2012 Siena Heights University Football
Siena Heights Saints (3-4, 2-2 MSFA Mideast) vs
#10 Grand View Vikings (5-2, 4-0 MSFA Midwest)
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 - 2 p.m. (1 p.m. CST) - Des Moines, Iowa

Live Coverage: Jerry Hayes (play-by-play), Siena Heights Sports Network (www.shusaints.com), WLEN 103.9 FM

For a complete PDF version of game notes, click HERE.

THE GAME
The Siena Heights football team will kick off a three-game road stretch, beginning with a 2 p.m. contest (1 p.m. CST, local time) at Grand View in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Saints are coming off last week's 45-7 loss to sixth-ranked Saint Xavier (Ill.). Quarterback Travis Zajkowski scored the Saints' lone touchdown just two plays after defensive back Sederick Dunbar II made an interception. A 31-yard rush by running back Drew Milligan put the ball on the SXU one-yard-line before Zajkowski scored. Kicker Jonah Harter followed with an extra point as the Saints trimmed their deficit to 38-7 with 5:55 left in the third quarter.

Milligan had 16 carries for 64 yards while Zajkowski and fellow quarterback Matt King  split time. Zajkowski went 4 of 14 for 52 yards while King was 5 of 10 for 29 yards Milligan, wide receiver Reggie Blackmon, tight end Donovan Campbell and running back/wide receiver Raphael Dunson had two receptions apiece with Blackmon leading in yardage with 22.

Linebacker Derek J. Head was the Saints' leading tackler with 5 1/2 stops while defensive back Fred Butler and linebacker Tyler Karcher had five tackles apiece. Sacks were credited to defensive linemen Kyle Connors, Joseph Mravec and Collin Teff, who helped the Saints record nine tackles-for-loss. Linebacker Jerrett Walker forced a fumble while special teamer Spencer Revenberg and linebacker Lamarr Marshall recovered fumbles.

Grand View is coming off a bye. In their previous contest, the Vikings thumped Waldorf (Iowa), 51-0, as two runnings backs -- Charlie Badgett and Garrett Fullbright -- eclipsed the 100-yard mark. Badgett had 11 carries for 114 yards and three touchdowns while Fullbright finished with 21 carries for 104 yards.

Quarterback Derek Fulton completed 5 of 10 passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns, which were caught by wide receivers Taylor Goebel and Brady Roland and running back Tyler Newcomb.

For the Viking defense, defensive back Jessie Rayford had six tackles and defensive lineman Jon Higgins made two sacks. The Vikings outgained Waldorf, 480-167.

FOLLOW THE MARCH
All Siena Heights football games will be broadcast on the radio on WLEN 103.9 FM and on the Siena Heights Sports Network, which can be accessed via the Stretch Internet link on WWW.SHUSAINTS.COM. Live stats can be followed online at WWW.SHUSAINTS.COM.

SHSN will provide live video for each Saint home game. Play-by-play will be called by Jerry Hayes while Doug Goodnough will provide color commentary. Jay Nicols is the producer. Games will be archived in Stretch's on-demand feature.

THE COACHES
Jim Lyall (Michigan '74) is in his second season as head coach for Siena Heights, where he now has a 3-4 varsity record. He is 105-95-1 all-time as a collegiate varsity football coach. During SHU's 2011 club season, Lyall went 8-1. He was previously the head coach at Adrian, where he compiled a 102-91-1 varsity slate.

Mike Woodley (Northern Iowa) is in his fifth year as head coach for Grand View. He is 42-39 all-time as a collegiate varsity football coach, including a 29-21 mark for the Vikings. He was named 2011 and 2009 MSFA Coach of the Year. Prior to becoming Grand View's head coach, he was a head coach for Saint Ambrose (Iowa), assistant for Iowa State and graduate assistant for Iowa.

UP NEXT ... 
The Saints will take part in the second leg of their three-game road stretch with a contest at Saint Francis (Ind.) next weekend. Kickoff is set for noon.

Ninth-ranked Saint Francis (Ind.) is currently 4-2 with a 2-1 record in the MSFA Mideast League. Saint Francis will be in action this week at No. 5 William Penn (Iowa).

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Grand View, which is ranked 10th in the NAIA, returned six regular players who received All-Mid-States Football Association Mideast League honors last year. Those players include defensive end Jon Higgins and linebacker Jason Gladfelder, who were named to the First Team.

Others are linebacker Mayron Martinez and defensive backs Ronnell Lloyd and Terrell Lloyd, who were named to the Second Team, and honorable-mention wide receiver Taylor Goebel.

In 2011, the Vikings reached the NAIA Tournament before falling to Marian (Ind.), in the first round, 31-0.

This year, Grand View has a freshman quarterback in Derek Fulton. Fulton has completed 58 of 104 passes for 785 yards and 10 touchdowns while throwing two interceptions. He has the 19th-best pass efficiency rating in the NAIA at 143.8.

The Vikings also have a quarterback who is known to run the ball in sophomore Dorian Ballentine. Ballentine has 79 rushes for 273 yards and a score while, with his arm, he is 37 of 75 for 375 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

Grand View's top two running backs on the depth chart are junior Garrett Fulbright and sophomore Jared Scruggs. Neither is the team's leading rusher stat-wise, but both have put up decent numbers. Fulbright has 49 runs for 206 yards and a TD while Scruggs has managed 52 carries for 180 yards and a score.

Top receivers include Goebel and sophomores Brady Roland and Darius White. Roland has had the best season thus far with 29 catches for 454 yards and five touchdowns. Goebel has 25 receptions for 345 yards and three scores while White has 14 grabs for 179 yards and two scores.

Defensively, junior linebacker Dudley Bickham has been the leader. He has 57 1/2 tackles, including 11 for-loss, and two interceptinos. Senior defensive back Terrell Lloyd also has two picks while senior defensive lineman Jon Higgins has eight sacks. Bickham's 11 TFLs have him ranked 18th in the NAIA while Higgins is third in the nation in total sacks.

Freshman kicker Ben Hurley and junior punter Zach Antle have also found themselves in the NAIA rankings. Hurley is ninth with eight total field goals and 10th in field goal percentage (88.9) while Antle is 19th in punt average (39.8).

As a team, the Vikings rank high on several lists including: fourth in opponents' fourth-down percentage (21.4), fifth in field goal percentage (88.9), 12th in scoring defense (16.0), 16th in total sacks (18), 19th in rush defense (120.0) and 20th in sacks per game (2.6).

STOLEN GOODS
The Siena Heights defense has certainly shown the ability to cause turnovers as it has accumulated nine interceptions and six fumble recoveries, but the SHU 'D' has barely turned those takeaways into yardage. As a matter of fact, junior defensive back Fred Butler recorded the defense's first yards gained with a two-yard interception against Olivet Nazarene. That's 15 occasions on which the SHU defense took the ball away with only two yards gained.

The Saints' leading tackler is sophomore linebacker Trent Bragg, who has 43 1/2 stops.  Sophomore linebacker Tyler Karcher has contributed 40 1/2 tackles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and two pass breakups while junior defensive back Sederick Dunbar II has 38 tackles, three interceptions and one forced fumble.

A total of five Saint defenders have hit the 20-mark for tackles; the others include sophomore linebacker Chris Vann (34 1/2), sophomore defensive lineman Jordan Martin (21) and sophomore linebacker Derek J. Head (22 1/2). Meanwhile, Robert Becker ranks fourth in the NAIA with 0.4 forced fumbles per game.

As a unit, the Saints have forced turnovers in all seven games this season. They have a seven-game interception streak and six-game defensive-fumble-recovery streak.

RUNNING BACK BY COMMITTEE 
The Saints opened the season with sophomore Julius Taylor Jr. as the lead running back, but as recent as last week, SHU went with another sophomore, Drew Milligan, out of the backfield. Whether the changes have been tactical or out of necessity, Siena Heights has kept the turnstiles moving at the halfback spot.

Taylor and sophomore Travis Damron shared time during the first three contests before Taylor took over main RB duties for game four. In games five and six, sophomore Calebb Goings stepped up before Milligan saw the bulk of carries in game seven.

Last week against Saint Xavier, Milligan finished with 13 carries for 64 yards. At times, he was spelled by yet another sophomore, Amari Kelley, who ran six times for 18 yards.

Statistically, Goings is the team leader with 85 carries for 385 yards and two touchdowns, although Damron leads the squad in rushing touchdowns (6). Goings has game records in carries (36 vs. Olivet Nazarene), yards (196 vs. Taylor) and longest run from scrimmage (55 vs. Taylor) while nobody has matched either of Damron's three-touchdown performances (vs. Robert Morris and Iowa Wesleyan).

TAKING TURNS
Junior quarterback Matt King entered the season atop the SHU depth chart, but he's continually gotten healthy competition from freshman Travis Zajkowski. Currently, King has a 111.7 efficiency rating as he has completed 53 of 99 passes for 560 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.

Zajkowski, who made his mark in SHU's 34-14 win over Concordia, is now 22 of 48 for 290 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The freshman has a 108.9 efficiency rating.

Both quarterbacks have run for touchdowns, but in the rushing department, King has outgained Zajkowski, 120-8.

CAMPBELL'S MMM MMM GOOD
Campbell continues to set himself apart as the Saints' top receiving threat. Through six games, he has 26 receptions for 348 yards and five touchdowns. No other SHU receiver has reached the double-digit mark in receptions.

The rest of SHU's receivers have combined for 50 catches for 531 yards and three touchdowns. Campbell's yards per catch average is 13.4; the rest of the team's is 10.6.

RANKING THEM HIGH
Among the NAIA rankings, Siena Heights is ranked among the Top 25 in three categories, including eighth in kickoff return average (25.4), 13th in opponents' third-down conversion percentage (29.8 percent) and 20th in fourth-down conversion percentage (53.3 percent).

Along with Becker, defensive back Sederick Dunbar II holds a spot in the individual Top 25 rankings. He is tied for 23rd with three interceptions.