GAMEDAY CENTRAL - Defiance vs. Rose-Hulman - Game Six

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance College Yellow Jackets will play in front of a home crowd at Coressel Stadium for the third time this season when they take on Rose-Hulman on Saturday, October 18. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:30 pm.

TODAY'S GAME - Saturday will mark the third all-time meeting between Rose-Hulman and Defiance. The Jackets will be in search of their first win of the season, while Rose-Hulman tries to maintain its perch atop the HCAC standings.

SCOUTING DEFIANCE - DC enters play on Saturday looking to notch its first victory since rolling Hanover, 33-7, on October 20 of last season. The Jackets will need to get their offense on track in order to break that streak and must get the running game going in order to do so. Defiance ranked third in the HCAC with over 130 rushing yards per game in 2007, but has topped the 100-yard plateau only once in five tries so far in 2008. That performance came one week ago however, as the Jackets racked up 120 yards on the ground on over 4.6 yards per pop against Manchester.

SCOUTING ROSE-HULMAN - The Engineers are off to one of their best starts in recent history and will look for their first 6-1 start since opening with nine-straight victories in 1987. Rose-Hulman leads the HCAC with its 3-0 record in league play after bouncing Mount St. Joseph (27-21), Manchester (35-31) and Hanover (44-33). R-H boasts one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league in Derek Eitel, but Calvin Bueltel has fueled the Engineer offense so far in 2008. Bueltel has averaged 112.8 rushing yards per game for Rose-Hulman and leads the HCAC in that category.

LAST MEETING - The last meeting between these two squads came on October 6, 2007 and produced one of the most exciting games of the season for the Yellow Jackets. The two sides piled up 64 points and 839 total yards of offense and battled to the final play, before a missed field goal by Rose-Hulman sent Defiance home with the 33-31 win. Luke Dillon set a school record with four touchdown receptions in the victory, while R-H's Derek Eitel kept the Engineers close by connecting on 29-of-49 passes for 353 yards.

SERIES HISTORY - There have only been two meetings between Defiance and Rose-Hulman on the gridiron and the Purple and Gold has come out on top of both. Each contest has been highly competitive, with the games both being decided by three points or less. DC edged the Engineers, 13-10, in Terre Haute during the 2006 campaign, before holding on for a thrilling, 33-31, win at Coressel Stadium last season after R-H missed a field goal with five seconds left on the clock.

SNYDER CLIMBING THE RANKS - Defiance's starting free safety, Keith Snyder, is on track to lead the Jackets in tackles for the third-straight season. Those hits are starting to add up and the senior is now just 10 assisted tackles away from setting a new school record. Snyder enters play against Rose-Hulman with 158 career assisted tackles and is rapidly closing in on Donny Mutters' (1988-1991) all-time mark of 168.

TAYLOR'S TALLY - DC Head Coach Robert Taylor is just one win shy of tying Dick Small (1954-1963) for sixth-place in school history with 24 career victories. Two more wins would move Taylor into a tie for fifth with Gary Shaefer (1979-1984).

WIN #350 - Defiance enters play on Saturday on the doorstep of a milestone victory for the program. The Yellow Jackets have 348 victories dating back to 1900 and need just two more for the historic win number 350. DC's 300th win came in 1997 with a 29-24 victory over Alma.

AROUND THE HCAC - Rose-Hulman, Franklin and Anderson remain unbeaten in league play entering action on Saturday. Two of those squads will face off in the HCAC's game of the week when Franklin plays at upstart Anderson. In other action, MSJ will travel to Hanover, Bluffton will host Manchester and DC will welcome Rose-Hulman. All games are slated to begin at 1:30 pm.

WHAT'S ON TAP - Defiance will remain at home to host Anderson next Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1:30 pm. The Jackets will then travel to Hanover on Nov. 1, before welcoming Mount St. Joseph on Nov. 8 for the final home contest of the 2008 season.