GAMEDAY CENTRAL - Defiance vs. Anderson - Game Seven

DEFIANCE, Ohio - Defiance and Anderson will each be looking to rebound from tough home losses when they square off at Coressel Stadium on Saturday at 1:30 pm. The Jackets dropped a nail-biter to Rose-Hulman, 28-21, when their final drive of the game came up just short, while Anderson was knocked from the rank of the unbeatens in league play with a 56-27 setback to Franklin one week ago.

SCOUTING DEFIANCE - Despite the winless record, the Yellow Jackets have been playing much better of late and seem to be turning the corner. A big part of the recent turnaround has been the improved running game, where Lewis Caralla and Drew Kuesel each notched season-highs and combined for 278 rushing yards last weekend. Caralla now ranks fourth in the HCAC and is netting 91.0 rushing yards per game in league action. DC also has a pair of players ranking favorably in the nation, as Tom Foos enters play on Saturday ranked 12th in the nation with 41.5 yards per punt and Keith Snyder ranks 11th with 12.2 tackles per game.

SCOUTING ANDERSON - The Ravens will bring an explosive offense to the field on Saturday, ranking second in the HCAC with 29 points a game. A large part of Anderson's success comes on the ground, where Darryl Stott is one of only two running backs in the league to average over 100 yards rushing this season. Another weapon for AU comes in the kicking game, where Tristian Cork ranks 12th in the nation with 1.12 made field goals per game. The defense for the Ravens is anchored by a stout front four which has limited the opposition to only 114.5 rushing yards per outing. That group is led by Jeremiah Townsell and his 8.2 tackles per game.

LAST MEETING - Defiance unleashed a dominant air attack against the Ravens during a 34-7 DC victory at Anderson on Oct. 13, 2007. Hans Vetter and Luke Dillon connected on scoring passes of three, 21 and 54 yards to build a 21-0 lead for the Jackets. The combo would hook up again in the second half for a 35-yard strike, as DC piled up 230 yards passing and 426 total yards of offense in the 27-point win.

SERIES HISTORY - DC and Anderson are no strangers on the gridiron and will hook up for the 48th time on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets boast a 28-18-1 edge in the all-time series and have owned the Ravens of late, having won each of the last three clashes by an average margin of 28 points.

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 have added up and the senior is now just three assisted tackles away from setting a new school record. Snyder enters play against Anderson with 165 assisted tackles in his career and is rapidly closing in on Donny Mutters' (1988-1991) all-time mark of 168.

TAYLOR'S TALLY - DC Head Coach Rob 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 and Franklin will each look to remain unbeaten in league play when they take the field on Saturday. R-H (4-0) will host Bluffton (0-3), while Franklin (3-0) will face a stiff road challenge at Mount St. Joseph (2-2). In other action, DC (0-3) will welcome Anderson (2-1), while Hanover (0-3) plays at Manchester (2-1). All games are set to begin at 1:30 pm.

ONLINE BROADCAST - All DC fans should be aware that the online radio broadcast provided throughout the season by 105.7 The Bull will not be available next Saturday at Hanover. Broadcasts will resume for DC's final games of the season against MSJ and Bluffton and can be listened to by going to www.DefianceAthletics.com and clicking on the 105.7 The Bull logo in the media center section of the website.

HELP SUPPORT THE "DIG FOR THE CURE"  - The Defiance College volleyball team will be taking part in the "Dig for the Cure" program when it hosts Rose-Hulman on Sunday at 1:00 pm. Donations will be accepted and all proceeds will go to Northwest Ohio's Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation in an effort to fund breast cancer research.

WHAT'S ON TAP - Defiance will head down the home stretch of its 2008 season following its game with Anderson on Saturday. The Jackets will have only one more home contest on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1:00 pm against Mount St. Joseph. DC's 2008 seniors will be honored prior to the start of that game. The Purple and Gold will also have a pair of road games in November, playing at Hanover on Nov. 1 and at Bluffton on Nov. 15 in the season finale.