Ashland Football Weekly Report
August 29, 2005

Game 2 – Ashland (1-0/0-0) at Ferris State (0-1/0-1)
Saturday, September 3, 2005
Big Rapids, MI/Top Taggart Field

It’s Turn Back the Clock Night at Ferris State this week when Ashland collides with the Bulldogs. That theme holds several meanings for the 2005 Eagles.

If the Eagles turn back the clock to last year, they’ll remember an overtime loss to the Bulldogs at Community Stadium. This game, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener for AU, will help the Ashland coaching staff find out just how wisely the Eagles have spent their time over the last year. The feeling is that the Eagles are moving forward. This game, the conference opener, on the road, at a tough venue, will be a major test and a chance for the Eagles to evaluate themselves in a challenging environment.

As both the Bulldogs and Eagles know, time stops for no one. Both teams are “on the clock,” as they look to make their move in the GLIAC standings.

Ashland in GLIAC Openers

Here’s AU’s recent history in conference openers.

• 2004 – Ferris State 23 at Ashland 17 (OT) – See details later in the release.
• 2003 – at Michigan Tech 27, Ashland 14 – AU led 14-0 before Tech scored 27 unanswered points, including 20 points in the fourth quarter.
• 2002 – Michigan Tech 30 at Ashland 23 – MTU running back Joe Johnson rushes for 216 yards on 27 carries and Tech scores 14 fourth-quarter points.
• 2001 – Wayne State 19, at Ashland 16 – WSU’s Stephen Wayne hits a 33-yard field goal as time expires in regulation to seal the win. Pierre Brown, WSU’s outstanding wide receiver, catches 10 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. AU turns the ball over five times (three lost fumbles, two interceptions).
• 2000 – Ashland 42 at Wayne State 41 – With 52 seconds left in regulation, tight end Max Lind catches a 5-yard TD pass from Jeff Leopold and AU has its first lead of the game. WSU missed a 36-yard field goal as time expired. Leopold was 22 of 34 passing for 308 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for one touchdown.

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. Dusty Sloan of the Ashland Times-Gazette will make the trip to Big Rapids, MI, to cover the game.

Ashland-Ferris State
The all-time series leans in Ashland’s favor, 10-7. The Bulldogs have won the last three meetings, including last year’s game in Ashland, 23-17 in overtime. Ashland had a 10-7 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. FSU scored 10 points in the final 15 minutes and the score was tied, 17-17 at the end of regulation. FSU got the ball to start the overtime session and scored on a 1-yard run by Andrew Terry. The kick failed and AU’s extra possession ended with an interception. The Eagles advanced to the FSU 9 on that overtime possession.

AU had its chances to wrap up the game in regulation. The Eagles’ next-to-last drive ended on the FSU 2 with an incomplete pass and on the final drive, AU got to the FSU 26 before missing a 44-yard field goal.

Ashland outgained the visitors, 434-370. The Bulldogs rushed for only 17 yards. They made up for that by throwing for 353 yards. Wide receiver Carlton Brewster had 15 receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns. AU tailback Antwan Hart picked up 159 yards on 22 carries with a pair of scores. Wide receiver Michael Hull caught four passes for 73 yards.

History Lesson – Ashland-Ferris State

• 2004 – Ferris State 23 at Ashland 17 (OT) – This is the first of two consecutive overtime games for AU. That’s a first in the program’s history.
• 2003 – Ferris State 10, at Ashland 7 – Bulldogs win the final game of the season and the Eagles gave them plenty of help. AU lost five fumbles and had an interception. Eagles got to the FSU 1 on their final drive but couldn’t reach the end zone.
• 2002 – at Ferris State 30, Ashland 8 – FSU tailback Derek Fudge gained 190 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns to pace FSU. Ashland lost the total offense battle, 412-217. The game was the last of the season for both teams.
• 1999 – Ashland 26 at Ferris State 22 – Scott Parks picked off a Matt McCarthy pass in the end zone for the Eagles when they were clinging to a 26-20 lead in the fourth quarter. FSU entered the game averaging 50.0 ppg., and 559.3 ypg. AU had three interceptions and linebacker Bobby Mercer returned a fumble 68 yards for a TD.
• 1998 – at Ashland 59, Ferris State 37 – AU rushed for 304 yards and had 603 yards in total offense. The final point total was two shy of the school single-season record. Quarterback Mark Molk threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for two touchdowns.

The GLIAC Report
Ashland’s next opponent, Gannon, opened the season last week with a 36-25 victory over Mercyhurst. The Golden Knights forced the Lakers into seven turnovers and scored 28 points off of those ‘Hurst miscues. This is the second consecutive year the Golden Knights got the better of their cross-town rival (both schools are located in Erie, PA). GU’s Kevin Scott set a school record with four interceptions and is now tied for the career lead in picks (19) at GU. Gannon running back Ron Bailey rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. Wide receiver Sam Culbreth had four receptions for 101 yards. Gannon was in front, 28-10 at halftime…in a battle of nationally-ranked opponents, Saginaw Valley State (#21) edged Northwood (#10), 9-7. SVSU scored the winning touchdown with 23 seconds left in regulation when quarterback Chris Dougherty found Rich Cottengim with a 69-yard touchdown pass.

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

Place/School               Points 
1. Grand Valley State (11)    143/11 
2. Northwood (1)              129/1 
3. Saginaw Valley State (1)   123/1 
4. Michigan Tech               99 
5. Ferris State                95 
6. Findlay                     87 
7. Ashland                     80 
8. Hillsdale                   62 
9. Indianapolis                52 
10. Mercyhurst                 48 
11. Gannon                     34 
12. Northern Michigan          31 
13. Wayne State                24 

AU Head Coach Lee Owens
Lee Owens begins his second season at AU with a career mark on the college level of 46-67. 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 opened the 2005 season last week in Rensselaer, IN with a 30-15 win over Saint Joseph’s. The AU ground game and defense took center stage as the Eagles won their opener for the second straight season.

AU held SJC to -25 yards rushing. Led by sophomore tailback Jon Schroeder’s (Avon Lake, OH) career-best 143 yards rushing, the Eagles rolled up 233 yards on the ground. Senior tailback Jason Schwalm (Kenosha, WI/Dublin Coffman) contributed 96 yards on 23 carries. Schroeder had a 72-yard scoring run – that’s the longest rushing play by an AU player since Marcus Mitchell went 81 yards against Findlay.

AU trailed, 9-3 at halftime even though the defense didn’t allow a point. The SJC points came on a safety and an 86-yard interception return. The Eagles went in front to stay in the third quarter on two long scoring drives. The first covered 76 yards on 12 plays. All 12 plays in the march were running plays. AU followed that up with a 14-play, 77-yard trip that included 12 running plays and a pair of completed passes.

The Eagles put the game away with 32 seconds left in regulation when senior safety Devin Conwell (Baltimore, MD/Montgomery C.C.) picked off a pass and returned in 98 yards for a score. That’s the longest interception return in school history. The previous mark of 97 yards belonged to Jim Colwell, who set the record in 1963 in the first game every played at Community Stadium.

Some of Ashland’s top 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. Against SJC, he had a team-high 10 tackles (five solo).
• Luke Busson (Wadsworth, OH/Kent State) – The sophomore linebacker was in on nine tackles (five solo) last Saturday. The SJC contest was his first at AU.
• 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). He had nine tackles last week (six solo) and two tackles for loss.
• Brady Miller (Cincinnati, OH/Elder) – The quarterback of the defense, this senior linebacker had 69 tackles and two sacks last season. He posted seven tackles (six solo) in the season opener and deflected the pass that led to Conwell’s interception.
• 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 catches last season.
• Jason Schwalm (Kenosha, WI/Dublin Coffman) – Schwalm appeared in just one game last year before going on the shelf with an injury. He had 661 yards rushing and averaged 5.1 ypc., in 2003.
• 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. He completed 12 of 20 passes last week for 103 yards.
• 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. White had a team-high seven catches last week for 55 yards.
• Kyle Zelazny (Westerville, OH/Westerville South) – Zelazny is considered the leader on the defensive line. He opened the 2005 season with an excellent performance, collecting five tackles (four solo). He had 22 tackles and four sacks last season.

Quick Hitters

• This is the first time AU has opened the season with a pair of road games since the 2000 season when the Eagles played at Edinboro and Wayne State. AU topped Edinboro, 24-17 and shaded the Warriors, 42-41.
• The 2000 season is the last time Ashland began the year 2-0.
• Dating back to last season, the Eagles have held four of their last five opponents to less than 100 yards rushing. While last week’s effort (-25 yards allowed rushing) is impressive, it’s still not close to the single-game record for fewest rushing yards allowed (-63 vs. Ferris State, 1992).
• With 12 completions last week, Strance moved into second place in career completions at AU. Strance has 297 completions. The career leader is Marcus Lee with 303.
• AU had five sacks last week, including a career-high 1.5 sacks by junior defensive end Matt Baughman (Massillon, OH/Perry).

The Quotebook

Owens on the play of the defense at Saint Joseph’s.

“I’m still real encouraged with our defense. Our secondary play was much improved from a year ago. We played better in the secondary as a whole.”

Owens on where he’ll look for improvement from the first game to the second.

“Where we need to show improvement is in our pass defense and pass offense. To win a championship, those are the two areas where we have to get better. On the flip side, I’d rather say we have to improve our pass defense rather than say we can’t stop the run. Also, on offense, you always want to be able to run the football. But we need better balance.”

Tight end Brian Mong on the AU offense.

“We have to improve our passing game. Coach (Owens) challenged us at halftime and we were able to run the ball. But we have to improve if we’re going to beat the better teams we play this year.”

Defensive coordinator Jim Meyer on Devin Conwell.

“Devin was our player of the game. He was all over the place, he just had a great game. He was in a position to be all over the field. On the tape, he showed up everywhere.”

Meyer on the defensive line.

“Everyone on the line graded out at over 80 percent with great productivity. That’s why we can feel pretty good about ourselves today.”

Conwell on his record-setting interception.

“I got the ball and just started to run. I definitely wanted to score. I was in the right place at the right time. Once I got going I couldn’t believe there was that much daylight. There was a lot of green in front of me. Brady (Miller) made a great tip and he deserves a lot of credit.”

Conwell on the Ferris State game.

“I know they’ll be ready to play. They threw the ball well against us last year, we have to be ready for that. They have a big-play receiver, we have to be ready to play him. This is a big game for us, too. It’s the first step to being a champion.”

On Deck
The Eagles open the home portion of their schedule next Saturday (Sept. 10, 1 p.m.) when they host Gannon in a GLIAC contest.