Bluffton vs. MSJ preview

Bluffton vs. Mt. St. Joseph


By Ben Risinger, SID
October 21, 2003

The Matchup
            When: Saturday, October 25, 2003
            Where:  Bluffton, Ohio – Dwight Salzman stadium
            On the Radio: Listen live to Bluffton College football on WDOH 107.1 FM. The game can also be found on the internet at www.wdoh.com.

    The Bluffton Beavers enter the contest with a 2-4 overall record. Mount St. Joseph is currently 5-1 for the 2003 season.

The Coaches

   Bluffton coach Greg Brooks is 2-4 on his career this season. Brooks is no stranger to the Bluffton program having been the offensive coordinator for the past 23 years. He is a 1977 graduate of Ohio University where he was a quarterback and a four-year letterman for the Bobcats.

   The Mount is led by Rod Huber. Huber is in his fourth year leading the Lions. He has a career record of 12-24. Huber was a defensive position coach and spent four years as the Lions’ defensive coordinator before becoming the third head coach in the history of the program at Mount St. Joseph.

 

Series History

   The 2003 game will be the 13th time that the two schools have met on the gridiron. The series is tied at 6-6. Mount St. Joseph took last year’s contest 37-35 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Before last season the Lions had not defeated Bluffton since 1996.  

This Year’s contest

   Bluffton will enter the contest at 2-4 (0-2 HCAC). Mount St. Joseph is 5-1 (3-0 HCAC) for the 2003 campaign.

Last Week for BC and MSJ
   Bluffton traveled to Hanover for their second conference loss of the season for a final of 52-10. Quarterback Jared Owens went 17 for 22 (184 yards) on the contest. Ben Dodds led the team in rushing and receiving last Saturday. He carried the ball 18 times for 89 yards rushing and posted six catches for 35 yards in the air. Chris Sommers led the defense with eight tackles (4 solo), one TFL and one pass deflection for the Beavers.

   The Mount shutout Defiance and won their third straight conference game 17-0. Lion quarterback Mike Dane went 17 for 28 (197 yards) and threw two interceptions in the game. Joel Steinmetz was the Lions leading rusher with 13 carries for 35 total yards. Andy Wellendorf posted three catches for 25 yards and one touchdown.

 

Leading the Beavers on the year

   Quarterback Jared Owens enters the contest with 932 yards on the season with two touchdowns from the air. Owens is 118-70-5 for a completion percentage of 59.3 %. Ben Dodds leads the rushing attack with 632 yards on 141 carries (4.5 avg. per carry). Dodds currently ranks 11th in Division III in all-purpose yards with 186.0 ypg and leads the HCAC in the category. Mark Gable leads the receivers with 332 yards on 21 catches and one touchdown. Defensively, Chris Sommers posts 71 tackles (29 solo, 42 assisted) with two pass break ups and one Tackle for loss for the season. Sommers is tied for 22nd in Division III in tackles per game, averaging 11.8 tpg.

Leading the Lions on the year

   Mike Dane, quarterback, has thrown for a total of 963 yards this season, 154-83-9 for a completion percentage of 53.9 %. The Lions leading rusher is Ricky Story who posts 128 carries for 581 yards on the year (4.5 avg. per carry). Andy Wellendorf leads the receivers with 23 cataches for 310 yards and three touchdowns (13.5 avg. per carry). Story posts 14 catches for 107 yards (7.6 avg. per carry).

 

Bluffton in the Heartland Conference
   As a team the Beavers lead the HCAC in rushing offense, averaging 200.0 yards per game (1200 total yards). Bluffton ranks third in total offense with 363.7 ypg. The Beavers defense ranks second in HCAC rushing defense allowing opponents only 114.7 ypg on the ground. In total defense Bluffton is sixth, allowing opponents a total of only 410.3 ypg. The Beavers are third in scoring offense, averaging 21.5 ypg.

Beaver individuals in Heartland Conference

   Ben Dodds continues to lead the HCAC in all purpose yards, averaging 186.0 ypg (1116 yds. total).  Dodds currently ranks third in the conference in rushing with 632 total yards (105.3 ypg) with Jared Owens following at fifth in the league with 308 total yards (51.3 ypg). From the air Owens currently ranks fifth in passing with 932 total yards (155.3 ypg). In total offense Owens ranks third, averaging 206.7 ypg. Chris Sommers is tied for the lead in the conference defensively with 71 tackles for the season (11.8 tackles per game).

Last Season Overall

   Bluffton finished the 2002 campaign at 3-7 (1-5 HCAC). Mount St. Joseph finished at 5-5 overall (4-2 HCAC).

 

Next up for the Beavers and Lions
   Bluffton will travel to Franklin for another conference matchup. Mount St. Joseph will host Anderson. Kickoff for both games are scheduled for 1 p.m.