Sights and Sounds
- This week's game will be broadcast live on WNCO-AM 1340, with David Wilson handling the play-by-play and Don Graham providing the commentary. The game can be heard at WNCOAM.com, and also can be accessed on the scoreboard page on the home page of the AU athletics web site, GoAshlandEagles.com.
- AU head coach Lee Owens will do a weekly appearance on WRDL's "Early Bird's Word," every Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.
No. 11 Ashland, Lake Erie To Take To The Field In GLIAC South Division Matchup
Week 7 of the 2016 college football season will see No. 11-ranked Ashland University begin a three-game road swing at Lake Erie on Saturday (Oct. 11) at 1 p.m. The Eagles, who lead the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's South Division, are 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the GLIAC, while the Storm are 0-6, 0-6.
"We're worried about taking care of business with our football team, and making sure we're ready to play when it's time to kick it off," Owens said. "It's a good opportunity for us to see how much we've grown.
"You can't let up. You can't take your foot off the gas now, because we already have one loss. We can't afford another one."
Ashland is coming off a 45-7 Homecoming win over Northwood, while Lake Erie's last game was a 45-7 home loss to Ohio Dominican.
ASHLAND OFFENSE
VS. LAKE ERIE DEFENSE
For the Eagles, junior quarterback Travis Tarnowski leads the GLIAC in both passing yards per game (318.3) and touchdown passes (19)…Junior tight end Adam Shaheen has the conference's receiving hat trick through six weeks, leading the league in receptions (42), receiving yards (701) and touchdown catches (11)…Sophomore wide receiver Kamaron Green's receiving yards have gone up every week since the season-opener, culminating in 91 yards on six catches against Northwood.
The Storm's leading tackler is senior linebacker Zack Jude (50 total, two for loss, two forced fumbles)…Senior defensive back Maurice Hale has 48 total tackles, a tackle for loss and four pass breakups…Senior defensive back Marquan Richardson has a team-high six pass breakups.
ASHLAND DEFENSE
VS. LAKE ERIE OFFENSE
AU senior inside linebacker Brandon Gency has 49 total tackles, two sacks, eight tackles for loss (second in the GLIAC), two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, an interception and two pass breakups in 2016…Junior defensive end Austin Utter has a team-high four sacks (tied for fifth in the conference) to go with 33 total stops, five for loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery…Senior inside linebacker Zach Olszewski has made 48 total tackles this fall.
For Lake Erie's offense, senior quarterback John Banyasz has thrown for 694 yards and four touchdowns…Freshman running back Desmon Turner leads the team with 273 rushing yards…The team's leading receiver is senior wide receiver Demarco Rojas (12 catches, 112 yards).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Ashland's special teams features junior kicker Aidan Simenc, who has hit 6-of-7 field goals and 25-of-26 extra points in 2016…Senior punter Austin Bruns is averaging 41.7 yards per punt…Freshman tailback Keishaun Sims has returned six kickoffs for 220 yards (36.7-yard average) and a 92-yard touchdown in the last two weeks.
Lake Erie's kicking game has sophomore kicker Austin Baker, who has hit all three field goals and 8-of-9 extra points…Freshman punter Michael Muzic is averaging 41.9 yards on 37 punts…Junior defensive back Tony Andrews is averaging 18.2 yards per kickoff return and 9.5 yards per punt return.
Leaders Of The Pack
The 2016 Ashland University captains are senior tailback Vance Settlemire, Gency, Tarnowski and senior stud Adam Wallace - three seniors and a junior.
Tarnowski and Gency were captains in 2015, as well.
They Don't Stay Down For Long
The Eagles' victory on Homecoming was their fifth straight in a game immediately following a defeat. In their last 12 such games, they are 9-3.
Here is a look at the recent history of Ashland playing a game immediately following a loss:
|
DATE |
OPPONENT |
RESULT |
|
10/8/16 |
NORTHWOOD |
W, 45-7 |
|
9/20/14 |
at Findlay |
W, 45-23 |
|
11/9/13 |
TIFFIN |
W, 49-30 |
|
10/19/13 |
at Walsh |
W, 14-6 |
|
9/28/13 |
NORTHERN MICHIGAN |
W, 52-24 |
|
9/21/13 |
FERRIS STATE |
L, 7-34 |
|
9/14/13 |
at Wayne State |
L, 22-34 |
|
11/12/11 |
at Lake Erie |
L, 42-45 |
|
10/29/11 |
FINDLAY |
W, 34-19 |
|
9/24/11 |
NORTHERN MICHIGAN |
W, 45-16 |
|
9/10/11 |
INDIANAPOLIS |
W, 39-36 (OT) |
|
10/2/10 |
NORTHWOOD |
W, 37-17 |
"Whenever you have adversity, you have to learn from it," Owens said. "You have to learn from what happened. I hope we have."
Shaheen Earns GLIAC Award, Makes Conference History
Shaheen has won a lot of awards over the last year-plus.
One honor Shaheen had yet to achieve was GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week – until the morning of October 10. Shaheen was named the 2016 Week 6 GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week following an Ashland record-tying four touchdown catches against Northwood.
Shaheen is the first tight end in the 18-season history of GLIAC football to earn the league's Offensive Player of the Week award.
Against the Timberwolves, Shaheen caught seven passes for 109 yards and the four scores, tying a 24-year-old Eagle record originally set in 1992 by wide receiver Vance Kinney against Slippery Rock.
Shaheen paces the Eagles with 42 catches for 701 yards and 11 touchdowns through the first six games of 2016. He is tied for 12th in all of NCAA Division II in receptions, ninth in receiving yards and second in touchdown grabs.
The NCAA Division II record for touchdown catches by a tight end is 15, set twice.
"I don't think anybody is talking about any of these things," Owens said. "We'll have plenty of time to count touchdowns at the end (of the season)."
In the last three games, Shaheen has collected 24 catches for 426 yards and eight touchdowns.
Looking at the NCAA rankings for tight ends at all levels validates the start Shaheen has gotten off to in 2016:
TIGHT END CATCHES, ALL OF NCAA
|
NAME, SCHOOL |
LEVEL |
REC. |
|
Adam Shaheen, Ashland |
II |
42 |
|
Eric Saubert, Drake |
FCS |
40 |
|
Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State |
FCS |
34 |
|
Matt Page, Washington-St. Louis |
III |
33 |
TIGHT END RECEIVING YARDS, ALL OF NCAA
|
NAME, SCHOOL |
LEVEL |
YDS. |
|
Adam Shaheen, Ashland |
II |
701 |
|
Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State |
FCS |
561 |
TIGHT END TOUCHDOWN CATCHES, ALL OF NCAA
|
NAME, SCHOOL |
LEVEL |
TD |
|
Adam Shaheen, Ashland |
II |
11 |
|
Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State |
FCS |
8 |
|
Michael Roberts, Toledo |
FBS |
6 |
|
Garrett Weaver, Mt. St. Joseph |
III |
6 |
Sims Continues Making Impact For Eagles
Sims continues to flash the talent that made him the Ohio High School Mr. Football as a prep senior in 2015.
In Saturday's Homecoming win over Northwood, Sims ran eight times for 38 yards and returned two kickoffs for 139 yards, including a 92-yard touchdown for the Eagles' final score of the game.
Sims is the first Ashland player to return a kickoff for a touchdown since Cory Fickiesen's 46-yard score at Tiffin on Nov. 3, 2012, and the first Eagle to return a deep kickoff for a score since Joe Horn went 93 yards with the opening kick at home against Lake Erie on Nov. 13, 2010.
"We haven't been happy with it," Owens said of the team's kickoff-return efforts in the first four weeks of the season. "We've been working really hard. We really, as a staff and as a group of players, put a lot of time into it.
"To have a returner like that, we have to take advantage of it."
In the first six games of 2016, Sims is second on the team in rushing yards (328), first in yards per carry (6.7) and rushing touchdowns (three), is averaging 36.7 yards on six kickoff returns and has made three solo tackles.
Giving The Defense Its Due
The Eagle defense kept the Timberwolves to a total of 184 yards and a late touchdown on Homecoming. Through six weeks, Ashland's "D" ranks first in the GLIAC in total defense (344.5 ypg.) and second in scoring defense (16.8 ppg.), and is tied for the third-most fumble recoveries (seven) in the conference.
Eagle opponents have scored a total of 34 points in the second half so far in 2016.
Gency has led the charge in the last four games, and with 27 career tackles for loss, has pulled into a tie with Bobby Mercer for sixth on Ashland's all-time list.
The Eagles' Oh So Sweet Home
The 2016 season is the eighth for the Eagles at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field, and to say they enjoy playing on Broad Street is an understatement.
Ashland is 35-8 (.814) at home since 2009, and has won 16 straight regular-season contests at "The Jack."
|
SEASON |
W-L |
|
SEASON |
W-L |
|
2009 |
3-2 |
|
2013 |
3-2 |
|
2010 |
5-1 |
|
2014 |
5-0 |
|
2011 |
4-1 |
|
2015 |
5-1 |
|
2012 |
6-1 |
|
2016 |
4-0 |
The Eagles have earned a 15-game GLIAC regular-season home winning streak, best in the conference. The GLIAC teams with current winning streaks within the conference at home in the regular season include:
|
SCHOOL |
STREAK |
|
SCHOOL |
STREAK |
|
Ashland |
15 |
|
Northern Michigan |
2 |
|
Grand Valley State |
8 |
|
Tiffin |
2 |
|
Wayne State |
6 |
|
Northwood |
1 |
|
Hillsdale |
4 |
|
Saginaw Valley State |
1 |
NCAA Division II Rankings Through Week 6
INDIVIDUAL CAREER - ACTIVE
Tarnowski - total offense yards per play - 2nd (7.59)
Simenc - field-goal percentage - 2nd (88.9)
Settlemire - yards per carry - 4th (6.5)
Tarnowski - passing yards per game - 6th (266.6)
Settlemire - total touchdowns - T-6th (37)
Tarnowski - passing efficiency - 8th (148.95)
Tarnowski - completion percentage - 8th (61.1)
Tarnowski - touchdown passes - 10th (65)
INDIVIDUAL - 2016
Shaheen - receiving touchdowns - 2nd (11)
Tarnowski - passing touchdowns - T-6th (19)
Tarnowski - passing yards - 7th (1,910)
Simenc - field-goal percentage - 8th (85.7)
Shaheen - receiving yards - 9th (701)
TEAM - 2016
Fewest tackles for loss allowed - 1st (14)
Third-down conversion percentage - 2nd (61.5)
Fewest penalties per game - T-6th (4.17)
Total offense per game - 7th (518.7)
Fourth-down conversion percentage - T-10th (71.4)
2016 Competitiveness Chart
The following is a look at the Eagles' 2016 "competitiveness chart" - the measure of how long a team leads, is tied and trails in a game:
|
DATE |
OPPONENT |
TIME AHEAD |
TIME TIED |
TIME BEHIND |
|
9/1 |
MERCYHURST |
53:31 |
6:29 |
0:00 |
|
9/10 |
WAYNE STATE |
27:12 |
3:36 |
29:12 |
|
9/17 |
FINDLAY |
33:05 |
13:50 |
13:05 |
|
9/24 |
at Ferris State |
17:39 |
3:04 |
39:17 |
|
10/1 |
at Tiffin |
0:00 |
4:48 |
55:12 |
|
10/8 |
NORTHWOOD |
55:19 |
4:41 |
0:00 |
Ashland set a new season high for time ahead in a game against the Timberwolves, and it was the Eagles' largest amount of time leading in a game since Sept. 19, 2015 at home against Ohio Dominican (57:35).
The Notebook
- Ashland has extended its consecutive games streak of scoring at least 27 points to 17.
- Tarnowski (7,198) needs just 62 passing yards to go past current AU wide receivers coach Taylor Housewright into second place on the program's all-time list.
- Simenc is sixth all-time at Ashland with 24 career field goals, and with 99 career extra points, he is three away from tying Bryan Seward for fourth all-time.
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