PDF Release | Great Midwest Preview

The Malone University football team welcomes Lake Erie College to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium this Saturday, September 8th for a Great Midwest Athletic Conference home game at 7:00 pm.

Youth Football Day
Any student in 8th grade and under or any student who attended coach Devin Jordan's Beyond the Game youth football camp can wear their football jersey or their camp t-shirt and receive free admission to Saturday's game. 

GameDay Information
For questions and concerns about Tom Benson Stadium, parking, tickets, entrances, seating, concessions etc., please read the visitors guide: https://malonepioneers.com/news/2017/9/20/football-welcome-to-tom-benson-stadium-gameday-information.aspx

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

Gameday Storylines 
Malone Hosts Lake Erie in Great Midwest Opener
The Pioneers and the Storm will meet under the lights for the second straight season on Saturday as the two teams battle it out in a mutual Great Midwest Athletic Conference opener. Malone defeated Lake Erie 24-13 in 2017 in their first meeting as G-MAC institutions. Previously, the two teams met four times from 2012 to 2015 in the GLIAC with Malone winning 55-50 in 2013. Malone snapped a 19-game conference losing streak with the win over Lake Erie last season and the 13 points allowed were the fewest since 2011. In the Division II era, Lake Erie remains the only team Malone has defeated twice. This week, the Pioneers look to win two straight games against the same opponent for the first time since 2011-12 when they toppled Tiffin in back-to-back seasons.
 
Dulin Finds a Way to Make an Impact
Pioneer wide receiver Ashton Dulin scored twice in the win at Lake Erie last fall, catching a 75-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter before tacking on a 70-yard touchdown run in the fourth. In last week's season opener, Dulin was bracketed in double coverage and was held to just four catches for 29 yards. He did, however, make his presence felt in the return game, finding the endzone on a 95-yard kickoff return in the third quarter. The 95-yarder was tied for the third-longest in Malone and G-MAC history.
 
The All-American track athlete totaled 193 all-purpose yards in the game, good for 16th most in NCAA DII in week one. He is currently ranked 8th among active players in DII with 3,701 all-time all-purpose yards and is 4th all-time at Malone. Dulin has at least 101 all-purpose yards in 11 straight contests. With 110 yards on Saturday, he would jump into second all-time at Malone, surpassing Dan DeGeorge (1993-96) who totaled 3,810.
 
Moeller Makes Another
Senior kicker Marcus Moeller continues his own pursuit of the Malone record books. The Danish right-footer made his 23rd career field goal last week, a 42-yarder which tied for third-longest in his career. Moeller is now just one shy of tying Scott Bennington (1993-96) for second-place all-time. Jeremy Rininger (2001-04) still holds the school record with 31 career makes. Among active kickers in DII, Moeller ranks 14th in career field goals.
 
Pioneers Show Improvement on Money Down
Despite giving up six touchdowns to NAIA #16 Concordia in the season opener, the Malone defense showed signs of promise, especially on third downs. A season after allowing opponents to convert first downs on 45.6% of their third-down tries, the Pioneers held the Cardinals to just 27.3% (3-of-11) last week. All three Concordia conversions came on the same lengthy scoring drive in the second quarter. While the Pioneers fared well on third downs, they struggled mightily on second downs, giving up an average of 10.5 yards per play. Malone has the chance to improve upon those numbers against a Lake Erie team which gained just 230 yards against Malone in 2017 and was 3-for-14 on third downs.
 
While the defense matched the 2017 season-low with three third-down conversions, the Malone offense converted six third-down tries in 15 attempts against Concordia, a feat it achieved just once in 2017 (the Pioneers converted seven against Walsh). Malone generated first downs on just 31.3% of third-down tries last season. The Pioneers will have the chance to improve this year's 40% mark even further on Saturday against a Lake Erie defense which gave up first downs on 50% of third-down conversion attempts last week.
 
Clayton Comes Through in Debut
Part of the Pioneers' success on third downs could be attributed to redshirt sophomore quarterback Deandre Clayton, who made his first collegiate start last Saturday. Clayton completed 25-of-41 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown, added two two-point conversion passes, and reeled off a 20-yard run during one of Malone's scoring drives. Clayton showed poise in the pocket and decision-making under pressure and was one of just six DII quarterbacks to throw at least 40 passes in week one without throwing an interception. Clayton helped the Pioneers recover from a slow start and outscore Concordia 24-20 in the second half. With a week of experience under his belt, he could be primed for a big game against the G-MAC's lowest ranked pass defense on Saturday.
 
Pioneers to Watch
Offense: Clayton found slot receivers Dakota Hobbs and Markell Stephens-Peppers six times each during week one as they both played key roles in the Pioneer passing offense, especially in intermediate routes. With the added attention and double coverage against Dulin out wide and deep, James Jackson could also see his fair share of targets. Tight end Jeremy Gorby will be in the passing game mix as well. Gorby collected two receptions last week and scored on a two-point conversion pass.
 
Defense: The Malone defensive linemen should be eager to face a young Lake Erie offensive line which gave up seven sacks in the opener. Defensive ends Matt Ramsey and Arrington Dulin each posted sacks against Lake Erie last season. Backup edge rushers Keith Williams and Keith Harris could also have an influence, especially if Malone can grab an early lead and force the Storm to be one-dimensional late in the game.
 
Lake Erie at a Glance
The Storm's 2018 season opener versus Edinboro was a forgettable one as second-year head coach Gerald Hazzard's team suffered the most lopsided loss across all levels of college football. The 69-0 defeat was Lake Erie's fifth loss of at least 50 points in its last 10 games dating back to last season. The Storm have struggled to find consistency and were last in the nation in scoring in 2017 (10.4 ppg).
 
Still, Lake Erie won two games last fall and could provide a tough test for the Pioneers. Outside of the two long scoring plays from Dulin, Malone averaged just 1.7 yards per plays against an aggressive Storm defense last season and allowed five sacks under the lights in Painesville. The Pioneers, who committed just two penalties in week one will once again need to played clean, disciplined football as they challenge a team which has committed 108 penalties over the last 11 games while enticing opponents into 98 infractions.

Storm to Watch
Offense: G-MAC Second Team All-Conference tailback Antwan Harris scored a touchdown against Malone last season while backfield mate Desmon Turner ran for a game-high 78 yards. They run behind an offensive line that includes just one upperclassmen: junior right tackle Tim Roberts. At 240 pounds, Roberts is the smallest starting tackle in the G-MAC.
 
Defense: G-MAC Second Team All-Conference safety Thomas Covington led the Storm with 75 tackles and led the G-MAC with three forced fumbles in 2017. He intercepted two passes in the week one loss. Defensive end Andrew D'Eusanio and tackle Justin Growel, an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection, line up against a Malone offense that generated just 13 rushing yards in week one. D'Eusanio recorded two sacks against Malone in 2017.

By the Numbers
2 – Pass completions by the Pioneers in the win over Lake Erie last season.
4 – NCAA DII teams who won a game while completing two passes or fewer in 2017. Harding, Eastern New Mexico, and Carson-Newman were all top-5 rushing teams. Malone was 137th.
9 – Different receivers caught a pass in Malone's season opener, marking the most in a game since Sept 24, 2011 vs Marian. In 2017, only nine players caught a pass all season.
28 – Points by Ashton Dulin in the G-MAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship. He single-handedly outscored Lake Erie's entire team 28-25 in the meet.
80 – Division II players on NFL rosters heading into week one of the season.
100 – Receiving yards by Dakota Hobbs last week vs. Concordia. He joins Dulin (9x) and Eian Elsass (2x) as the Pioneers' only 100-yard receivers over the last four seasons.
 
Looking Ahead
The Pioneers will have a week-three bye before traveling to Kentucky Wesleyan for a G-MAC road game on September 22nd in week four.