Full Game Notes (PDF)  |  Season Preview From CantonRep.com

Game:        NCAA Div. II #8 Ohio Dominican University      0-0 (0-0 GLIAC)
                  at Malone University                                         0-0 (0-0 GLIAC)   
Date:         Thursday, September 3, 2015
Kickoff:    7:30 p.m. EDT at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton, Ohio)
Live Stats: http://gliac.org/sports/fball/2015-16/boxscores/20150903_ecir.xml
Live Video: http://livestream.com/maloneuniversity - 7:10 p.m. EDT pre-game (Clint Scroggs – play-by-play, Larry Ridgeway – color)

Series: 
Ohio Dominican holds a 7-1 advantage in the all-time series with Malone.  The Pioneers defeated the Panthers 39-32 in the first-ever contest between the two schools, held at ODU on Oct. 16, 2004.  Ohio Dominican has since won the last seven meetings, most recently defeating Malone 59-14 in season opener for both teams at Panther Field last fall.

Coaches:  
Malone - Eric Hehman is in his sixth season as the Pioneers' head coach and has tallied an 11-42 record at Malone.  Prior to arriving in Canton, Hehman spent the previous five years as the head coach at NCAA Division III Greenville College where he led the Panthers to a 28-22 record and a berth in the 2009 NCCAA Victory Bowl. 
Ohio Dominican – Bill Conley is now in his sixth season as the Panthers' head coach and has guided ODU to a 38-18 overall record, including a memorable 11-2 mark and a trip to the NCAA Division II Regional Finals last fall. Prior to becoming Ohio Dominican's head coach, Conley completed two stints as an assistant at Ohio State University - from 1984-87 under Earl Bruce and then from 1992-2003 under John Cooper and Jim Tressel.

Malone Season Preview:  Article  |  Video

Last Season's Records: Malone 1-10 (1-9 GLIAC), Ohio Dominican 11-2 (9-1 GLIAC)
 
Construction at Benson Stadium: As part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's HOF Village Project, Tom Benson Stadium will undergo substantial renovations throughout the 2015 season.  All fans (from both the home & visiting teams) must enter through Gates 7 & 8 located adjacent to McKinley High School.  All other entrances will be closed to the public.  Click here for more information and a map of the construction areas.
 
Chick-fil-A Coupon Promotion: The first 100 fans to buy a program on Thursday will receive a coupon for a free Chick-fil-a sandwich!

Malone Notes – 2015 marks the 23rd season of intercollegiate football at Malone…It is also the Pioneers' fourth year of competition in the GLIAC and third year as full members of NCAA Division II… Malone has tallied a 10-11-1 mark in its first 22 season openers….The Pioneers are 5-4 all-time in season openers played at home…In last year's match-up with ODU, Malone trailed by a slim 17-14 margin at halftime before four third-quarter fumbles by the Pioneers allowed the Panthers to quickly put the contest out of reach…After battling through an injury-plagued year in 2014, Malone will be aiming to recapture some of its 2013 success when the squad averaged over 395 yards and nearly 30 points per game.

Malone players to watch:  After missing the entire 2014 season due to a preseason injury, QB Will Szpor returns to lead the Pioneer offense this fall...Szpor, who started in each of his first three years on the team, enters his final collegiate season ranked among Malone's all-time leaders in several passing categories…He currently ranks fourth in career completion percentage (.550) and is fifth in career pass attempts (627), completions (345), yards (3916), and touchdowns (27)…WRs Damien Russell and Eian Elsass figure to be two of Szpor's top targets in the passing game…Last fall, Russell hauled in 21 catches for 189 yards while Elsass averaged 23.6 yards on seven catches, including two TDs…RB Matt Blasiole will likely see an expanded role this season after averaging 6.9 yards on 40 carries as a freshman in 2014…DL Austin Cary and LB Fred Baker Jr. both earned USA College Football Preseason All-America honors…Las fall, Cary notched 30 tackles with a team-best 4.5 sacks while Baker finished third on the team with 63 total tackles.

Ohio Dominican Notes – The Panthers captured the GLIAC South Title and made their second straight appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs last season…ODU notched road wins in each of the first two rounds of the 2015 postseason before suffering a narrow 31-28 loss in the Regional Finals to the eventual National Champions, Colorado State University-Pueblo…The Panther defense surrendered the fewest yards (326.4 per game) in the GLIAC last fall while the ODU offense led the league in passing and ranked near the top of numerous other statistical categories…Ohio Dominican was picked to win the GLIAC South Division in the 2015 Preseason Coaches' Poll…In preseason national polls, ODU is ranked 8th by AFCA, 4th by the Sporting News and 5th by D2Football.com. 

Ohio Dominican players to watch: RB Brandon Schoen, a 2014 Second Team All-GLIAC honoree and the Panthers' all-time leading rusher (3,246 career yards), returns for his senior season…Last fall, Schoen tallied his third consecutive 1,000-yard season, ending 2014 with 1,134 yards and 12 TDs…WR Dez Stewart is also back looking to build upon an impressive 2014 season..A Preseason All-America pick by D2Football.com, Stewart earned First Team All-GLIAC accolades last fall after leading the conference in yards (1,156) and TDs (11)... Grant Russell takes over at the QB position this fall, following the graduation of three-year starter Mark Miller…In limited action last season, Russell completed 16 of 22 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns…Eight of ODU's top nine tacklers from 2014 return this year, including DL Sydney Omameh, a D2Football.com Preseason All-America selection who was named First Team All-GLIAC in 2014 after registering 62 tackles, including 17.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks…K Grant Wahle, another D2Football.com Preseason All-American, made 19 of 24 field goals last season.
 
2015 Rosters
Malone  |  Ohio Dominican

2014 Statistics
Malone  |  Ohio Dominican