2002 Ashland University Football: The Northern Michigan Game
October 14, 2002

Ashland (2-5/2-4) at Northern Michigan (4-2/4-1)
Saturday, Oct. 19, 1 p.m.
Superior Dome

This Week’s Storyline
The Ashland University Eagles hope to make a couple of flights this Saturday. First, they will board a plan and fly to Marquette, MI, for a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game with Northern Michigan. Once they’re in Marquette and at the Superior Dome, they hope to take a magic carpet ride.

This is the first time this season the Eagles will play on carpet – a.k.a. artificial turf - and it’s the only time they will play under a roof. To give the Wildcats a case of rug burn, the Eagles will have to play like they have the last two weeks. Ashland enters this game riding a two-game winning streak.

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. The AU-NMU game story will appear in Monday’s paper. The Mansfield News Journal staffs all AU home games and provides recaps on all road games. The News Journal will have a review of this game in the Sunday edition.

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 49-42-0 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.

Doug Sams is in his first season at the head coach at Northern Michigan. Sams came to NMU from Fairmont State, where he was the head coach for 10 seasons. His record at the West Virginia school was 53-47. Fairmont State won two West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships during his tenure there and Sams was the league’s coach of the year in 1996. Sams also was the head coach at Urbana in 1988, guiding that team to a 5-5 finish. That puts Sams’ record as a collegiate head coach at 58-52 in 11 seasons.

Sams has also coached at Oregon State, Northern Iowa, Idaho State and on the professional level with the Montreal Alouettes (1986), Edmonton Eskimos (1987) and Ottawa Rough Riders (1989-91). He was an offensive line coach in Montreal and with the Eskimos, was a defensive coach and special teams coordinator. The Eskimos won the Grey Cup in 1987 with Sams on board.

The NMU head coach is a 1978 graduate of Oregon State.

Ashland-Northern Michigan
Ashland holds a 9-3 lead in the all-time series and has won five of the last six meetings. A year ago in Ashland the Eagles won, 26-14. AU tailback J.R. McCoy (Unionville Center, OH/Fairbanks) set an AU single-game rushing records in that contest, rambling for 270 yards, breaking Ray Novotny’s mark of 266 yards, set in 1929.

The Eagles scored 17 points in the first quarter. Two of those scores came from the defense – defensive back Jeremy Westbrooks (East Cleveland, OH/St. Edward) returning an interception 64 yards for a touchdown and then late in the quarter, linebacker Brock Swonguer brought a pick back 33 yards for a touchdown. AU led, 26-0 at halftime. The Eagles forced four NMU turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble).

The last time AU visited the Superior Dome was in 2000 and the Wildcats came away with a 31-26 victory. Ashland’s all-time record at the Dome is 4-2. In the final game of the 1991 season, AU won in Marquette, 49-7. That was the 200th win of former AU head coach Fred Martinelli’s career.

Another Look at Last Week
McCoy set the record for career carries last week and while toting the football, also carried the Eagles on his back. McCoy rushed for 98 yards on 32 carries and scored twice as the Eagles won their second straight game, 27-20 over Mercyhurst. McCoy’s second TD, an 8-yard run, came with 1:01 left in regulation and sent an AU homecoming crowd home happy.

McCoy broke a record that had stood since 1984. He entered the game needing 14 rushing attempts to move past Antoine Gaiter, who had 827 carries (1981-84). McCoy now has 846 carries. With four games to play, he’s taking dead aim at Keith Weaver’s AU career rushing record. Weaver has 3,943 yards and McCoy is at 3,729 yards and counting. The senior needs 215 yards to break the record.

McCoy’s winning touchdown was set up by an interception. AU senior free safety Toby Stepsis (Shelby, OH) picked off a Jim Schuler pass at the MC42 and brought the ball back to the MC22. Stepsis had a monster game with 10 tackles (six solo), an interception and two pass deflections. His last pass deflection came on the final play of the game when Stepsis knocked down a Schuler Hail Mary pass in the end zone.

AU had to come from behind to stop the Lakers, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter. Mercyhurst led, 20-14 at halftime and 20-17 after three quarters. The AU defense kept the visitors under wraps in the second half. For the game Ashland had five sacks and three interceptions. All five sacks and two of the interceptions came over the last two quarters.

Once again, redshirt freshman kicker Austin Wellock (North Canton, OH/Green) played a large role in the victory. Wellock connected on two of three field goal attempts. He split the uprights from 36 and 26 yards. Over the last two games, Wellock has eight field goals.

Eagle Elite

• Brett Bartlow (West Chester, OH/Lakota East) – The junior defensive end is tied for second in the GLIAC in sacks (5-24). He has 22 tackles this year (13 solo).
• Toure Carter (Cleveland, OH/Rhoades) – A junior defensive back, Carter is tied for third in the GLIAC in passes defensed (seven). He has 27 tackles (19 solo) and one interception.
• Phil Gallo (Poland, OH/Seminary) – A sophomore nose tackle, Gallo had three tackles last week, including two sacks for 17 yards in lost yardage. He also forced a fumble.
• Geoff Henry (Medina, OH) – A senior linebacker, Henry is third on the team in tackles (45/20 solo). Henry has six tackles for loss and that leads the team. Last week, he tied for the team lead in tackles (10/4 solo).
• Michael Hull (Cincinnati, OH/Sycamore) – The sophomore wideout leads AU in catches (36-401, 11.1 ypc.). Last week he caught a team-high six passes for 48 yards. He’s fourth in the GLIAC in receptions per game (5.14).
• Kevin Lacey (Greenwich, OH/South Central) – Lacey’s a senior nose tackle. Against Mercyhurst he had a pair of sacks for 14 yards in lost real estate. Lacey is tied for fourth in the GLIAC in tackles for loss (6.5).
• J.R. McCoy (Unionville Center, OH/Fairbanks) – McCoy is AU’s senior tailback. He’s fifth in the GLIAC in rushing with 623 yards on 188 carries (3.3 ypc., 89.0 ypg.).
• Kevin McMahon (Toledo, OH/St. Francis DeSales) – A senior wide receiver, McMahon is second on the team in receptions (32) and leads the Eagles in receiving yards (474, 14.8 ypc.). McMahon is sixth in the league in receiving yard per game (67.7 ypg.) and seventh in receptions per game (4.57).
• Aaron O’Reilly (Columbus, OH/DeSales) – A junior strong safety, O’Reilly is second on the team in tackles (53/32 solo). He also has two pass breakups. O’Reilly had eight tackles (six solo), one tackle for loss and a fumble recovery against Mercyhurst.
• Toby Stepsis (Shelby, OH) – A senior free safety, Stepsis leads AU in tackles (58/33 solo) and interceptions (three).
• John Szabo (Dayton, OH/Chaminade-Julienne) – A sophomore quarterback, Szabo has completed 113 of 210 passes (53.8 percent) for 1,313 yards. He has six TD passes and six interceptions. Szabo is sixth in the GLIAC in passing yards per game (187.6) and seventh in pass efficiency (110.0).
• Austin Wellock (North Canton, OH/Green) – Wellock is 11-12 on field goal attempts this year. He’s the GLIAC leader in field goals (1.57 fpg.) and is third in kick scoring (45 points, 6.4 ppg.).

Notes From the Nest

• Ashland is the GLIAC leader in sacks with 17.
• Very quietly, the Eagles have been moving up the time of possession chart. AU is fourth in the GLIAC in that department at 30:45. Nothing keeps a defense fresh like an offense that can hold onto the football. A year ago, AU was third in the conference in time of possession (31:41).
• Ashland has nine interceptions over the last two games. During AU’s two-game winning streak the Eagles are +7 in turnover margin. For the year, Ashland is sixth in the GLIAC in turnover margin (AU is even). Three weeks ago, the Eagles were last in the conference.
• A win this week would give AU a three-game winning streak. The Eagles haven’t enjoyed a three-game winning streak since the 1999 campaign when AU won six consecutive games.
• The Eagles have won their homecoming game for seven straight years.

The Quotebook

J.R. McCoy on setting the AU record for career carries.

“A lot of people, at first sight, would never guess that. I get that a lot. It (the record) is an honor. I’m thankful the Good Lord has kept me healthy.”

McCoy on the season to date.

“It’s been frustrating at times. But it’s all coming together. Everything will be great from now on. I feel it.”

Senior free safety Toby Stepsis on the Eagles forcing more turnovers.

“Granted, we’ve had more opportunities. We’re where we’re supposed to be. That can make the difference between a pick and a completion.”

Head Coach Gary Keller on the Northern Michigan offense.

“They will spread the field. We’ll see a lot of different formations – four wide receivers, three wide receivers, no back. They do a nice job of using different formations and their personnel.”

Keller on what’s impressed him the most about the last two games.

“The good thing is that the guys have hung in there. They’ve really had some adversity. But we know, a lot of times in life that happens, life isn’t always rosy. Our seniors have been a major part of this, they’ve helped us maintain our focus, focus on the core values of our team.”

On Deck
The Eagles play their final home game of the week next Saturday (Oct. 26, 1 p.m.) when Findlay visits Community Stadium. That will be Family Weekend/Senior Day.