Game Notes
WESTERVILLE, Ohio—The Otterbein University football team faces its toughest challenge of the season, hosting John Carroll University in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) matchup Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
It will be Homecoming on the Westerville campus as well as Community Day. There is no admission charge. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Cardinals (2-0, 1-0 OAC), under first-year head coach Tim Doup, come into the game off a 54-10 win at Wilmington.
The Cardinal defense, led by senior cornerback Anthony Korpieski, scored three touchdowns in the victory. Korpieski, selected defensive player of the week by both the OAC and OhioCollegeFootball.com, made two picks and returned both for touchdowns of 18 and 27 yards. Senior outside linebacker Shane Little picked up a fumble and returned it for a 24-yard touchdown.
“Defense,” said Doup about what he remembers most from the Wilmington game. “Twenty-one points out of the defense. Jordan Bonifas set the tone, returning that interception down to the 2-yard line.”
Bonifas, a sophomore safety, set up Otterbein’s first score, intercepting a Wilmington pass at the Otterbein 20-yard line with 10:20 to play in the first quarter.
John Carroll (1-1, 0-1 OAC), meanwhile, dropped a heart-breaker to cross-town rival Baldwin Wallace University, 32-28, last Saturday at home in University Heights. The Blue Streaks led, 28-17, with 12:38 to play in the game before the Yellow Jackets mounted their comeback that concluded with an 84-yard pass play for a touchdown with 1:21 to play in the game.
The Blue Streaks, under 14th-year head coach Regis Scafe, generated 442 yards of offense, but yielded 432 on defense in the loss. Sophomore quarterback Mark Myers, who passed for a school record 457 yards and five TD’s in the season opener against St. Norbert College, a game played in Dublin, Ireland, completed 18 of 32 pass attempts for 236 yards and two touchdowns against Baldwin Wallace. Junior running back DaQuan Grobsmith rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown.
“Offensively, John Carroll is very good,” Doup said. “They are not a pass-only offense. They all line up and try to jam it down your throat.
“It’s a typical John Carroll team,” Doup continued. “But I think it’s one of the better teams I’ve seen. They just got beat by Baldwin Wallace, their rival, so they’re going to come in with a chip on their shoulders.”
Last season, John Carroll defeated Otterbein in double overtime, 47-41, in University Heights.
Coach Doup cites no turnovers and stop the big play as keys for success against John Carroll.
“They are a big-play offense,” Doup said. “The John Carroll offense will nickel-and-dime you, nickel-and-dime you and, bam; they’re going after the big play.”
Following the Blue Streaks, the Cardinals hit the road for an OAC game at Baldwin Wallace (2-0, 1-0 OAC) Sept. 29. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m.
