2013 Siena Heights University Football
Siena Heights Saints (0-1, 0-0 MSFA Mideast) vs
Saint Joseph's Pumas (1-0, 0-0 GLVC)
Saturday, Sept. 14 - 1 p.m. - Rensselaer, Indiana
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 play its first road game of the 2013 regular season when it visits Saint Joseph's (Ind.) on Sept. 14. The host Pumas are an NCAA Division II program and member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.
The Saints are coming off their season-opening 24-21 loss to 19th-ranked Grand View (Iowa). Quarterback Travis Zajkowski and tight end Donovan Campbell connected for three touchdowns, but a late drive stalled as the upset bid fell short.
After stopping GVU on a fourth-down play with 47 seconds left, the Saints gained possession at their own 20-yard line and moved the ball to Grand View's 38 before failing to convert on a 4th-and-3 play with 10 seconds left.
Campbell had eight catches for 111 yards while Zajkowski completed 20 of 35 passes for a 296 yards and one interception. Defensive back DeShawn Gilbert added two key interceptions in Siena Heights territory.
Linebacker Tyler Karcher led the way with 11 tackles and defensive back Sederick A. Dunbar II compiled 8 1/2 tackles and one fumble recovery; the fumble was forced by defensive lineman Jordan Martin.
The Pumas produced 513 yards of total offense against Valparaiso, but in the end the defense helped Saint Joseph's preserve a 34-31 victory. Defensive back Jensen Nowakoski made a fourth-down stop to get the ball back in SJC's hands for good.
Quarterback Billy VandeMerkt completed 28 of 38 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns. He was named GLVC Offensive Player of the Week. Two key receiving targets included Julian Walker, who had 10 catches for 126 yards and three scores, while Alphonso Hines went eight catches for 149 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, linebacker Joel Wimbley had 8 1/2 tackles, including a sack, while Nowakoski finished with seven stops.
THE COACHES
Jim Lyall (Michigan '74) is in his third season as head coach for Siena Heights, where he now has a 4-7 varsity record. He is 107-99-1 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 103-92-1 varsity slate.
Cory Sanders (Saint Joseph's) is in his third year as head coach for his alma mater. He is 8-13 all-time as a collegiate varsity football coach -- all games coming with the Pumas. A Grand Rapids, Mich., native, he was previously an assistant for Saint Joseph's, Elmhurst and North Central.
UP NEXT ...
The Saints will receive a return trip for what was their longest road trip of the 2012 season when Waldorf (Iowa) visits Adrian for a noon kickoff on Sept. 21.
The Warriors opened their season with a 44-14 home loss to Robert Morris (Ill.) and will play their season game on the road against Presentation (S.D.) in Aberdeen, S.D.
SHU and Waldorf met in 2012 in Forest City, Iowa, with the Saints coming away with a 31-21 season-ending win.
SCOUTING THE PUMAS
Saint Joseph's is coming off a season in which it went 6-5, earning its highest overall win total since the 2006 season (8-3). The Pumas competed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference's inaugural football season and finished with a 5-3 record -- good enough for a third-place tie.
The Pumas returned four 2012 All-GLVC honorees, including a pair of First Team performers. Senior wide receiver Julian Walker and linebacker Joel Wimbley were SJC's representatives on the original All-GLVC First Team.
Walker started all 11 games and led the Pumas with school-record 94 catches for 1,082 yards and 11 touchdowns. HIs 11 scoring catches tied a school record; he also threw for three TDs. As a passer, Walker was 3 of 3 for 70 yards. In 2011, Walker was an All-GLVC Honorable Mention.
Wimbley led the Saint Joseph's defense with 82 1/2 tackles and tied for the team lead of three sacks. He also had 10 1/2 tackles-for-loss, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
Other returning All-GLVC players include junior offensive lineman Jakob Styla, who was named to the Second Team, and honorable mention defensive back Drew Byrd, who is also a junior.
Styla, who lines up at left tackle, is actually a graduate of Gabriel Richard Catholic High School in Riverview, Mich. Byrd, a free safety, is coming off a season in which he had 56 tackles, including one for-loss, and one fumble recovery.
Like Siena Heights, Saint Joseph's was chosen fourth in its league's preseason poll. The Pumas, with 28 points, were slated behind Indianapolis, MIssouri S&T and Truman State.
In 2012, the Pumas led the conference in kickoff returns with a 19.8 average. They also ranked second in fourth-down percentage (47.6) and red zone scoring (82.1).
The Pumas actually share a number of common opponents with Siena Heights. Both teams met Robert Morris (Ill.) in 2012; SJC fell to the Eagles, 40-35, while the Saints earned a 26-19 double-overtime victory against RMU.
In 2011, when SHU played a club schedule during its inaugural season, the Saints and Pumas had three common opponents. Both squads lost games to Notre Dame (Ohio), but earned victories against Kentucky Wesleyan and Robert Morris; the Saints defeated RMU twice.
PADDING STATS
Tight end Donovan Campbell continues stake his claim as the young program's premier pass-catcher. After leading the Saints in all major receiving categories in 2012 -- 41 catches for 514 yards and nine touchdowns -- Campbell wasted no time in 2013, inking up the record book once again.
During SHU's 24-21 loss to Grand View, Campbell caught eight passes for 111 yards and three scores. The eight grabs tied a school record that Campbell had set and then equaled in 2012. He reached the mark in a 26-19 double-overtime win against Robert Morris (Aug. 25) before matching it during a 31-7 loss to Saint Francis (Ind.).
Campbell's 111 receiving yards eclipsed the previous record total of 102, which was also set by Campbell in a 28-14 victory over Taylor.
The record for touchdown receptions was shared by SHU's two tight ends -- Campbell and Lyle Van Fleteren. LVF hit the mark first in a 31-14 win against Concordia before Campbell tied his teammate in the win versus Taylor.
In 11 games as a varsity program, Siena Heights has passed for 15 touchdowns. Campbell leads the way with nine while Van Fleteren has four.
RECORDS CONTINUE TO FALL
Quarterback Travis Zajkowski also hopped on the record-breaking train last week against Grand View. He threw for 296 yards, breaking the previous record of 226 set by Matt King in a 37-25 loss to Grand View in 2012. Zajkowski also became the first Saint passer to connect for three TDs; he had previously thrown for two while King has had a pair of two-touchdown games.
While Zajkowski and Campbell aided one another in breaking a number of SHU records, Zajkowski did have a hand in erasing Campbell's name on another mark when he found wide receiver Damien Ross for a 69-yard pass-and-catch. Campbell had a 57-yard catch in last year's 20-14 triple-overtime loss against Olivet Nazarene.
DeShawn Gilbert matched a record held by his own teammate and defensive-back mate. Gilbert snagged two interceptions, tying the record set by Sederick A. Dunbar II. Dunbar grabbed his two picks during last season's 36-34 triple-overtime loss to Iowa Wesleyan.
On defense, linebacker Tyler Karcher recorded a new SHU record as he accumulated 11 tackles. The previous record of 10 1/2 was set by fellow linebacker Trenton Bragg against Iowa Wesleyan.
As a unit, the Siena Heights offense tied its longest drive with a nine-play, 98-yard drive that culminated on a 36-yard hookup from Zajkowski to Campbell; the drive lasted 4:11. The Saints had went 98 yards only one previous time; they needed seven plays and needed 3:29 against Olivet Nazarene before King found Campbell for a 57-yard play, which as mentioned before, was the longest pass play in Siena Heights football history.
STANDING TALL
The Saints' group of playmakers on defense continues to stand tall. They continued their takeaway streak that began in 2012; SHU has had a takeaway in each of its 11 contests as a varsity program. That total includes 24 last season (13 fumble recoveries and 11 interception) and now three in 2013 (two INTs and one fumble recovery).
Gilbert's efforts against Grand View helped the SHU defense already outgain itself from a year ago. With 24 takeaways, the Saints managed only nine total yards after gaining possession.Gilbert gained 27 yards on one of his interceptions while the other INT was a diving catch at the Siena Heights 2-yard-line.
The three captains on defense -- Dunbar, Bragg and Karcher -- displayed why their peers voted them as the team leaders with their performances against Grand View. While Karcher had his 11 stops, including one for-loss, Dunbar had 8 1/2 tackles (one TFL) and Bragg compiled eight tackles (1 1/2 TFL).
Dunbar also recovered a fumble, which was forced by defensive lineman Jordan Martin, and Bragg had a pass breakup. Gilbert led the squad with three breakups.
