Full Game Notes (PDF)
 
Game:        Malone University                                                0-1 (0-1 GLIAC)
                  Michigan Tech University                                    1-0 (1-0 GLIAC)     
Date:         Saturday, September 12, 2015
Kickoff:      1:00 p.m. EDT at Sherman Field (Houghton, Mich.)
Broadcasts: www.malonepioneers.com/showcase
                  12:40 p.m. EST pre-game (Clint Scroggs – play-by-play, Larry Ridgeway – color)
Live Video (fee): http://portal.stretchinternet.com/mtu/
Live Stats: http://www.gliac.org/sports/fball/2015-16/boxscores/20150912_7pvy.xml
Tickets:      $9.00 adults; $5.00 youth

Series:       
Michigan Tech defeated Malone 37-6 at Benson Stadium last fall in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

Coaches:   
Malone – Eric Hehman is in his sixth season as the Pioneers' head coach and has tallied an 11-43 record at Malone.  Prior to arriving in Canton, Hehman spent the previous five years as 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.
Michigan Tech – Tom Kearly is now in his tenth season as the Huskies' head coach and has guided MTU to a 60-35 overall record, including a 9-2 mark and NCAA Postseason berth last fall.  He was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2010 after guiding the Huskies to an 8-2 mark. Prior to joining the MTU staff, Kearly spent 19 years as an assistant at NCAA Divison I Central Michigan University.
Last Season's Records: Malone 1-10 (1-9 GLIAC), Michigan Teach 9-2 (9-1 GLIAC)

Malone Notes – The Pioneers suffered a 59-21 defeat in their season opener against 8th-ranked Ohio Dominican University on Thursday…Malone got off to a fast start, connecting on a 82-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage…The lengthy pass gave the Pioneers a 7-0 lead just 16 seconds into the contest and marked the fifth-longest completion in school history…However, ODU quickly responded, scoring six first-half touchdowns with the help of three costly Pioneer turnovers that each occurred deep in Malone territory…The Pioneers returned a punt for a TD late in the third quarter of the contest which marked just the fourth punt-return TD in program history and the first time Malone had returned a punt for a TD since 1996 (the Pioneers have scored several other TDs after scooping up blocked punts, but only four times have punts been "returned" for touchdowns).

 Malone players to watch:  WR Ashton Dulin made a big impact in his first collegiate game, hauling in the 82-yard TD on his first play…The explosive freshman, who was a High School Track & Field All-American and holds the third-fastest 300-meter hurdle time ever recorded in Ohio High School history, also tallied four rushing attempts for 50 yards (12.5 average) and returned a kickoff 20 yards, giving him 152 all-purpose yards…DB Jordan Johnson's 76-yard punt return for a score broke a 20-year old school record for the longest punt return in program history…Johnson also posted five tackles, with one tackle for loss and a pass break-up…QB Will Szpor completed nine of 19 passes for 149 yards on Thursday… the red-shirt senior passed Shane Nalepa on Malone's all-time pass completion list during the season opener and is now fourth with 354 career completions…With the lengthy pass to Dulin, Szpor now owns two of the five longest completions in Malone history as he also tossed a 94-yard TD to Justin McLean in 2011...RB Matt Blasiole picked up 47 rushing yards  and a TD against the Panthers…WR Eian Elsass notched a game-high six catches for 59 yards in the season opener.

Michigan Tech Notes – The Huskies, ranked 22nd in this week's D2Footbal.com National Poll and 27th (receiving votes) in the AFCA Div. II national ratings, advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs last year before suffering a narrow 42-41 home loss to Angelo State University in the opening round…MTU pulled out to a 20-2 halftime lead and then held on for a 20-15 victory in its season opener at home against Wayne State (MI) University last Thursday…Wayne State scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull within five with six and a half minutes to play …However, the Huskies took nearly four minutes off the clock with a 38-yard drive and then stopped the Warriors on downs near midfield to seal the win… Both defenses played well throughout the contest as neither team eclipsed 260 total yards or 80 yards rushing …The Huskies have now won 12 of their last 13 GLIAC games dating back to the end of the 2013 campaign.

Michigan Tech players to watch: QB Brandon Cowie, who earned All-GLIAC accolades for MTU as a WR in both 2013 and 2014,  had success in his first collegiate start at the QB position on Thursday against Wayne State, completing 18 of 23 passes for 178 yards and one TD…Cowie also did damage on the ground, rushing for 64 yards on 16 carries, including a six-yard TD run at the start of the second quarter…WR Ian Fischer hauled in a 47-yard touchdown catch from Cowie in the first quarter and finished the evening with six catches for 105 yards…RB John Williams picked up 32 yards on 13 rushing attempts….On the defensive side of the ball, DB Cedric Jones notched a team-best 11 tackles…DL Brandon Hutchison followed with nine tackles, including a half sack and two tackles for loss….LB Paul Kuoppala, an All-GLIAC Second Team honoree last season, accounted for 3.5 of MTU's 11 tackles for loss in the season opener…DL Evan Mayer had 1.5 of the Huskies' five sacks and also was credited with five quarterback hurries.

2015 Rosters
Malone  |  Michigan Tech

2015 Statistics
Malone  |  Michigan Tech