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Defense Dominates in
AU Football Shutout Win over Hillsdale |
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Houston Astros pitchers Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt may not be at 100 percent on three days rest and as the Major League Baseball playoffs have shown, that can be a major problem. Now, give the Ashland University defense six days and they can throw more curveballs than Bert Blyleven and come after the quarterback like the Rocket’s best heater. The AU defense dominated the action Saturday (Oct. 16) at Community Stadium as Ashland ended a four-game slide with a 24-0 win over Hillsdale. This game marked the first time the Chargers had been shut out in 69 games. The win gives AU a 3-5 mark, 2-5 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action. Hillsdale is 2-6 overall and in the conference. “We needed a big game to get some confidence for the end of the season,” said sophomore linebacker Allen Lattimore, who had seven tackles (six solo) and a pair of sacks (10 yards). “The shutout was more than we expected, but it’s good.” “The defense dominated the game, they didn’t get any momentum off their offense,” said AU head coach Lee Owens. “That’s a great compliment to our defensive coaches.” The Eagles held Hillsdale to 45 yards rushing and gave HC freshman quarterback Mark Nicolet a rough afternoon. Nicolet was 12 of 30 passing for 107 yards and threw one interception. He was sacked five times. AU sophomore quarterback Nick Strance wasn’t having those same kind of problems. Strance played one of his best games of the season, completing 14 of 23 passes for 168 yards. There have been times this season when Strance was the quarterback on the field under pressure, from defenses and fans, but on this day, he made very few mistakes. “That’s the kind of game Nick needs to have,” Owens said. “You have to be tough and sometimes criticism toughens you up.” Strance directed an offense that didn’t have a deep playbook – the Eagles relied on the run most of the afternoon – but it was effective in grinding time off the clock and keeping the ball out of the Chargers’ hands. Part of the reason for emphasizing the ground attack was a constant wind that gusted to 20 miles per hour throughout the afternoon. Ashland held a commanding, 36:29-23:31 edge in time of possession. Ashland senior tailback Antwan Hart rushed for 114 yards on 36 carries and scored the game’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run with 5:59 left in the first half. A 47-yard field goal by junior Austin Wellock with 1:51 to go before halftime upped the Ashland lead to 10 points. Strance found sophomore wide receiver Bobby Madison with an 18-yard scoring pass with 8:35 left in the third quarter. The AU quarterback completed the scoring when he scampered into the end zone from 13 yards out with 4:09 left in regulation. “It felt great,” said Strance of his TD run. “I ran and no one was there, a wide open touchdown.” Once AU got a double-digit lead, the defense could really let loose. Over the last two quarters, that unit didn’t allow the Chargers to climb back into the game. Hillsdale was four-of -16 on third down conversions. Most of those were of the third-and-long variety. “We played aggressive defense, we played at a different energy level,” explained Owens. “We played with more purpose, made big plays. It’s good to have more emotion.” This was Ashland’s first shutout since the Eagles blanked St. Francis (IL), 28-0 in 1997. As usual, AU received strong play from linebackers Devin Conwell and Allen Lattimore. Conwell, a junior, had 11 tackles, all solo. Lattimore, a sophomore, had seven tackles (six solo) and two sacks. Freshman defensive back Thaddeus Walker had four tackles and the first interception of his career. He returned the theft 27 yards. The Charger defense was spearheaded by linebackers Josh Mott and Matt Britton. Both players had 14 tackles and Mott recorded five tackles for loss (14 yards). Ashland plays at Wayne State next Saturday (Oct. 23) at noon. |