship and appeared in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Scouting Saginaw Valley State
Grand Valley State is ranked first in the country and is regarded as one of the most explosive teams in the country, but Saginaw Valley isn’t far behind. The Cardinals were ranked fourth in the nation (America Football Coaches Association poll) last week. The Cards lead the GLIAC in nine different categories, including scoring offense (44.3 ppg.), scoring defense (13.7 ppg.), pass offense (330. ypg.), pass defense (111.3 ypg.) and total offense (500.0 ypg.). SVSU is second in the league in total defense (271.7 pg.).

This team is so deep that the two players who lead the GLIAC in pass efficiency are from SVSU. Sophomore Mark Radlinski is first in pass efficiency (225.6), completing 21 of 35 passes (60 percent) for 478 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. Senior Matt LaFleur, the starter, is second in pass efficiency (183.4). He’s completed 37 of 50 throws (74 percent) for 455 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

Those two have a laundry list of receivers to choose from. Senior wide receiver Travis McAlpine has caught 13 passes for 272 yards (21.2 ypc.) and is averaging 91.3 ypg. He’s third in the league in scoring (36 points) and second in receiving yards per game. SVSU has three of the top 10 receivers in the GLIAC. Junior wideout Ruvell Martin has caught 15 passes for 219 yards (14.6 ypc., 73.0 ypg.) and sophomore wide receiver Mark LaFreniere has 11 receptions for 199 yards (18.1 ypc., 66.3 ypg.).

The special teams are paced by junior Jason Chounard. He’s second in the league in kickoff returns (6-161, 26.8 ypr.) and sixth in punt returns (8-72, 9.0 ypr.).

Last week, the Cardinals pounded Mercyhurst, 51-7. SVSU had over 500 yards in total offense against the Lakers.

Another Look at Last Week
The Eagles showed very little spark last Saturday night at Muddy Waters Stadium against the Hillsdale College Chargers. The home team scored just 1:01 into the game and AU turned the ball over on its first two possessions. Those two turnovers led to HC touchdowns and the home team was in front, 20-0 after the first 15 minutes and 27-0 at halftime. HC tailback Kevin Clive rushed for 136 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries. Clive tied the record for most touchdowns rushing against AU. The last player to rush for four scores against the Eagles was Eastern Kentucky’s Stan Mitchell in 1975.

The Eagles couldn’t dig themselves out of that huge hole. AU was outgained, 385-217. The Chargers ran 81 plays compared to Ashland’s 60. The Eagles lost two of four fumbles and had an interception. AU senior tailback J.R. McCoy (Unionville Center, OH/Fairbanks) was limited to 49 yards on 15 carries. That’s his lowest output since he had 35 yards on 18 trips against Grand Valley State on Sept. 22, 2001.

Ashland’s lone score came with 12:34 left in the contest. McCoy’s backup, freshman William Block (Troy, OH), scored on a 1-yard run. That was the first touchdown of his collegiate career.

Eagle Elite

• Brett Bartlow (West Chester, OH/Lakota East) – The junior defensive end leads the GLIAC in sacks (4) and is fourth in the league in tackles for loss (4-24).
• Chris Campbell (Newark, OH) – The sophomore linebacker was in on a career-high 13 tackles (12 solo) at Hillsdale. He had two tackles for loss (10 yards).
• Geoff Henry (Medina, OH) – A senior linebacker, Henry is third on the team in tackles (28/16 solo).
• Michael Hull (Cincinnati, OH/Sycamore) – The sophomore wideout caught a career-high eight passes last week for 64 yards. Hull has 11 receptions over the last two weeks and is third in the GLIAC in receptions per game (6.25). Hull leads the Eagles with 25 receptions. He’s averaging 9.8 ypc.
• Aaron O’Reilly (Columbus, OH/DeSales) – A junior strong safety, O’Reilly had a career-best 16 tackles at Hillsdale (six solo). He also had two pass breakups against the Chargers. O’Reilly leads the Eagles in tackles (34/17 solo).
• Brian Morrison (New Philadelphia, OH/Tuscarawus Catholic) – Morrison is a senior defensive lineman. He had six tackles and two tackles for loss (12 yards) at Hillsdale.
• Toby Stepsis (Shelby, OH) – A senior free safety, Stepsis is second on the team in tackles (30/18). He had nine tackles (seven solo) at Hillsdale.
• John Szabo (Dayton, OH/Chaminade-Julienne) – A sophomore quarterback, Szabo completed 15 of 28 passes for 122 yards last week. On the year, he’s completed 69 of 120 passes (57.5 percent) for 761 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions.
• Jeremy Westbrooks (East Cleveland, OH/St. Edward) – A junior cornerback, Westbrooks is fourth on the club in tackles (23/18 solo). He has a team-high three pass breakups.

Notes From the Nest

• O’Reilly’s 16 tackles at Hillsdale represents the most tackles by an Ashland player since Brock Swonguer had 17 tackles against Hillsdale in 2001.
• AU has recorded a total of six sacks in the last two games against Saginaw Valley. AU enters this week’s game first in the league in sacks (8).
• The last time AU and SVSU clashed at Community Stadium the Cardinals won in overtime, 42-35. AU’s record in overtime games is 1-2.
• AU is 0-2 at home with three home games left. Over the last five seasons, the only time AU suffered three hom losses (2-3) came in 1996.
• The Eagles are 0-4 for the first time since 1985. That year, Ashland started 0-4 before rallying to finish 6-4 and win a Heartland Conference championship.
• AU hasn’t intercepted a pass this season.
• The opposition has outscored the Eagles 55-13 in the first quarter and 87-27 in the first half.
• McCoy is seventh in the GLIAC in rushing, averaging 81.2 ypg. He has one 100-yard rushing game this season. A year ago, McCoy led the conference in rushing.

The Quotebook

Offensive coordinator Matt Hohman on the play of sophomore wide receiver Michael Hull.

“Michael coming in as a freshman was better than we thought he’d be. He doesn’t have a lot of glitz and glamour and he’s not the flashiest guy out on the field, but he’s as consistent as anyone on the field. He’ll run good routes and catch the football when it’s thrown to him.”

Keller after last week’s game at Hillsdale.

“We have to take what we have and find a way to succeed. We won’t change our luck unless we start executing better in every phase of the game.”

Westbrooks on playing Saginaw Valley State.

“I think against a team like Saginaw you have to take it one play at a time. It’s a challenge and me, personally, I thrive on challenges. We have to read our keys, be at the right place, be fundamentally sound. The defensive backs from Ashland will come to play.”

Westbrooks on the importance of Football Alumni Day.

“I’ve been told there will be over 300 ex-players here. They built this program. They’re taking their time to come back and see us play. We owe it to them to go out and show what Ashland football is all about. The last four weeks have been rough. We want to have a good showing for them.”

On Deck
Next week (Oct. 5) the Eagles are back on the road, making the three-hour trip to Detroit, MI, for a GLIAC game with Wayne State. The Eagles and Warriors will kick off at noon.