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The Pioneer football team kicks off the 2017 season this Saturday, September 2nd with a 6:00 pm road clash with Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

Media Information
Live Video: portal.stretchinternet.com/taylor
Live (Home) Radio: ESPN 990 AM | espn990.com
Twitter: @Malone_Football | @maloneathletics

Gameday Storylines 
Malone Football Begins 25th Season with Trip to Taylor
The Malone football team will begin its 25th season in program history on Saturday, opening with Taylor for the second straight year and the third time overall. The Pioneers defeated the Trojans 39-33 in last season's overtime opener and 42-3 in 1995. In 15 all-time games between the two schools, Malone holds an 8-7 edge. The eight victories against Taylor are the third-most against any program, trailing only the 11 wins against Urbana and the nine wins over Geneva (PA). 
 
The Pioneers have struggled on the road as of late, going 0-5 in their last five road openers. Dating back to 2008, they are also 0-5 in games played in Indiana. That could all change, though, when they visit Upland for an interstate showdown on Saturday.
 
Blasiole Continues Pursuit of History
While it was quarterback John Iacucci who scored the dramatic game-winning touchdown vs. Taylor a season ago, it was tailback Matt Blasiole who ran for a season-high 178 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns in an impressive season-opening performance. After running for 952 yards in 2015, his pursuit of the elusive 1,000-yard milestone came up short as he racked up 872 rushing yards in nine games last fall. The bruising back enters his senior season ranked 4th on Malone's all-time rushing list with 2,101 yards. The 1,000 yard season becomes even more significant this fall, as Dan DeGeorge's all-time rushing mark of 3,111 yards stands only 1,010 yards out of reach.
 
All-Conference Returners
Blasiole, who scored a team-high 10 touchdowns last fall, leads a list of five 2016 Great Midwest All-Conference honorees returning in 2017  He was joined on the All-Conference team by JD Stamper who started every game at left guard, but makes the transition to center this fall. Linebacker Ryan Weber, the G-MAC's leading tackler with 79 stops and Daniel Tepe, the G-MAC leader with nine pass breakups, both return on defense. Marcus Moeller was named All-Conference after leading the league with 13 field goals. Malone also returns 2016 G-MAC Freshman of the Year Zak Hill at left tackle. Right tackle Brenson Ennis, who's missed two of the last three seasons due to injuries, was All-GLIAC in 2013.
 
Dulin Leads Malone Track to First-Ever G-MAC Championship
Ashton Dulin, a surprising omission from the G-MAC All-Conference Football team last fall, made up for it in a big way by earning both G-MAC Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year honors in his sophomore season. After leading the Pioneers with 1,227 all-purpose yards, he took to the track where he led Malone to the Men's G-MAC Indoor Track Championship in February, capturing individual titles in the long jump, the 400 meters, and the 55-meter hurdles.
 
Dulin outdid himself in the spring Outdoor Track Championship, earning victories in the 400 hurdles and the long jump and 2nd-place finishes in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 110 hurdles while helping Malone to a 2nd-place team finish. Dulin wasn't the only football player racking up points for the track team. He, graduated seniors Austin Cary (throws), Colton Hale (throws), and Tyler Bowman (throws), current Pioneers Jonathon Zimmerly (shotput), John Iacucci (javelin), Desmond Sallee (4x1), and Orlando Scott (4x1), and student assistant Camden Baucke (throws), represented nearly 45% of  the Malone team scoring.
 
Dulin continued his outstanding track season by qualifying for the DII Outdoor Nationals in May in the 400 meter hurdles. Entering the competition with the 10th-fastest qualifying time, Dulin won his preliminary heat to advance to finals where he would become an All-American with a 4th-place finish.
 
Brotherly Love
Arrington Dulin, a freshman defensive end and Ashton's younger brother, gives the Pioneers a pair of brothers on the roster for the fourth straight season. Josh Correll and Blake Cary saw their older brothers graduate last fall. Along with the two Dulins, The 2017 roster also features four Johnsons (Ariq, Fred, Jordan, and Roy), three Smiths (Jacob, Quentin, and Tyrek), two Turners (Joe and Kenith), and two Moores (Israel and Xavier) although none of which are related fraternally.
 
Pioneers to Watch
Offense: Freshman left guard Israel Moore will be making his first collegiate start on Saturday alongside an experienced group of bigs that have 71 combined starts among them. Wide receiver Eian Elsass has 14 career starts, but will be stepping on the field for the first time since suffering a season-ending injury in week two of last fall. He caught three balls for 52 yards vs. Taylor in the opener.
 
Defense: Freshman Darrell Gaddis makes his first start at corner and will be tested early and often. Safety Christian Mathews also makes his debut in a Malone secondary that allowed 244 yards passing against Taylor in 2016.

2017 Malone Pioneers: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Staff
 
Taylor at a Glance
Taylor University is an NAIA institution that competes in the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA), a league that Malone was a part of before the transition to the NCAA in 2012. The Trojans return 16 starters from a season ago, including nine on the defensive side of the football. An experienced roster features 42 upperclassmen, including four seniors and a junior on the starting offensive line.
 
10th year head coach Ron Korfmacher is 3-2 against Malone all-time. Last season, his team was just 3-of-16 on third downs vs. Malone, but managed to make up for it with big plays, including a 70-yard fourth-quarter touchdown. That score helped the Trojans overcame a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit and force overtime where they were held scoreless in the their only extra possession.
 
Trojans to Watch:
Offense: Everett Pollard, a 6'5" 230-pound quarterback, is back to lead the attack for his third season. Pollard threw for two scores vs. Malone in 2016. Right tackle Logan Ball was an All-Conference selection in 2016 and will be going up against an unproven Malone front four.
 
Defense: Taylor returns its top-seven tacklers from a season ago, including All-MSFA linebacker Cameron Gray and corner and kick returner Dovi Gamble who combined for 17 stops in Canton last season. Gamble, a special teams ace, has 13 career blocked kicks, including a 4th-quarter extra-point block vs. Malone in 2016.

2016 Taylor University Trojans: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Staff 

By the Numbers
5 - Players that the Pioneers played against last season that were on NFL rosters this preseason.
51.33 - Ashton Dulin's personal-best 400-meter hurdles time at the National Championship in May. His mark was the fastest 400H time among football-playing track athletes at any collegiate level last season.
84 - Combined points scored by Dulin in the two G-MAC Track Championship meets. By himself, he outscored three teams at the Indoor Championship in February.
298 - The average weight in pounds of Malone's five starting offensive lineman.
304.4 - The average weight in pounds of the NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons offensive line last season. The "lightest" in the NFL.
 
Looking Ahead: 
The Pioneers will be on a bye in week two before traveling to Raleigh, North Carolina to meet Shaw University on September 16th.