FB Preview: Yellow Jackets return home to face Rose-Hulman
November 3, 2023

FB Preview: Yellow Jackets return home to face Rose-Hulman

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SATURDAY'S GAME: Defiance College returns home for the final two games of the 2023 season after winning consecutive games for the first time this season. The Yellow Jackets now stand at 4-4 and host the Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers, who are tied for first place in the HCAC football standings. DC is in position to win three straight games for the first time since 2016.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Yellow Jackets recovered from a slow start and an 11-point deficit after the first quarter to sink the Manchester Spartans, 51-27. The 51-point outburst on offense was the most points by DC during Bill Nickell's time as head coach and the most points in a game for the team since posting 59 points against Earlham in 2016. The defense forced four turnovers while the offense scored on each of their first five offensive drives of the second half to pull away.
 
ABOUT THE YELLOW JACKETS: Last week's victory surpassed Defiance's win total from last season (3-7) as DC finished the road slate 4-1, the program's best road record since going 5-0 in 2006. Defiance is 7-5 over the last 12 games and have a winning record in conference play for the first time since 2016. The Jackets started conference play 1-0 for the first time since 2010 by spoiling Hanover's 3-0 start to the year, which was DC's first takedown of an undefeated team with multiple wins since 2001 against 3-0 Rockford. Defiance is one of three HCAC programs averaging better than 200 rushing yards per game (200.5) and ranks third in defending the pass at 197.8 yards per contest.
 
ABOUT THE FIGHTIN' ENGINEERS: Rose-Hulman enters the final two weeks of the season with an unblemished record in HCAC play and have rattled off five straight wins entering their final road game of the year. Armed with the conference's second-best scoring offense and third-best scoring defense, the Fightin' Engineers have posted at least 44 points in all five HCAC games thus far. Last week, Rose-Hulman endured a 44-39 test at home against Hanover to remain tied atop the conference with Mount St. Joseph, the team's final regular-season opponent next week. The conference's third-ranked offense posts 430.8 yards per game with weekly averages split up with 183 rushing yards per game and 247.8 passing yards per contest. The Fightin' Engineers are led by 13-year head coach Jeff Sokol who has led the program to a record of 83-42, three HCAC titles and is a four-time HCAC Coach of the Year. Rose-Hulman also has the returning talents of reigning HCAC Athlete of the Year, Jailen Hobbs. Hobbs leads the conference in receiving yards and was a D3football.com All-American, All-Region, First Team All-HCAC and Special Teams Player of the Year in addition to All-American honors in track. He currently holds records in the 60, 100, and 200 meters.
 
THE SERIES: Defiance and Rose-Hulman battle on the gridiron for the 18th time with the Fightin' Engineers lead the all-time series 12-5. Rose-Hulman has won each of the last 11 meetings after the Yellow Jackets five of first six head-to-heads after R-H joined the HCAC beginning with the 2006 season. Defiance's last win in the series was a 21-18 road win in 2011.
 
STOUT HOME SCHEDULE: The Yellow Jackets have hosted tough competition at Coressel Stadium in 2023. Starting the year with No. 2 Mount Union then conference-leading Mount St. Joseph and Franklin, Defiance's home opponents are a combined 24-8 through eight games with Rose-Hulman's 6-2 record included.
 
TOUCHDOWN TYSHAUN: Senior running back Tyshaun Freeman produced his second three-touchdown game in a three-game stretch at Manchester last week and enters elite scoring company in the program's record books. Ranked third in the conference with 744 rushing yards and second with 11 rushing touchdowns, Freeman's 11 rushing scores are tied with Von Cummings for fifth-most in a single season in program history while his 12 total touchdowns rank tied for seventh-best in a single season. Freeman's 2,371 career rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns rank third and fifth in Jacket football history as he enters the final two weeks of the season 256 yards shy of the program's eighth 1,000-yard season.
 
ALL ABOARD THE COLTRAIN: Senior linebacker Thomas Coltrain wrote his name into the DC record book two weeks ago with the longest fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, a play that went for 95 yards at Anderson. His name is also atop of program's career solo tackles list with 209 after making 10 of 11 stops in last week's game unassisted. The Leslie, Mich. native has recorded double-digit tackles in 3 of the last 4 games and is fifth all-time in total tackles with 324.
 
AMBROSE BACK TO FORM: Quarterback Jordan Ambrose turned in his best performance in conference play last week by passing for 271 yards with three touchdowns to compliment a 73-yard rushing afternoon with an additional score on the ground.
Ambrose has taken care of the football well in the last two games as well with back-to-back turnover-free games. On the season, Ambrose has career-high totals in passing yards (1,319), passing touchdowns (11), and rushing yards (427) and is within reach of being the first DC quarterback with 1,500 yards passing and 500 yards rushing in the same season.
 
SACK ATTACK: The DC defense has been one of the HCAC's best in getting to the quarterback with 17 sacks this season, good for fourth in the league being a three-way tie for first with 20. Leading the charge are defensive ends Dominic Harris, who is tied for second in the HCAC with 6.5 sacks, and Richard Pope IV, fourth with six sacks. Pope's 23 career sacks are second-most in program history behind Edith Forestal's 36.
 
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