Game:           NCAA Div. II #6 Ashland University                  7-0 (6-0 GLIAC)   
                       at Malone University                                            1-5 (1-5 GLIAC)
Date:             Saturday, October 20, 2012
Kickoff:          7:00 p.m. EDT at Fawcett Stadium
Broadcasts: WNPQ 95.9 FM, www.thelight959.com
                       6:40 p.m. EDT pre-game (Clint Scroggs – play-by-play; Larry Ridgeway - Commentary)
Live Video:   http://www.malonepioneers.com/showcase
Live Stats:    http://www.sidearmstats.com/malone/football
Tickets:         $6.00 adults; $3.00 students/senior citizens; children 12 and under are free

Tailgate Against Hunger: Bring a canned good or monetary donation to the game and receive a half-price ticket.  All donations benefit the Stark County Hunger Task Force.

Series:        Saturday's contest will mark the first-ever meeting between the Pioneers and the Eagles.

Coaches:  
Malone – Eric Hehman is in his third season as the Pioneers' head coach and has tallied an 8-19 record at Malone.  Prior to arriving in Canton, Hehman 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.
Ashland – Lee Owens is in his ninth season at Ashland.  He has guided the program to a 62-33 mark and two NCAA Div. II playoff appearances (2007, 2008) since he became the Eagles' head coach in 2004.  As a collegiate head coach, Owens has tallied a 102-94 career mark, having spent nine years at the Univ. of Akron prior to becoming the head coach at AU.  Owens' resume also includes stints as an assistant at Ohio State University and as the head coach at Massillon Washington H.S.

Coaches Show: In the seventh installment of the coaches show, coach Hehman and host Clint Scroggs talk about last week's game at Lake Erie and this week's showdown with Ashland.

Last Season's Records: Malone 4-7 (N/A), Ashland 6-5 (6-4 GLIAC)

Malone Notes – The Pioneers lost on the road to Lake Erie College this past Saturday by a final tally of 35-24…After falling behind 21-7 at halftime, Malone rattled off 17 unanswered points to grab a 24-21 advantage late in the third quarter…However, the Storm managed to answer back, putting the game away with a pair of touchdown drives…The Pioneers continue to rank ninth among the GLIAC's 16 schools in total defense, giving up 388.2 yards per contest….Malone is also currently fourth in the conference against the pass, yielding only 168.7 yards through the air per game...On offense, the Pioneers have converted 44% of their third downs (ninth in GLIAC) but have struggled with turnovers, currently at -7 in turnover margin.

Malone players to watch:  Slot back/WR Justin McLean accounted for 189 all-purpose yards against Lake Erie, including two rushing attempts for 25 yards, three kickoff returns for 96 yards, and four catches for 68 yards with one TD...On the season, McLean has registered a team-high 19 catches for 284 yards and four scores…RB Malik Felton picked up his fifth rushing TD of the season on Saturday…On the year, Felton has gained a team-high 313 rushing yards on 63 attempts (4.0 average)…RBs Steven Niewiedzial and Reggie Terrell combined to gain 90 rushing yards on 21 carriers vs. the Storm…QB Will Szpor has completed 70 of his 129 (54.3%) passes for 865 yards with five TD's and six interceptions…WR AT Turner has also made a significant impact with 19 catches for 234 yards…DB Demarco Donaldson matched a season-high with 18 total tackles in Saturday's game, giving him 72 for the season…Donaldson's average of 12 tackles per game currently ranks second in the GLIAC…LB Antonio Scassa has posted 51 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception…DL Frank McCormick ranks second in the conference with five sacks…Through six games, McCormick has tallied 34 tackles, including seven tackles for loss.

Ashland Notes – The Eagles jumped up two spots to No. 6 in this week's AFCA DII National Poll following a 30-0 victory over Walsh University this past Saturday…No. 6 is the highest Ashland has been ranked during the nine years that Lee Owens has been the program's head coach…The undefeated Eagles have been dominant through their first seven games, outscoring opponents by a margin of 275-101…Ashland ranks at the top or near the top of numerous GLIAC statistical categories, currently at No. 1 in the conference (10th in the nation) in total offense with an average of 475.4 yards per game…The Eagles also lead the GLIAC (rank ninth in the country) in scoring defense, surrendering just 14.4 points per outing.

Ashland players to watch: QB Taylor Housewright, a 2011 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention selection, has completed 155 of 228 (68%) passes for 1981 yards through his first seven games with 19 TDs and zero interceptions…Housewright has thrown 317 consecutive passes without an interception (dating back to 2011) and currently ranks seventh in all of Division II (first in GLIAC) with a 168.5 pass efficiency rating… He is also second in the conference in both passing yards per game (283.0) and total offense (299.9 yards per game)… WR Anthony Capasso has been Housewright's favorite target…A 2011 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention performer, Capasso has registered 44 catches for 592 yards and six TDs in 2012, totals which rank him second in the conference in receptions per game (6.3) and fourth in yards per game (86.4)…Anthony Taylor and Jordan McCune split time at RB…McCune, an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention selection in 2011, has carried the ball 104 times for 488 yards and seven TDs while  Taylor has run for 527 yards and five TDs on 106 carries…LB Cody Bloom, a 2011 2nd Team All-GLIAC honoree, has once again led the way for the Eagle defense in 2012 with 62 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions and one fumble recovery…DB Brian Gamble, a former standout at Massillon Washington H.S., ranks second on the team with 48 tackles.

2012 Rosters:
Malone  |  Ashland

2012 Statistics
Malone  |  Ashland