2014 SIENA HEIGHTS UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL
Siena Heights Saints (0-2, 0-0 MSFA Mideast) vs
Olivet Nazarene Tigers (0-3, 0-0 MSFA Midwest)
Saturday, Sept. 27 - 1 p.m. - Adrian, Mich.
Live Coverage: Eric Iden (play-by-play), Doug Goodnough (color commentary), Siena Heights Sports Network (SHUSAINTS.COM); WLEN 103.9 FM; Buckeye Cable Sports Network
For a complete version of game notes, click HERE.
THE GAME
The Siena Heights football team will play its second home game of the 2014 regular season when it hosts OIivet Nazarene (Ill.) on Sept. 27 during Homecoming Weekend. The visiting Tigers are members of of the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at O'Laughlin Stadium.
THE SERIES
This is the third meeting between SHU and ONU. Road teams have won both games between the programs.
Olivet Nazarene spoiled Siena Heights' Homecoming in 2012, claiming a 20-14 triple-overtime victory at O'Laughlin Stadium on Oct. 6. On Sept. 28, 2013, the Saints recorded a 14-0 shutout at ONU's Ward Field in Bourbonnais, Ill.
THE COACHES
Jim Lyall (Michigan '74) is in his fourth season as head coach for Siena Heights, where he now has a 9-13 varsity record. He is 113-105-1 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.
Brian Fish (Olivet Nazarene '97) is in his fourth season as head coach for his alma mater, where he now has a 11-25 record. Prior to becoming ONU's head coach, he was an assistant at Sterling (Kan.) and Malone (Ohio) after getting his start as a graduate assistant with Olivet Nazarene.
FOLLOW THE MARCH
All Siena Heights football games will be webcast 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 Eric Iden while Doug Goodnough will provide color commentary. Games will be archived in Stretch's on-demand feature.
SHSN and WLEN 103.9 FM have also enjoyed a four-year partnership. All games will be audio-streamed online at WLEN.COM while select games will be broadcasted live on the radio.
The Buckeye Cable Sports Network will also be on hand for three SHU home games in 2014, beginning with the contest against Olivet Nazarene. The contest can be viewed Saturday on BCSN (11 p.m.), BSCN2 (7 p.m.) and BCSN Erie (11 p.m.).
NEXT UP
The Saints head back on the road for their next contest, which will take place in Fort Wayne, Ind., against Saint Francis. The game, which will occur during USF's homecoming, will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m.
Saint Francis (Ind.) is currently 2-1 with wins over Missouri Baptist and then-25th ranked Saint Ambrose (Iowa). The Cougars' loss was to then-unranked -- and now No. 15 -- William Penn (Iowa).
The Cougars are in action this week as they host defending national champ Grand View (Iowa) for a 2 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. GVU is ranked ninth in the NAIA.
LAST TIME WE MET - SIENA HEIGHTS AT OLIVET NAZARENE - 09/28/13
The Siena Heights defense recorded three sacks and two interceptions while allowing only 10 yards rushing as the Saints defeated Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), 14-0.
Defensive backs Fred Butler and DeShawn Gilbert had the Siena Heights interceptions while sacks were credited to defensive linemen Jordan Martin and Michael Vella and defensive back Keith Marshall Jr.
Linebacker Tyler Karcher was the Saints' leading tackler, finishing with five stops including one for a loss. Martin had 4 1/2 tackles (2 1/2 for-loss).
On offense, running back Travis Damron had 25 carries for 118 yards and one touchdown while quarterback Matt King completed 19 of 28 passes for 191 yards and a score.
Tight end Donovan Campbell was the leading receiver, finishing with six catches for 60 yards. Wide receiver Raphael Dunson added four grabs for 48 yards while fellow wide-out Reggie Blackmon came through with three receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown.
As a team, the Saints gained 442 yards on offense and achieved a single-game school record of 28 first downs. Defensively, SHU allowed 159 yards and only nine first downs.
ONU quarterback Ryan Sample went 16 of 30 for 149 yards and two scores. Wide receiver Rico Prestia had seven catches for 52 yards while fellow receiver Aaron Salas had five receptions for 50.
Tiger linebackers Mark Kosrow and Brandon Ruemler added 8 1/2 tackles each.
SAINTS' LAST TIME OUT - SAINT JOSEPH'S AT SIENA HEIGHTS - 09/13/14
The Saints are coming off a home-opening 27-7 loss to NCAA Division II opponent Saint Joseph's (Ind.) in which wide receiver Reggie Blackmon set a school record with 11 receptions.
Blackmon finished with 11 grabs for 79 yards while wide receiver Raphael Dunson added seven receptions for 63 yards for the Saints (0-2), who never recovered from an early 17-0 deficit.
Dunson had a TD run while quarterback Travis Zajkowski completed 25 of 44 passes for 198 yards and two interceptions. Zajkowski set a single-game record himself for completions.
The Saints ran only four plays on offense before finding themselves down, 14-0. An interception on the first play of scrimmage and a blocked punt set SHU back.
The Saints pushed across their first points of 2014 on a 3-yard run by Dunson, trimming their deficit to 17-7 with 11:51 left in the third quarter. The score finished off a 12-play, 66-yard drive for SHU.
Saint Joe's closed out the scoring with 10 fourth-quarter points.
Siena Heights, which managed only 67 yards rushing, was led on the ground by Ja'Tice K. Shaw II, who had seven carries for 31 yards. Through the air, tight end Donovan Campbell made three catches for 46 yards and wide receiver Damola Adebiyi compiled three receptions for 24 yards.
For the SHU defense, defensive back Cha'Quan D. Love and defensive lineman Kyle Connors had eight total tackles each. Linebacker Cody Perkins forced a fumble which fellow LB Allen Jefferson recovered.
TIGERS' LAST TIME OUT - CONCORDIA AT OLIVET NAZARENE - 09/20/14
Olivet Nazarene allowed two touchdowns during the final 5:43 of its 24-21 home loss to Concordia on Saturday, Sept. 20. The teams combined for 10 turnovers.
While the ONU defense forced four turnovers, the Tiger offense fumbled the ball away six times -- at one point, doing so on three consecutive drives.
Running back Antonio Tyson had 25 carries for 90 yards. He also caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zach Gross. Another QB, Gage Buckley, had an 11-yard TD run and linebacker Gina Prestia made a 65-yard fumble return to paydirt.
For the Tiger defense, linebacker Brandon Ruemler finished with 11 total tackles, including four for-loss. He also forced a fumble and blocked a kick.
Linebacker Lance Craft added seven total tackles, defensive linemen Thomas Dexter and Ron France recovered fumbles, and defensive backs Austin Holton and Lucas Limberg recorded interceptions.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Olivet Nazarene is 0-3 so far in 2014 with losses coming to Saint Francis (Ill.), Robert Morris (Ill.) and Concordia. Last season, the Tigers finished 3-8 overall and 1-5 in MSFA Midwest play for the second consecutive season.
ONU returned a pair of 2013 All-MSFA Midwest honorees: First Team running back Michael Ho-Lewis and Second Team linebacker Brandon Ruemler, although Ho-Lewis recently sustained an injury.
As a matter of fact, the Tigers have lost their season-opening starting quarterback (Zach Gross) and starting running back (Ho-Lewis) to injuries. Neither player appears on the ONU depth chart.
Ruemler is the most celebrated player on ONU's roster. He is a two-time All-MSFA Midwest Second Team honoree after earning an honorable mention as a freshman. In 2014, he has 38 total tackles (28 solo), including six tackles-for-loss, three forced fumbles and a blocked kick. The Tigers' defense has nine sacks in three games.
Also for the ONU defense, cornerbacks Austin Holton (2) and Lucas Linberg (1) have combined for three interceptions. Linebacker Lance Craft also has a pick.
Ho-Lewis, who had 19 carries for 144 yards before his injury, will likely be replaced in the backfield by M.J. Green and Antonio Tyson, who are the Tigers' top two yard-gainers in 2014.
Green has 37 carries for 189 yards and two TDs. He totals 216 all-purpose yards. Tyson has 35 rushes for 145 yards, one touchdown reception and 204 all-purpose yards.
With the injury to Gross, a junior, the Tigers will have to rely on a pair of freshman quarterbacks. Gage Buckley is slated as the starter with Derek Durkes as the backup, although both saw action last week against Concordia.
So far in 2014, Buckley has completed 3 of 9 passes for 47 yards. He also had a touchdown run. Meanwhile, Durkes is 6 of 28 for 67 yards and three interceptions.
JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE
Siena Heights has forced a turnover in 22 consecutive games, which encompasses the entire SHU varsity era. The Saints have also recorded interceptions in 19 of their 22 varsity contests, including going 10 of 11 at home. The only home contest in which the SHU defense did not record an INT came two weeks ago during the 27-7 loss to Saint Joseph's.
The Saints forced only one turnover, which happened on special teams against the visiting Pumas. Linebacker Cody Perkins forced the fumble of SJC punt returner Sheldon Martin. Fellow linebacker Allen Jefferson recovered the loose ball at SHU's 40-yard-line.
UNHAPPY HOMECOMINGS
During their varsity era, the Saints are 0-2 in Homecoming games. Last year, SHU played its only contest as an NAIA-ranked team, but the 25th-ranked Saints fell to No. 6 Saint Francis (Ind.), 28-17, on Oct. 5. In 2012, Olivet Nazarene defeated SHU in a triple-overtime thriller, 20-14, on Oct. 6.
The Saints do have a Homecoming victory, which occurred in 2011. Siena Heights hosted Michigan-Flint in its first-ever home game, taking a 48-6 decision on Oct. 8.
RECORDS FALLING
As always, a young varsity program such as Siena Heights will always be setting and re-setting school records. Three individual records fell during the Saints' 27-7 loss to Saint Joseph's -- all of which came in the passing game.
Quarterback Travis Zajkowski set SHU single-game records for pass completions (25) and pass attempts (44).
Zajkowski held the previous record for attempts after throwing 38 in Siena Heights' season-opening loss at Virginia Union on Oct. 6. The completions record was previously held by quarterback Matt King, who connected for 23 in a 37-25 loss to Grand View (Iowa) on Oct. 20, 2012.
Wide receiver Reggie Blackmon claimed the Saints' single-game record for completions -- a record which was held by fellow wide receiver Raphael Dunson for only one week. Blackmon had 11 catches against SJC after Dunson made nine grabs versus VUU. Heading into the season, tight end Donovan Campbell held the mark with five different eight-reception games.
KEEPING IN TOUCH
Siena Heights' previous two opponents have a 5-1 combined record so far in 2014.
Virginia Union, now 2-1, defeated Fayetteville State (N.C.) after dropping a game to Charleston (W. Va.).
Meanwhile, Saint Joseph's is off to a 3-0 start after a Homecoming win over Alderson-Broaddus (W. Va.). SJC has outscored opponents, 100-34.
