Game Notes
WESTERVILLE, OHIO—The Otterbein University football team squares off against 12th-ranked Heidelberg University Saturday in Memorial Stadium, the winner taking home the Rhine River Cup. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Otterbein and Heidelberg have been battling for the Rhine River Cup ever since the two teams played the first-ever collegiate football game in Frankfurt, Germany in 1992, which ended in a 7-7 tie. The Cardinals hold a 13-7-1 lead in the Rhine River series although the Berg has held the Cup for the last two seasons.
The Cardinals, 3-2 overall, hold down fourth place in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) with a 3-1 record. Heidelberg, along with the University of Mount Union and John Carroll University, sit at the top of the OAC standings, each 5-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play.
Otterbein, under second-year head coach Tim Doup, comes into the game off a 12-10 win at Muskingum University last Saturday in New Concord.
Otterbein senior quarterback Ben Sizemore hooked up with senior wide receiver Steven Carpenter for a pair of scoring strikes of 54 and 26 yards in the win at Muskingum. Freshman inside linebacker Austin Jones made 14 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss of four yards.
Heidelberg, meanwhile, rolled over Capital, 73-17, at homecoming in Tiffin. The Student Princes, under seventh-year head coach Mike Hallett, scored on every possession except the final one of the game.
Junior tailback Cartel Brooks rushed for 121 yards and four touchdowns while junior quarterback Mike Mees threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Capital.
“Offensively, Heidelberg is very, very good.” Doup said. “Explosive. They can run the ball, they can throw the ball. Big and strong up front, try to maul you and run the ball, but they have speed on the outside too.”
The Berg leads NCAA Division III in scoring, averaging 62.8 points a game, and team passing efficiency, 214.89.
Coach Doup knows getting the Rhine River Cup back to Westerville won’t be easy.
“It would be great to get that Cup back,” Doup said. “It’s going to be a challenge, but we have got to step up—somebody has got to step up and make some plays. We can’t turn the ball over. We just have to play hard the whole game.
“We haven’t had it for two years so we are itching to get it back,” Doup added.
Following Heidelberg, Otterbein is scheduled to travel to top-ranked Mount Union Oct. 26 for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
