Game:               NCAA Div. II #18 Saginaw Valley St. Univ.      1-0   
                           at Malone University                                            0-0
Date:                 Saturday, September 8, 2012
Kickoff:             1:00 p.m. EDT at Fawcett Stadium
Broadcasts:    WNPQ 95.9 FM, www.thelight959.com
                           12:45 p.m. EDT pre-game (Clint Scroggs – play-by-play)
Live Video:      www.malonepioneers.com/showcase
Live Stats:       www.sidearmstats.com/malone/football
Tickets:            $6.00 adults; $3.00 students/senior citizens; children 12 and under are free

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

Coaches:
Malone – Eric Hehman enters his third season as the Pioneers' head coach, having tallied a 7-14 record through his first two years in Canton.  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.
Saginaw Valley State – Jim Collins, now in his fifth season as the head coach of the Cardinals, has compiled a 28-17 record at SVSU and has led the program to the NCAA Postseason in two out of the last three years.  Before taking over the reins of the Cardinal program, Collins spent 11 seasons as the head coach at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.  Overall, he has compiled 98-94 career record.

Coach's Show: In the week one video, Coach Hehman discusses preseason camp and the Pioneers' season opener.

Last Season's Records: Malone 4-7 (N/A), Saginaw Valley State 7-4 (7-3 GLIAC)

Malone Notes –The 20th season of intercollegiate football at Malone marks the start of a new era for the Pioneers as the program embarks on its first year of competition as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) …Malone has tallied a 10-8-1 mark in its first 19 season openers….The Pioneers are 5-3 all-time  in season openers played at home…In 2012, first-year offensive coordinator Joel Penner and a strong cast of returning players will be looking to exceed 2011's solid offensive output of nearly 300 yards per contest.

Malone players to watch:  Slot Back/WR Justin McLean returns following an outstanding junior campaign in which he racked up 168.7 all-purpose yards per game… An All-MSFA Mideast Hon. Mention selection a year ago, McLean pocketed a team-high 44 catches for 762 yards (17.3 per-catch average) with seven touchdowns…He also returned two kickoffs for scores (99 and 90 yards)…Sophomore QB Will Szpor is also back and will be looking to build upon a strong 2011 effort...As a freshman a year ago,  he completed over 56% of his passes for 1651 yards and 10 TD's….An experienced group of offensive linemen also return to help protect Szpor and blast open up running lanes for RB's Malik Felton and Steven Niewiedzial ...senior LB Antonio Scassa and senior DL Frank McCormick will look to anchor the defensive front…Scassa paced the Pioneers with 84 tackles last fall while McCormick made 45 stops and posted team highs for tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (seven)…2011 All-MSFA Mideast Hon. Mention DB's Lepear Smith and Demarco Donaldson  return to patrol the secondary.

Saginaw Valley State Notes – The Cardinals qualified for the NCAA playoffs last fall after finishing in a tie for first place in the GLIAC North Division regular-season standings…SVSU then suffered a hard-fought, 30-27 overtime loss on the road to Minnesota-Duluth in the opening round of the 2011 postseason….The Cardinals began their 2012 campaign at home on Sept. 1st with a thrilling, come-from-behind 28-24 win over Valdosta State (GA) University, a squad which had been ranked at No. 8 in the AFCA Division II Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Saginaw Valley State players to watch: QB Jonathon Jennings accounted for 419 of SVSU's 459 yards of total offense in week one, throwing for 378 yards and four touchdowns while also gaining 41 rushing yards on eight attempts …A 2011 All-GLIAC Second Team honoree, Jennings led the conference in total offense last fall with an average of 303.6 yards per contest, throwing for a total of 2924 yards and 29 TD's to go with 416 yards on the ground and seven rushing touchdowns…WR Jeff Janis, the Cardinals' leading receiver in 2011, picked up right where he left off in SVSU's season opener vs. Valdosta State, snagging 14 catches for 167 yards and three scores…In 2011, Janis totaled 48 catches for 968 yards (20.2 average) and 14 TD's … RB's Tim Hogue and Ronnie Lark will likely be called upon to handle a bulk of the carries this fall…the duo combined for 59 rushing yards in the opener…2011 All-GLIAC performers Grant Caserta (First Team; LB) and Jeff Heath (Second Team; DB) return to anchor the defense…Caserta, a four-year starter, piled up a team-high 11 tackles in week one…Heath also made a big impact vs. Valdosta, posting eight stops, forcing a fumble and breaking up two passes.

2012 Rosters
Malone  |  SVSU

2012 Statistics
SVSU

2011 Statsitics
Malone