Game Notes
WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein University hosts cross-town rival Capital University, 1:30 p.m., Saturday in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) game. It will be Hall of Fame Day.
Otterbein will induct nine individuals and one team into the Otterbein Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday morning.
Among the honorees are Judy McLaughlin Davis ’78, from Newark, Ohio, Jim Eby ’43, from Dayton, Ohio, Jim Hoyle ’83, from Hilliard, Ohio, Bradley Myers ’00, from Columbus, Ohio, Jack Pietila ’62, from Westerville, Ohio, Ed Rarey ’52, from Groveport, Ohio, Steve Traylor ’73, from Duncan, S.C., Marcia Foulke Ziegler ’96, from Ontario, N.Y., and the 2002 men’s soccer team. Dr. Samuel Ziegler ’36, from Shreveport, La., will be honored posthumously.
Both teams come into the game needing a win. The Crusaders are trying to snap a two-game losing streak while the Cardinals are seeking their first conference win.
“Any time you play Capital, it’s a big game,” said Otterbein head coach Joe Loth, who is in his ninth season at his alma mater. “It doesn’t matter what our records are, this is our rival game. We want to do whatever it takes to win this game.”
Last week at home against Baldwin-Wallace, the Cardinals led midway through the third quarter, 21-20, following a 68-yard touchdown throw from senior quarterback Austin Schlosser to senior wide receiver Trey Fairchild. B-W scored on the next possession and then held on for the 27-21 win.
Fairchild, senior wide receiver Steve Kuzyk and senior tight end Gabe Shively combined for 21 receptions and 311 yards. Each had a touchdown reception. Fairchild finished with 254 all-purpose yards and continues to lead NCAA Division III with an average of 248 all-purpose yards per game.
“Trey has been consistently good every week,” Loth said. “He’s done a good job in the off season and put himself into a position to be successful this year. We’re trying to find ways to get him the ball because he is a big-play receiver.”
Capital, under second-year head coach Henry Stanford, a former Otterbein assistant, lost to Ohio Northern University, 38-20, last week at home in Bexley. Senior wide receiver Matt White posted a school-record 16 receptions for 189 yards, helping Capital to season-high 497 yards of total offense. The Crusaders turned the ball over five times, however, including a pair of second-quarter fumbles, which led to 10 Ohio Northern points.
“Capital has a very aggressive defense,” Loth said. “They were very successful against us defensively last year. Offensively, they throw the ball as well as anyone in the country. They are a good, solid program.”
Capital leads the all-time series, 42-40-3, which began with a 60-0 Otterbein win in 1894. Otterbein has won four of the last six meetings with the Crusaders, but fell, 23-13, last season in Bexley. The Cardinals got 13 points from special teams in the first half and then went scoreless in the second half.
