Game:            Malone University                                                 0-1 (0-0 GLIAC) 
                        at Saginaw Valley St. University                          0-1 (0-0 GLIAC)
Date:              Saturday, September 14, 2013
Kickoff:           7:00 p.m. EDT at Wickes Stadium (University Center, Michigan)
Broadcasts:  ESPN 990 AM, www.espn990.com
                        6:40 p.m. EDT pre-game (Clint Scroggs – play-by-play, Larry Ridgeway – color)
Live Stats:     http://livestats.prestosports.com/svsu/
Tickets:         $10.00 adults; $7.00 students

Series:         
The Cardinals posted a 37-14 victory over the Pioneers in the first-ever meeting between the two teams last fall at Fawcett Stadium.

Coaches:   
Malone – Eric Hehman is in his fourth season as the Pioneers' head coach, having tallied an 8-24 record through his first three-plus 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 sixth season as the head coach of the Cardinals, has compiled a 35-20 record at SVSU and has led the program to the NCAA Postseason in two out of the last four 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 105-97 career record.

Last Season's Records: Malone 1-9 (1-9 GLIAC), Saginaw Valley State 8-3 (7-3 GLIAC)

Malone Notes: The Pioneers kicked off their 21st season of intercollegiate football last Saturday with a 37-31 non-conference road loss to Notre Dame College…A Malone TD pass midway through the third quarter put the visitors ahead 31-23, but the Falcons managed to rally back by out-scoring the Pioneers 14-0 in the final stanza...Malone piled up 204 rushing yards in Saturday's contest, marking the highest single-game rushing total for the program since the squad tallied 289 yards on the ground in last season's double-overtime victory against Tiffin University….The Pioneers were 3-for-3 in the red zone last week, scoring TDs on each of their trips inside the NDC 20-yard line…Malone blocked an extra point and a punt in last week's game, giving the special teams unit two blocked kicks for the first time since 2011 when the Pioneers blocked a pair of punts in a 27-0 win at Concordia (MI) University.

Malone players to watch:  RB Bryce Pratt made a strong Pioneer debut this past Saturday, piling up 120 rushing yards on 23 carries (5.2 average) to give Malone its first 100-yard rushing performance since Malik Felton tallied 130 yards in last year's win over Tiffin…RB Justin Davis also made an impact during his first game in a Pioneer uniform, notching 41 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries (4.6 average) while also pulling in three catches for 23 yards…QB Will Szpor completed 14 of 28 pass attempts against NDC for 124 yards with one touchdown and one interception…Szpor also posted 35 rushing yards and a TD on eight carries…WR Josh McLaughlin hauled in a team-high five catches, totaling 24 yards in week one…WR Jordan Phillips added three receptions for 39 yards while also averaging 23.0 yards on seven kickoff returns…After ranking second in the GLIAC in tackles per game last fall, DB Demarco Donaldson picked up right where he left off, racking up 14 total tackles and forcing two fumbles in the season opener… K Jacob Bishop started his Malone career on a strong note, hitting a 44-yard field goal and each of his four extra-point attempts.

Saginaw Valley State Notes: – The Cardinals have claimed a share of the GLIAC North Division Title in each of the last two seasons…this fall, SVSU boasts eight returning starters on offense and nine on defense…SVSU opened the year ranked at No. 22 in the AFCA Division II Preseason National Poll before falling 45-24 in its season opener at Northwest Missouri State University, the squad which was ranked at No. 4 in the DII Preseason National Poll…The Cardinals trailed by a slim 14-10 margin early on in Saturday's contest before the Bearcats managed to pull away with a pair of big second-quarter special teams plays, recovering a blocked punt in the endzone for a TD and then scooping up a fumbled snap on a field-goal attempt and returning it 70 yards for another score…Despite the loss, the Cardinals totaled nearly 450 yards (306 passing, 136 rushing) of offense and were penalized just three times for 11 yards.

Saginaw Valley State players to watch: QB Jonathon Jennings, who earned Second Team All-GLIAC accolades in 2012 after amassing over 3,200 yards passing and 27 touchdowns,  accounted for 372 of SVSU's 442 yards of total offense in week one, throwing for 306 yards and a touchdown while also gaining 66 rushing yards on 11 attempts…WR Jeff Janis is also back for the Cardinals after an incredible 2012 season in which he was named to the AP Little All-America and Daktronics NCAA Div. II All-America Teams…Janis had 106 catches for 1,635 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2012, shattering school records for receptions and receiving yards in a single season…Although held to three catches for 49 yards and a rushing TD last week vs. NW Missouri St., Janis appears primed for a strong senior season after posting the highest receiving yardage total in all of NCAA Division II last fall…WRs Mark Thrash & Michael Albrecht are also a threat… Albrecht tallied six catches for 67 yards in week one while Thrash added five for 65 yards…RBs Norman Shuford and Mark May, both transfers from Division I schools, will likely handle a majority of the carries out of the backfield….A pair of 2012 All-GLIAC performers return to anchor the Cardinal defense in DL Ryan Busch (2nd Team) and LB Brian Johnson (Honorable Mention)…Busch notched four tackle and a blocked kick last week while Johsnon made a team-high eight stops.

2013 Rosters
Malone  |  SVSU

2013 Statistics
Malone  |  SVSU