DC Ready to Begin HCAC Play This Weekend at Rose-Hulman

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance College Yellow Jackets open up the 2013 HCAC slate with a contest at Rose-Hulman inside of Cook Stadium at Phil Brown Field Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets (0-2, 0-0 HCAC) and the Fightin' Engineers (0-2, 0-0 HCAC) will kickoff at 2 p.m. on Homecoming Day for Rose-Hulman [Game Notes]

Saturday's meeting between Defiance and Rose-Hulman will be the eighth meeting in the history of the two programs. The Yellow Jackets hold a 5-2 series advantage over Rose-Hulman for a .714 win percentage. 

Last season the Yellow Jackets fell to Rose-Hulman 33-20 at Justin F. Coressel Stadium in the HCAC opener. Defiance's last win against the Fightin' Engineers came in 2011 when the Yellow Jackets defeated the Rose-Hulman 21-18 in Terre Haute, Ind. Defiance has not lost at Rose-Hulman in the history of the series (3-0), but all three games have been decided by one score (three, seven, and two).

Series History
Year    Result                                      
2012    Rose-Hulman 33, Defiance 20
2011    Defiance 21, Rose-Hulman 18
2010    Defiance 41, Rose-Hulman 21
2009    Defiance 28, Rose-Hulman 21
2008    Rose-Hulman 28, Defiance 21
2007    Defiance 33, Rose-Hulman 31
2006    Defiance 13, Rose-Hulman 10

Record Against the States
The Yellow Jackets will play their first of three games in 2013 in the state of Indiana and the first of six games against teams from the "Hoosier" state this weekend when they travel to Terre Haute to play Rose-Hulman. 

Defiance has played in 213 games against schools from the state and holds a narrow margin over schools from the border state to the west, leading the series 108-103-2 against teams from Indiana.

A Nose For the Ball
Andrew Feldhaus has proven to be able to get to the ball from all over the field in the first two games of the season. The defensive back has led the Yellow Jackets in tackles in both games this season, outright against Albion with 10 and shared against Adrian with seven.

In the 17 tackles, Feldhaus has found the ball carrier in the backfield for 3.5 tackles for a loss, totaling nine yards. One of those came with a sack of four yards.

The Lutz, Fla. native has also forced three fumbles on the year, tied for the most in Division III. His 1.5 forced fumbles per game is the second highest average behind only Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Cody Seibel (2.0). The sophomore has recovered one of those forced fumbles, last week's against Adrian.

Leverenz Living Up to Preseason Hype
Andrew Leverenz was hyped up prior to the season after coming off a great 2012 campaign that earned him All-HCAC recognition. The Preseason All-Ohio recipient has fought through double coverage and offensive schemes to avoid the Clinton, Mich. native and has recorded nine tackles on the year. 

When Leverenz has reached the ball carrier, he has made it count, including 2.5 sacks for a total of 37 yards. After having a sack for 18 yards against Albion, the senior had 1.5 sacks against Adrian for 19 yards. 

Leverenz also added another tackle for a loss last week against Adrian, for four yards, and led the team in solo tackles with five in the game.

Up-tempo Offense Making Strides, Defense Standing Tall
The offensive system under head coach Brian Sheehan has made large strides through two games in 2013. The offense has run 174 plays compared to 113 by opponents this season, and has nearly doubled the production numbers.

Through the first two games, DC has put up 808 yards of total offense and 44 first downs while the defense has given up just 447 total yards of offense and only 19 first downs. The rushing attack for DC is nearly 4-to-1 in comparison to its opponents, as the offense has 399 yards rushing to just 104 given up by the defense.

DC has also given up just 343 yards through the air while Alex Larson and Sean Washington have combined to throw for 409 yards in two games.

Sharing the Load
Freshmen Trey White and senior Brian Mircovich have been the primary receivers for the Yellow Jackets quarterbacks this season and the duo have helped each other and the young quarterbacks by being equal threats to defensive secondaries. Alex Larson and Sean Washington have connected with White and Mircovich 13 times a piece through two games. The pair of receivers have been fairly equal after the catch as well, as Mircovich has 108 yards receiving while White has totaled 106 yards.

Making Most of Second Chance
Senior defensive back Tony Sierra received a second chance at a senior season after an injury last season and the Warren, Mich. native has started off the 2013 campaign very strong.

Sierra has already grabbed two interceptions in 2013, bringing his career total to 11. Sierra's two interceptions has him sitting in the top-20 nationally. Sierra has also defended five passes and had three breakups. The five passes defended through two games has Sierra ranked 12th nationally in Division III. For the season, Sierra has six tackles to his credit, including half a sack.