Football vs. Anderson -- Week 8 Game Notes
DEFIANCE, OHIO - The Defiance College Yellow Jackets host Anderson (Ind.) University for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game at Justin F. Coressel Stadium at 1:30 p.m.
DEFIANCE, OHIO - The Defiance College Yellow Jackets host Anderson (Ind.) University for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game at Justin F. Coressel Stadium at 1:30 p.m.
DEFIANCE INTERNET BROADCAST: Yellow Jacket Sports Network [CLICK HERE]
LIVE STATS: [CLICK HERE]
COMPLETE GAME NOTES IN PDF FORMAT: [CLICK HERE]
Series History
Saturday's meeting will be the 54th meeting in the history of the two rivals. Defiance leads the series standings with a record of 34-18-1 and has dominated the series as of late having won nine straight against the Ravens. The last time Anderson beat Defiance was in 2004 in which the Ravens topped the Yellow Jackets, 27-10.
In last year's matchup, Defiance held Anderson to just 157 yards of total offense and caused six turnovers with four interceptions, including an interception return for touchdown, and two fumble recoveries. Playing at quarterback in the game, Sean Washington passed for 73 yards and rushed for a game-high 120 yards and a pair of TD. Defensively, Andrew Feldhaus made eight tackles, including a tackle for loss, to go along with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and broke up two passes.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets
The offense is averaging 344.4 yards per game this season and will have sophomore Alex Larson (Highland, Mich./Milford) line up as the starter at the quarterback position. He has completed 54-of-89 passes for 678 yards and six 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 63 times for a team-leading 306 yards (4.9 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 244 yards on 67 carries (3.6 ypc.) and four TD. He has also caught 18 passes for 234 yards. Wilson is second on the team in receptions with 20 for 258 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 (38) and yards (452). He also has three TD receptions on the year. Smith is fourth in catches with 15 for 155 yards.
On defense, Defiance is currently allowing 362.4 yards per game, but has accounted for 12 takeaways this season with seven interceptions and five fumbles.
The defensive line will line up three juniors with Kyle Wilson leading all linemen with 32 tackles (24 solo and eight assists), including a team-high seven tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
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 48 (30 solo and 18 assists), including 5.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and a forced fumble. Gilmer is fifth in stops with 36 (24 solo and 12 assists) to go along with six 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 57 (36 solo and 21 assists) to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and a forced fumble.
On special teams, senior Spencer Saunders has handled the place kicking duties this season. He is currently 2-of-5 in field goal attempts and has converted 16-of-19 extra-point attempts. Sophomore Tom Woehnker has taken over the punting duties and is averaging 36.6 yards per punt.
Scouting the Ravens
The Anderson offense has been averaging 300.1 yards of total offense (80.1 rushing and 220.0 passing) this season.
Calling the plays for the Ravens will be junior quarterback Brady Calvinee. Coming into Saturday's game, Calvinee has completed 84-of-176 passes for 896 yards with nine TD and seven interceptions.
At the running back spot, junior Josh Adkins is listed as the starter and leads the team in both rushes (96) and yards (401). He is averaging 4.2 yards per carry and has found the endzone three times. He has also caught 18 passes for 76 yards. In addition to Adkins, also look for backup sophomore James Harris to see playing time. He has carried the ball 32 times for 167 yards (5.2 ypc.) and has one TD.
The Ravens will feature two wide receivers and a tight end. Sophomore Marc Jones leads the team in receptions with 50 for 587 yards (11.7 yards per catch) and three TD.
On defense, Anderson has been allowing 434.0 yards of offense (198.7 rushing and 235.3 passing). The Ravens will line up in a 3-4 scheme with sophomore Drew Ponder leading all defensive linemen in tackles with 14 (10 solo and four assists). He has made one tackle for loss with that tackle being a quarterback sack.
The linebacking corps will be a young group with one senior and three sophomores. Senior Nate Moser leads the defense in tackles with 66 (44 solo and 22 assists), including 12.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
At the secondary positions, the Ravens are led by sophomore Jeremy Gonzalez who is fourth on thet eam in tackles with 42 (29 solo and 13 assists). He has one tackle for loss and is tied for second in pass breakups with three.
On special teams, junior Trenton Priser will handle both the kicking responsibilities and sophomore Daniel Chrzan will be the starting punter. Coming into this week's game, Priser has made two-of-three field goals and has been successful on all 12 of his extra-point attempts. Chrzan is averaging 34.5 yards per punt in 34 attempts with a season-long kick of 48 yards.