Game Notes (PDF)

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein opens the 2011 season at Gallaudet University Saturday in Washington, D.C. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Hotchkiss Field.

“Everyone is excited to get the season started,” said head coach Joe Loth, who is entering his ninth season at his alma mater. “We put in a lot of hard work in the off season. We have high expectations.”

Otterbein, compiling a 23-8 record over the last three seasons, heads into the new year seeking to record its fourth-straight winning season.

Saturday’s matchup marks the first meeting between the two schools. Gallaudet, a university for the deaf and hard of hearing, will play at Otterbein in 2012.

Under second-year head coach Chuck Goldstein, the Gallaudet Bison compiled a 5-5 record in 2010, finishing fifth with a 3-5 mark in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference. All five losses were by eight points or less. The Buff and Blue return 17 starters.

“It’s a program that has won a lot of football games,” Loth said about Gallaudet. “They are coming off two solid seasons. They bring back a ton of starters on defense. They present a huge challenge for us besides the challenge of traveling.”

The Cardinals return 49 lettermen from last season’s 6-4 squad that finished with a share of fourth place in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) with a 5-4 record.

This year’s senior class has an opportunity to tie or break the school record for most wins, 28, set in 1962 and tied by last season’s senior class.

“We’ve got to learn to play fast on both sides of the ball,” Loth said about the characteristics he is seeking to instill in this season’s squad. “We’ve got to learn how to take it one game at time, continue to work hard and get stronger throughout the season.”

The Cardinals are off Sept. 10 and are scheduled to open OAC play at ninth-ranked Ohio Northern University Sept. 17 in Ada.

For game day updates, follow us on Twitter.com/Otterbeinsports.