Football vs. Rose-Hulman (Ind.) -- Week 6 Game Notes

DEFIANCE, OHIO  - The Defiance College Yellow Jackets host Rose-Hulman (Ind.) Institute of Technology for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game at Justin F. Coressel Stadium at 1:30 p.m. as part of Homecoming Week.

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COMPLETE GAME NOTES IN PDF FORMAT:  [CLICK HERE]

Series History

Saturday's meeting will be the ninth meeting in the history of the two rivals. Defiance holds a slim lead in the series standings with a record of 5-3. Rose-Hulman has won the previous two meetings, including a 23-19 decision last year in Terre Haute, Ind.

In last year's matchup, Defiance led 13-3 at halftime, but RHIT then scored 20 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a 20-13 advantage. The Yellow Jackets added a 55-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the fourth to end the Defiance scoring as the Fightin' Engineers held on for the four-point victory. Sean Washington led Defiance offensively completing 14-of-30 passes for 146 yards. He also rushed for a team-high 83 yards on 21 attempts and had one TD.

Scouting the Yellow Jackets

The offense is averaging 297.6 yards per game this season and will have sophomore Alex Larson (Highland, Mich./Milford) line up at the quarterback position. Larson made his return to the starting QB role last week and has completed 25-of-36 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns so far this season.

The Yellow Jacket backfield is led by senior Trevon Burrell (Auburn Hills, Mich./Avondale). Coming into Saturday's game, Burrell has carried the ball 49 times and is second on the team with 167 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and a pair of TD.

In the slot position, look for the duo of junior Daniel Collins (West Springfield, Va./West Springfield) and sophomore Cody Wilson. To date, Collins has rushed for a team-high 181 yards on 56 carries (3.2 ypc.) and four TD. He has also caught 17 passes for 223 yards. Wilson is third on the team in receptions with 16 for 177 yards to go along with two TD.

At wideout, look for sophomores Darius Harper (Jacksonville, Fla./Robert E. Lee) and Dante Smith (Villa Rica, Ga./Villa Rica) to start. Harper currently leads the team in receptions (25) and yards (330). He also has two TD receptions on the year. Smith is fourth in catches with 12 for 93 yards.  

On defense, Defiance is currently allowing 374.6 yards per game, but has accounted for 11 takeaways already this season with seven interceptions and four fumbles.

The defensive line will line up four juniors with Kyle Wilson leading all linemen with 20 tackles (14 solo and six assists), including three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

The linebackers will start All-HCAC senior Eric Strickland (West Palm Beach, Fla./Seminole Ridge) and sophomore Keandre Gilmer (Toledo/Rogers). Strickland is third on the team in tackles with 35 (21 solo and 14 assists), including 4.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Gilmer is fifth in stops with 26 (18 solo and eight assists) to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

The Jacket secondary will be made up by junior first-team All-HCAC award winner Andrew Feldhaus (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner), freshman Angello Proulx (Warren, Mich./Mott) and sophomore Cody Wiggins (Howell, Mich./Howell) at the safety positions and senior Josh Slayton (Fort Wayne, Ind./North Side) and sophomore Kenny Jones (Toledo/Bowsher) at the corners. Feldhaus leads the team in tackles with 46 (32 solo and 14 assists) to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and a forced fumble.  

On special teams, senior Spencer Saunders has handled the place kicking duties so far this season. He is currently 1-2 in field goal attempts and has converted 10-of-11 extra-point attempts. Sophomore Tom Woehnker has taken over the punting duties and is averaging 36.8 yards per punt.

Scouting the Fightin' Engineers

The Rose-Hulman offense has been averaging 568.4 yards of total offense (150.0 rushing and 418.4 passing) so far this season. RHIT comes into Saturday's game with the nation's top passing offense and fourth-best overall offense.

The Fightin' Engineers are led by sophomore Austin Swenson who has completed 168-of-260 passes for 2,067 yards with 19 TD and seven interceptions.

At the reunning back spot, the Rose-Hulman will start senior Greg Lee who has rushed for 352 yards in 99 attempts (3.6 yards per carry) and has four TD. He has also caught nine passes for 126 yards (13.9 yards per catch).

The Engineers will feature three wide receivers and a tight end to make up the passing game. Sophomore Alec Fisher leads all receivers with 41 catches for 582 yards (14.2 ypc.) and 10 TD.      

On defense, RHIT has been allowing 440.4 yards of offense (121.8 rushing and 318.6 passing). The Engineers will line up in a 4-3 scheme with three out of the four starting linemen being sophomores. Lone senior Josh Sonneberger leads all linemen in tackles with 24 (19 solo and five assists) including a team-high seven tackles for loss. He also has a sack and a forced fumble.

The linebacking corps is led by freshman Andrew Schuelke who is sixth in tackles with 22 (15 solo and sven assists) to go along with 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

At the secondary positions, the Engineers are led by junior safety Chris Sander who has a team-leading 46 tackles on the year (34 solo and 12 assists). He also has 2.5 tackles for loss, including a sack, and seven breakups.

On special teams, junior Craig Larew will handle both the kicking and punting responsibilities. Coming into this week's game, Larew has made four-of-six field goals and has been successful on 26-of-28 extra-point attempts. As a punter, Larew is averaging 36.9 yards in 18 attempts with a season-long kick of 51 yards.