PDF Release | GameDay Promo Video

The Malone University football team will be in search of its first win of the 2017 season this Saturday, September 23rd when it takes on Missouri S&T at 3:00 pm at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. For concerns about Tom Benson Stadium, parking, tickets, entrances, seating, concessions etc., please read the visitors guide at: malonepioneers.com/news/2017/9/20/football-welcome-to-tom-benson-stadium-gameday-information.aspx

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

GameDay Promotion
The first 250 Malone fans to the game on Saturday will receive a free Malone Football poster.

Supporting Hurricane Relief Efforts in Texas
10% of the gate receipts from Saturday's contest will be donated to an effort by the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio (AICUO) to extend kindness to students attending institutions in the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas affected by the recent Hurricane.  A Go Fund Me page has also been established with Texas students at private and independent universities and colleges in mind.  To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/kindness-matters-ohio-students-helping-texas-students

Gameday Storylines
Malone Makes Return to Tom Benson Stadium
After a year of construction and pair of road trips to Taylor and Shaw to start the 2017 season, the Malone University football team will finally make its much-anticipated return to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Saturday when it welcomes Missouri S&T for a non-conference matchup. The NFL-caliber stadium is a one-of-a-kind among NCAA Division II football facilities and the 23,000-seating capacity is the most in the country. Although Saturday will serve as a homecoming for the Malone football program, it will be the first game at Tom Benson for not only second-year head coach Fred Thomas, but also a majority of the players. Only 21 Pioneers on the current roster played in a game on the field pre-renovation.
 
Weber Continues to Produce
Senior middle linebacker Ryan Weber, a four-year starter for the Pioneers and one of the 21 to play previously at Tom Benson Stadium, enters Saturday's matchup ranked 2nd in NCAA DII with 16.0 tackles per game. Following a career-high 19 tackles at Taylor, he recorded 13 tackles to lead Malone last Saturday at Shaw. Of his 32 total tackles this season, 23 have been solo stops. He leads the nation with 11.5 solo tackles per game. Weber, a two-time All-Conference selection, also ranks 11th among active players in DII with 262 career tackles.
 
Pioneers Stifling the Run
Thanks in large part to Weber's efforts in the middle of the field, the Malone run defense has been outstanding over the first two weeks of the season, holding opponents to a conference-best 3.1 yards per carry. After keeping Taylor to 3.4 ypc in week one, the Pioneers limited Shaw to just 2.7 ypc on 41 attempts last week. The Malone defense recorded 10 tackles for loss in the game and now has 15 this season. Weber certainly hasn't done it alone; defensive end Roy Johnson, defensive tackles Drew Shreve and Albert Phillips, and outside linebacker Josh Correll have combined for 52 tackles through two games, including nine for loss.
 
Malone Offense Keeps Making Big Plays
Picking up right where it left off last season when it recorded 34 plays of 20 yards or longer, the Pioneer offense has been equally explosive in 2017, already posting 10 plays longer than 20 yards. Just last week at Shaw, the Pioneers came up with seven plays of the 20-yard variety, including three plays of 40 yards or more. Two of Malone's five offensive touchdowns this season have been longer than 20 yards, including Matt Blasiole's 45-yard run at Shaw and Ashton Dulin's 67-yard touchdown catch at Taylor in week one. Quarterback John Iacucci averages 16.0 yards per completion, which ranks 10th-best in Division II.
 
The Other Third of the Game
While the Malone offense and defense have had their fair share of success in areas, the Malone special teams, primarily the kickoff, kickoff returns, and punt return units, have been just as impressive. The punt return team, which accounted for a 70-yard touchdown in week one at Taylor, ranks 4th in DII. The kickoff return unit reeled off returns of 28, 47, and 70 yards in week two and ranks 11th, averaging better than 28 yards per return through two games. By contrast, the kickoff coverage unit is allowing just 15.3 yards per return, the 16th-lowest average in DII. Malone is the only team that ranks in the top-20 in all three categories.
 
Pioneers to Watch
Offense: Last Saturday at Shaw, red-shirt freshman Xavier Garland became the first Malone freshman running back since 2011 to score two touchdowns in his collegiate debut. Garland carried 15 times for 59 yards last week and should receive a good chunk of carries on Saturday. Malone junior center JD Stamper, making just his third start at the position after playing left guard last season, will be key against a Missouri S&T defense that has 11 sacks. Receivers Ashton Dulin and Eian Elsass have been targeted a combined 43 times.
 
Defense: Senior cornerback Jordan Johnson, who has been exceptional in the return game, and freshman cornerback Darrell Gaddis, who has looked like a veteran in the early going, will face a tough test against a pass-happy Missouri S&T offense that ranks 11th in the nation in passing yards and 21st in yards per completion. Senior safety Daniel Tepe, who has seven career interceptions, will be counted on to help in coverage against a number of quality S&T receivers.
 
Missouri S&T at a Glance
Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T), located in Rolla, Missouri, is one of the premier engineering institutions in the Midwest. The Miners compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and are led by fifth-year head coach Tyler Fenwick who is 21-25 during his time at the school.
 
The Miners have outgained their opponents in each of their first three games, but their proclivity to turn the ball over (three interceptions, five lost fumbles) cost them in their first two. Last week though, Missouri S&T, bounced back with a 27-11 victory over Truman State, holding their opponents to just 236 yards and nine first downs.
 
Miners to Watch
Offense: Senior quarterback Tyler Swart ranks 7th in the nation in passing yards per game (315.7) and threw for a career-high 374 in week two at Northwood. Big-play receivers Braxton Graham and Justin Vaughn each average close to 20 yards a catch. Graham, the 2016 GLVC Special Teams Player of the Year, is 8th in the nation in receiving yards.
 
Defense: All-GLVC middle linebacker Landon Compton is 7th in the nation in sacks, posting two each in his last two games. Defensive end Tershawn Wharton has a sack in each of the first three games and has five tackles for loss on the season. All-Conference outside linebacker Austin Truvillion is also likely to make his presence felt against a Malone offensive line that has allowed at least one sack in 27 straight games.
 
By the Numbers
0 – Points allowed by Malone in the fourth quarter this season.
1 – Pair of teammates in DII (Augustana's Kirby Hora and Matt Wagner) that averages more tackles than Ryan Weber and Josh Correll's 26.
17 – Sacks allowed by Missouri S&T this year, the most of any team in the country.
21 – All-time Football Academic All-Americans from Missouri S&T. Malone has one, Austin Cary in 2016.
44-60-1 – Malone's All-Time record in 105 games played at Tom Benson, formerly Fawcett Stadium
 
Looking Ahead
Malone will open up Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play next Saturday, September 30th at home against Ohio Dominican at 7:30 pm.