Game:           Malone University  (3-5)  
                       at Notre Dame College  (5-3)
Date:              Saturday October 29, 2011
Kickoff:          7:00 p.m. EDT at the Spire Institute (Geneva, Ohio)
Broadcasts: WNPQ 95.9 FM, www.thelight959.com
                        6:45 p.m. EDT pre-game (Clint Scroggs – play-by-play; Larry Ridgeway - Color)
Tickets:         $5.00 adults; $3.00 students

Series:         
Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between the Pioneers and Falcons.  Both schools are former members of the NAIA that are now transitioning to NCAA Division II.

Coaches: 
Malone – Eric Hehman is in his second season as the Pioneers' head coach, having led Malone to a 6-12 overall mark since taking over the reins of the program in 2010.  Prior to arriving at Malone, Hehman had spent the previous five years as the head coach at NCAA Division III Greenville (IL) College where he led the Panthers to a 28-22 record and a berth in the 2009 NCCAA Victory Bowl.
Notre Dame – Adam Howard became Notre Dame's first head football coach in January of 2009.  Howard has guided NDC to a 7-12 mark since the Falcons began varsity competition in the fall of 2010 (Notre Dame posted an 8-0 record as a junior varsity program in 2009).  Howard served six years as the defensive coordinator at Baldwin-Wallace College prior to starting the Falcon program.

Last Season's Records: Malone 3-7 (2-5 MSFA Mideast), Notre Dame 2-9 (Independent)

Malone Notes – The Pioneers will look to stop their current three-game slide when they take on Notre Dame this weekend in Geneva, Ohio…Last week, Malone suffered a tough 47-10 road loss to NAIA #12 University of Saint Francis (IN)...The Cougars built a commanding 40-3 halftime lead in Saturday's contest after exploding for 28 second-quarter points… The Pioneers rank tenth out of the MSFA's 19 teams in rushing offense with an average of 120.5 yards per game….Malone also ranks fifth in the MSFA in kick-off returns, having tallied an average of 21.6 yards on 47 attempts.

Malone players to watch:  WR Justin McLean has been a consistent playmaker for the Pioneers in 2011 as he continues to lead the MSFA in all-purpose yardage with an average of 154.9 yards per game… So far this season, McLean has provided five scoring plays of 60 yards or more, including TD receptions of 94, 81, and 61 yards and kickoff returns for touchdowns of 99 and 90 yards…In all, McLean has posted 21 catches on the year for 448 yards (21.3 average), ran back 26 kickoffs for 656 yards (25.2 average) and returned 11 punts for 121 yards (11.0 average)…RB Daryon Mosley has tallied 453 rushing yards on 91 carries (5.0 average) to go with 10 pass receptions for 102 yards and three scores (two rushing, one receiving)…Josh McLaughlin and Will Szpor split time at the QB position last week…McLaughlin has rushed for 117 yards  and a touchdown while completing 16 of his 31 passes for 162 yards…On the season, Szpor has connected on 97 of 170 pass attempts for 995 yards and seven touchdowns…DB Demarco Donaldson paces the defense with 58 tackles…Donaldson has also recovered two fumbles, blocked a field goal and snagged three of the Pioneers' 11 interceptions… LB Antonio Scassa has tallied 57 total tackles with four tackles for loss and a sack… LB Brandon Commodore has tallied 52 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles…DL Frank McCormick posted 2.5 of his team-high 5.5 sacks last week against USF.

Notre Dame Notes – The Falcons had won four straight games before suffering a 49-16 loss at Urbana University this past Saturday …The Blue Knights built a commanding 35-7 halftime lead in Saturday's contest after scoring touchdowns on all five of their first-half possessions …Despite being limited to a season-low 239 total yards against Urbana, Notre Dame is still averaging over 360 yards and 27.1 points per contest (2915 total yards and 217 points through eight games)…The Falcons have also run back a pair of punts for touchdowns and are averaging 14.8 yards on 14 punt returns.

Notre Dame players to watch: Through the Falcons first eight games, QB Rob Partridge has completed 89 of 176 passes for 1058 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions…Patridge is also a threat on the ground, having gained 253 rushing yards with one rushing touchdown…RB Pedro Powell is averaging just under 100 yards per game (98.6) with 789 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns on 130 attempts (6.1 average per carry)…Powell has also hauled in six receptions for 49 yards and a score…HB Jack Foy leads the team in receptions with 30…On the season, Foy has totaled 170 receiving yards and two scores…WR Michael Fields has posted 28 receptions for 241 yards and two touchdowns…Fields has also returned six punts for 101 yards (16.8 average), including a 62-yard return for a touchdown in last week's loss to Urbana…WR Keifer Titus has also put up solid numbers thus far with 15 catches for 182 yards and three touchdowns…DB Bo Grunder has registered a team-leading 66 total tackles with four tackles for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery…Grunder has also made an impact on special teams with eight punt returns for 106 yards (13.1 average) and a TD…LB Hayden Davis has registered 45 total tackles with two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery…DL Jake Adkins has racked up 40 total tackles with five tackles for loss and two sacks…DB Sylvester Flowers has snagged two interceptions and made 36 total tackles. 

2011 Rosters
Malone  |  Notre Dame

2011 Statistics
Malone  |  Notre Dame