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The Malone University football team travels to Philippi, West Virginia on Saturday, October 7th to meet Alderson Broaddus University at 1:30 pm in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) contest.

Media Information
Live Video/Stats: portal.stretchinternet.com/malone
Live Radio: ESPN 990 AM | espn990.com
Twitter: @Malone_Football | @maloneathletics

Gameday Storylines
Malone Remains in Search of First G-MAC Win
Malone will once again look for its first conference win this Saturday when it faces Alderson Broaddus, a team the Pioneers lost to in their very first G-MAC contest last season. The Pioneers dropped to 0-3 all-time in Great Midwest play after suffering a 20-3 setback to Ohio Dominican last week. Dating back to their time in the GLIAC, the Pioneers have lost 17 straight conference games and 19 straight road games. That can all change this weekend when they travel to West Virginia in hopes of spoiling the Alderson Broaddus homecoming.
 
Pioneer Defense Hold its Own Against Prolific ODU Offense
Facing the Division II's 3rd-ranked passing offense in Ohio Dominican on Saturday, the Malone defensive unit fared well, holding the Panthers to 187 passing yards – nearly 200 yards below their average. The 20 points Malone allowed were the fewest given up in a game since shutting out Concordia (MI) in 2011. Save for a few big plays that proved to be the difference in the game, the defense played well throughout the contest. Malone forced six punts, including three three-and-outs, made a fourth-down stop in its own territory, and coerced All-Conference quarterback Grant Russell into his first interception of the season.
 
Passing Game Continues to Put Up Big Numbers
Despite being held to three points or fewer for just the eighth time in school history last Saturday, the Malone offense still generated 388 yards and a season-high 24 first downs. The Pioneer passing attack, led by quarterback John Iacucci, accounted for 288 of those yards and the 17 passing first downs were the most in a game since 2008. Malone managed to move the football using a number of short pass plays as Iacucci set career-highs in completions (31) and pass attempts (50). Both of those marks ranked in the top-five in Malone single game history. Iacucci completed over 60% of his passes for the third time this year. He did, however, toss a career-high three picks, including one in the endzone.
 
Dulin & Elsass Leading Receiving Corps
Six different Pioneers caught at least two passes against Ohio Dominican, including Ashton Dulin, who caught nine passes for 68 yards, and Eian Elsass who caught six for 55. Both Dulin and Elsass rank in the top-five in the G-MAC in receptions and receiving yards this season. Dulin, the Pioneers' #1 deep threat, also ranks 4th in the conference in yards per catch. Elsass, meanwhile, has been the perfect complement to Dulin on the other side as 16 of his 27 receptions have gone for first downs. Elsass has caught at least two passes in 15 career games.
 
Frosh Making Impacts
Over 20 freshmen have already seen playing time for the Pioneers this fall and nine have started. Malone started eight true freshmen last week against Ohio Dominican, including first-time starters Arrington Dulin and Dawalyn Washington who both made contributions in the defensive front seven. On the offensive side of the football, tailback Jayvon Hilton and slotback Dakota Hobbs combined for 129 scrimmage yards on 26 total touches. Redshirt freshman Xavier Garland is tied for the team-lead with three touchdowns on the year.
 
Pioneers to Watch
Offense: Sophomore left tackle Zak Hill, the 2016 G-MAC Freshman of the Year, and freshman right tackle Harrison Woliver will be tested against an aggressive Alderson Broaddus front that leads the G-MAC with 16 sacks. Junior James Jackson has emerged as the Pioneers' #3 receiver. He caught two passes for 44 yards last week. Coming into last week's game with eight career receptions, senior fullback Jonathon Zimmerly snagged a career-high four passes for 43 yards.
 
Defense: The Malone linebackers should see plenty of opportunities to make a play this weekend against an AB offense that has 10 total turnovers (four interceptions and six lost fumbles). Senior outside backer Josh Correll made a career-high 19 tackles against Alderson Broaddus last season. Ryan Weber, the Division II leader in tackles, made 15 stops in that same game. Chad Bata has been effective on the outside in blitz packages and will face an AB offensive line that has allowed 14 sacks on the season.
 
Alderson Broaddus at a Glance 
The Battlers (1-4) are led by first-year head coach Salvatore Dewalt, who took over the program in March after previously serving as the Offensive Line Coach and Director of Football Operations. Alderson Broaddus lost 27 seniors, including 10 G-MAC All-Conference Selections, from last year's team that went 9-2 and ranked 2nd in the country in total defense.
 
The Battlers have struggled in the early going this season, allowing 42+ points three times in five games. Last week, AB dropped a 16-15 decision to a previously winless Lake Erie team in which they squandered a 15-3 lead and missed a potential game-winning field goal in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter. The only win for the Battlers this season came against winless Lincoln University (PA) in week three. Alderson Broaddus outlasted Malone 35-16 last season in Canton.

Battlers to Watch
Offense: True freshman tailback Jamil Collison-Cofie ran for 127 yards and a touchdown last week vs. Lake Erie. He enters this week's matchup ranked 12th in DII in yards per carry (7.75). He also ranks 2nd in the G-MAC in rushing yards per game (108.8), and is tied for the league-lead with six touchdowns. Left tackle William Iacobucci (6-5, 335) was a G-MAC All-Conference selection in 2016.
 
Defense: Last week vs. Lake Erie, the Battlers recorded seven quarterback sacks. Defensive end Quade Raley totaled 10 tackles, four tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Middle linebacker Paul Gabel posted nine tackles, four of which were behind the line of scrimmage. Defensive end Corey Payne came away with six stops, including three for loss and a sack.
 
By the Numbers
-14.5 – The average scoring margin in Malone's first four games. The Pioneers have the "best" scoring margin among the 21 remaining winless teams in Division II.
21 – Unanswered, fourth-quarter points scored by Alderson Broaddus in last season's matchup with the Pioneers after being down 16-14. Malone has not led in the fourth quarter in any game since.
40:43 – AB's time of possession in that game. The Battlers ran 93 plays to Malone's 52.
101- Combined points (59-42) scored between Malone and AB in their first meeting in 2013. The Pioneers set school records for points scored in a half (49 in the second half) and points in a quarter (35 in the third)
1499 - Total yards of offense by Malone in 2017. No team in the country has more yards and fewer offensive touchdowns (9).

Looking Ahead
The Pioneers will celebrate homecoming next Saturday, October 14th as they host Kentucky Wesleyan at 12:00 pm