By Ben Risinger, Sports Information Director
September 7, 2004
The Matchup
When: Saturday, September 11, 2004 at 1:30 p.m.
Where: Bluffton, Ohio – Dwight Salzman Stadium
On the Radio: Listen live to Bluffton University football on WDOH 107.1 FM.
Bluffton University started the season off with a bang last week as they defeated Centre College 33-24. It was the second straight year that the Beavers have won their opening contest. Hiram was shutout by Carnegie Melon University 44-0 in their season opener at home.
The Coaches
Bluffton coach Greg Brooks enters his second year at the helm of the Bluffton University football team. Brooks now notches three wins under his belt as head coach for the Beavers.
The Terriers are led by Mike Lazusky. Lazusky was the former defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2003 for Hiram.
Bluffton holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series over Hiram. The Beavers have won the last two contests 45-0 in 2002 and 35-20 in 2003.
Last Week
The Beavers won their 2004 opener at home 33-24 over Centre College. Junior quarterback Jared Owens posted a career high three touchdowns from the air for 196 total passing yards on the day (21-12-0). Owens also led the Beavers in rushing as he posted 76 yards on the ground and one rushing touchdown. The Beavers capitalized on the game in the fourth quarter when they scored three unanswered touchdowns to take the lead for good.
Hiram College got off to a rough start as they lost their home opener 44-0 to Carnegie Melon. Carnegie had 25 first downs on the day to the Terrier’s nine. Carnegie Melon also posted 380 total yards of offense, compared to Hiram’s 150 total yards.
Last Season’s Contest
The Beavers downed Hiram 35-20 in last year’s contest. Bluffton posted great yardage as they threw out 447 yards of total offense for the day, 241 rushing and 206 yards in the air. All five touchdowns came from the ground. Former senior Scott Flathers posted three touchdowns with Ben Dodds running the other two into the end zone. Jared Owens went 16-for-22 in passing for a total of 206 yards.
The Terriers actually led the ball game early in the fourth quarter, but were snubbed when Bluffton scored three unanswered touchdowns to regain control of the game. Hiram would make one last ditch effort to revive themselves by scoring with only 15 seconds left in the contest for the final tally.
Leading the Beavers
Quarterback Jared Owens currently leads the Beaver aerial attack. Owens has 12 completions for 196 yards in the air. Owens also leads the team in rushing as well with 12 carries for 76 yards. Freshman Leon Payne shows four receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown. Senior Mark Gable is second on the team in receiving with 47 yards off of three receptions. Defensively, senior Scott Steiner has 11 tackles (4 solo, 7 assisted), one interception and one pass break up.
Next up for the Beavers and Terriers
Bluffton will travel to Greenville, Pa. next Saturday to take on Thiel College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Hiram will travel to Westminster for a 1 p.m. start.
