Ashland Football Weekly Report
August 23, 2005

Game 1 – Ashland (0-0) at Saint Joseph’s (0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 27, Noon
Rensselaer, IN/Alumni Stadium

It’s not quite as impressive as ESPN’s 50 states in 50 days sojourn, but the Ashland University football team will raise the curtain on the 2005 season with a pair of road contests. The first of those trips is the lone non-conference game of the season as the Eagles visit Saint Joseph’s. This is AU’s first trip to SJC since 1994 when the Eagles downed the Pumas, 14-7.

Ashland won three of its final four games in 2004 to finish 5-6. Saint Joseph’s was 7-4 last season. This is the second consecutive season the teams have met in the season opener. Last year in Ashland the Eagles outscored the Pumas, 48-7. That point total was AU’s highest of the season and is the most points the Eagles have ever scored in an opener.

AU’s Eye-Opening Openers
Listed below are AU’s best offensive performances in season openers.

• 2004 – Ashland 48, Saint Joseph’s 7
• 1990 – Ashland 45 at Valparaiso 0
• 1978 – Ashland 42 at Franklin 21
• 1954 – Ashland 40, Kenyon 0
• 1949 – Ashland 38, Rio Grande 0

AU’s Recent History in Lid-Lifters
Listed below are Ashland’s recent results in openers.

• 2004 – Ashland 48, Saint Joseph’s 7
• 2003 – at Michigan Tech 27, Ashland 14 – The Eagles had a 14-0 third quarter lead, but couldn’t hold on as Tech scored 20 fourth-quarter points. AU had four turnovers, including three interceptions and two of those picks were returned for scores.
• 2002 – Michigan Tech 30 at Ashland 23 – Once again, Tech was dominant in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points to secure the win. The winning TD came with 1:49 left in regulation on a 56-yard Joe Johnson run. Johnson rushed for 216 yards on 27 carries.
• 2001 – at Ashland 27, Edinboro 9 - Senior wide receiver Kevin McMahon caught TD passes of 65 and 40 yards and rushed for a 13-yard score to pace the Eagles. McMahon had four receptions for 116 yards and J.R. McCoy rushed for 124 yards on 28 carries.
• 2000 – Ashland 24 at Edinboro 17 – The Eagles ruined the debut of EU head coach Lou Tepper. The Eagles outgained the Scots, 307-245 and used a 10-point third quarter to take control of the contest.

Sights and Sounds of the Game
All Ashland University football games can be heard live on WNCO (1340 AM). This is the 13th consecutive season the station has served as the home for AU football. Sam Renfroe will handle the play-by-play chores and Bill Linson will provide commentary.

Ashland-Saint Joseph’s
The Eagles enjoy a 13-4-1 lead in the all-time series. The teams first met in 1966. AU has won six of the last seven encounters. These teams were conference brothers in the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC) and the Heartland Conference.

A year ago, the Eagles dominated the action early, scoring on four of their first five possessions. Ashland was in front, 20-0 after one stanza and 34-0 at the intermission. In total offense the Eagles led, 392-201. The Eagles had a 278-97 edge in rushing yardage. Tailback Antwan Hart fueled the ground attack with 101 yards and two scores on 13 carries. Jason Schwalm (Kenosha, WI/Dublin Coffman) gained 85 yards on seven trips before exiting for the season due to injury. Quarterback Nick Strance (Willard, OH) completed 14 of 17 passes for 85 yards and a score. David Ziegelhofer (Lexington, OH) returned a punt 51 yards for a touchdown. AU forced four turnovers and linebacker Devin Conwell (Baltimore, MD/Montgomery C.C.) had seven tackles (five solo) and returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown.

Defensive backs Chris Holland (Youngstown, OH/Rayen) and Kyle Calvert (Canton, OH/Massillon Jackson) had seven tackles each. Both had four solo stops. Linebacker Allen Lattimore (Dayton, OH/Colonel White) posted six tackles (five solo) and two tackles for loss.

History Lesson – Ashland-Saint Joseph’s

• 2004 – at Ashland 48, Saint Joseph’s 7 – This is Lee Owens’ first game as AU’s head coach and it was delayed 75 minutes by storms.
• 1995 – Saint Joseph’s 21, at Ashland 13 – SJC’s first play from scrimmage went 72 yards for a TD. AU quarterback Brandon Buckner set single-game marks for passes attempted (38) and completions (26).
• 1994 – Ashland 14 at Saint Joseph’s 7 – AU had four interceptions and limited SJC to 131 yards in total offense. Tailback Keith Weaver scored both AU touchdowns on runs of 4 and 5 yards. Weaver finished with 51 yards on 24 carries.
• 1993 – Ashland 12 at Saint Joseph’s 0 – All-night rains turned the field into a swamp, but the AU defense pitched its second shutout in three weeks. The win was AU’s fifth straight after an 0-2 start. The Eagles ended the year with four shutouts and a 9-2 record.

The GLIAC Report
This year’s GLIAC preseason coaches poll is listed below.

AU Head Coach Lee Owens
Lee Owens begins his second season at AU with a career mark on the college level of 45-67. He spent nine seasons as the head coach at the University of Akron before coming to AU. A year ago, Ashland was 5-6. Owens’ record as a high school and college coach is 134-99-2. On the prep level, his record is 89-32-2. He won a state championship at Galion High School in 1985.

At Akron, Owens made vast improvements on the field and in the classroom. In 2000, the Zips won a share of the Mid-American Eastern Division title. He guided the school to its first consecutive winning seasons since the school became a Division I member (1999, 2000). Owens also recruited and coached some of the top players in Akron history, including quarterback Charlie Frye, now a member of the Cleveland Browns.

Off the field, in 2001 the Zips were presented with an academic achievement award for a graduation rate over 70 percent by the American Football Coaches of America (AFCA).

Owens is originally from Mansfield, OH. He received his bachelor’s degree from Bluffton in 1977 and his master’s degree from Ashland in 1981.

Eye on the Eagles
Ashland returns 41 lettermen and 15 starters (offense – 8, defense – 7). Expectations are that the defense will remain one of the GLIAC’s most effective units. A year ago, AU was second in the conference in rush defense (105.7 ypg.), fifth in total defense (328.0 ypg.) and sixth in scoring defense (22.3 ppg.).

Last season, AU was sixth in the GLIAC in rush offense (178.7 ypg.). Tailback Antwan Hart was third in the GLIAC in rushing (134.0 ypg.) and fifth in all-purpose yardage (138.4 ypg.). The offensive line that cleared the way for much of Hart’s real estate is back.

Some of Ashland’s top returning players are listed below.

• Devin Conwell (Baltimore, MD/Montgomery C.C.) – A linebacker-safety, Conwell was first team All-GLIAC last season. The senior’s had over 100 tackles each of the last two seasons and last year, led the country in solo tackles (80). The last AU player to have more solo tackles that Conwell was Ron Greer (84) in 1991. Conwell was second in the GLIAC in tackles.
• Blake Dickson (North Canton, OH/Jackson) – A stalwart at left guard, Dickson was second team All-GLIAC in 2004. The coaching staff believes the senior can become one of the top offensive linemen in the country.
• Allen Lattimore (Dayton, OH/Colonel Crawford) – A junior, Lattimore was an honorable mention All-GLIAC choice in 2004. The athletic linebacker tied for first in the league in sacks (9.0) and was fourth in tackles for loss (18.0).
• Brady Miller (Cincinnati, OH/Elder) – The quarterback of the defense, this senior linebacker had 69 tackles and two sacks last season.
• Brian Mong (Columbus, OH/Watterson) – A 6-3, 264-pound senior tight end, Mong can expect to be a vital cog in the offense. He had 19 receptions last year, but the coaching staff is determined to see that number increase. Mong is also a strong blocker and runs well, he owns the total package as a tight end.
• Nick Strance (Willard, OH) – Strance is back for his second full season as the starter at quarterback. The junior completed 156 of 301 throws last season (51.8 percent) for 1,654 yards. He had 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Strance took over as the starter as a true freshman in 2003.
• Dalorean White (Warrensville, OH/Erie C.C.) – White is AU’s leading returning wide receiver. The speedster caught 24 passes last season and had five touchdown grabs. He averaged 13.2 ypc., in his first season at Ashland.

And the Answer Is…
These first few games in 2005 are like question-and-answer sessions for the Eagles. Here are some of the major questions facing the Eagles in the early going.

• Can senior running back Jason Schwalm (Kenosha, WI/Dublin Coffman) bounce back from injury and replace the departed Antwan Hart? In 2003, Schwalm was sixth in the league in rushing (661 yards/73.4 ypg.). Also, how will senior Earl Clark (Dayton, OH/Belmont) fare at running back after moving to offense from the secondary? Clark had a team-high 43 yards rushing in the spring game.
• Who helps make up for the loss of senior wide receiver Michael Hull, the Eagles’ career leader in receptions (183) and the team’s leading receiver the last three seasons?
• The Eagles have to replace both their place kicker and punter from last season. How will that transition go?
• Who eventually claims the backup quarterback job?
• How fast have AU’s young defensive backs matured since last season?

Quick Hitters

• Captains for the 2005 season are Conwell, Brady Miller and Strance. Mong, White and Dickson will rotate game-by-game as captains.
• AU was 2-3 on the road last season.
• Conwell has the chance to lead the team in tackles for the third straight season. No Eagle has accomplished that feat in the last 35 years.
• When Ziegelhofer returned a punt for a touchdown against Saint Joseph’s last year, it was the first time an AU player brought back a punt for a score since Vance Kinney returned a punt 89 yards to paydirt against Grand Valley State in 1992.
• Strance’s 156 completions last season is the third best single-season total in school history. The junior begins this season fourth in career completions (275) at AU.
• The three highest single-season rushing totals in school history have come in the last five seasons. They are listed below.
  • Antwan Hart, 1,474 – 2004
  • J.R. McCoy, 1,415 – 2001
  • J.R. McCoy, 1,186 – 2000

The Quotebook

Owens on opening the season with two consecutive road games.

“We’re only going to take two or three freshmen with us. If there were more young guys I’d be concerned. These guys we’re bringing are veterans. They know what they have to do to get ready.”

Owens on the health of the Eagles.

“We’re really healthy, unbelievably healthy. I don’t think we’ve had anything major at all. That’s a credit to our players being here all summer.”

Defensive coordinator Jim Meyer on AU’s depth at linebacker.

“I think this year, with this group, there’s no drop-off. We don’t have any fear of putting guys in the game and letting them play. Allen Lattimore is an All-America type player and then you have Brady Miller, Luke Busson and Devin Conwell mixing in there. D.J. Shaw and Corey Peacock have risen to the occasion.”

On Deck
The Eagles begin GLIAC play next Saturday (Sept. 3, 7 p.m.) with a game at Ferris State.