Mother Nature and Pumas Come Up Short Against Eagles
August 28, 2004

You might have seen a false start or two in Athens over the last two weeks, but there was nothing of that nature in Ashland, OH, on Saturday (Aug. 28) night.

Nick Strance and his teammates lit the scoreboard up as much as Mother Nature did the skies Saturday night, as the Eagles pounded Saint Joseph's, 48-7.

The start of the Ashland-Saint Joseph’s football game was delayed 75 minutes by electrical storms that moved through the area. The delay did nothing to water down the Eagles’ zest to get the 2004 season started. Once the storms passed and the skies cleared, it was the Eagles taking Saint Joseph’s (IN) by storm, pounding the visitors, 48-7.

Senior tailback Antwan Hart rushed for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Ashland (1-0) ushered in the Lee Owens era with a dominating performance.

Owens, in his first season at AU after nine seasons as the head coach at the University of Akron, watched the Eagles outgain the Pumas, 392-201. On the ground, the Eagles rolled up a 278-97 edge. This game also marked the most points Ashland had ever scored in an opener – the previous record was 45 points against Valparaiso in 1990.

“It was absolutely worth it,” said Owens, about waiting out the weather. “We built up to this all summer, all week, all day. This was a real test, to stay focused. It was great to see our guys perform.”

Ashland scored three times in the first quarter. The first touchdown came on a 7-yard run by senior tailback Jason Schwalm and just under two minutes later, senior linebacker Devin Conwell returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Nick Strance capped off the quarter when he found junior wide receiver Dalorean White with a 17-yard touchdown pass. Strance finished 14 of 17 passing for 85 yards.

“Nick did a good job of checking out of play situations tonight,” Owens said. “He keeps getting better and better. That was a big concern, but he’s coming through.”

Hart scored his first touchdown with 14:52 to play in the first quarter, breaking free for a 28-yard touchdown run. Freshman David Ziegelhofer got the Eagles’ final touchdown of the first half on a 51-yard punt return. Ashland was in front, 34-0 at halftime.

Hart’s second score came on a 2-yard burst three minutes into the second half. Freshman tailback Jon Schroeder got AU’s last touchdown on a 7-yard run with 8:38 remaining in the third frame.

“This was just one win,” cautioned Hart, who reached the 100-yard mark for the fourth time in his two-year Ashland career. “This is a new legacy, we want to be champions. But we’ll take it one game at a time.

“Every team’s different,” continued Hart. “We’ve got to get better. This is something to build on, we have to have a focus.”

“We have to keep this in perspective,” pointed out Owens. “We won’t be overconfident, we need to get more wins. The more success we have, the more they will believe in our plan.”

The Eagles intercepted three Saint Joseph’s passes and recovered one fumble.

“There were some big-time hits out there, we were physical,” noted Owens. “We got a lot of pressure off the edge.”

Like Ashland, the Pumas were playing their first game under a new head coach. This was the first game on the SJC sideline for Tim Lester, who was the offensive coordinator at Elmhurst (IL) a year ago.

In addition to Hart, Schwalm picked up 85 yards rushing on seven carries. Schroeder gained 51 yards on 13 trips.

Sophomore wide receiver Brandon Gilmore caught six passes for 47 yards and White had four receptions for 47 yards. Senior wide receiver Michael Hull had two receptions for 10 yards, giving him 26 consecutive games with at least one pass reception.

Conwell, sophomore defensive back Chris Holland and freshman defensive back Kyle Calvert had seven tackles each for the Eagles. Calvert and senior safety Aaron O’Reilly had interceptions.

Demarreo Campbell had the most success for the Pumas. The sophomore running back had 97 yards on 23 carries. Freshman wide receiver Dan Paulsen caught five passes for 39 yards. SJC freshman quarterback Austin Capi completed 10 of 23 passes for 41 yards.

Ashland opens Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next Saturday (Sept. 4) with a 7 p.m. game against Ferris State. The Bulldogs lost Saturday night at Grand Valley State.