Game Notes      
Coach Doup Radio Show - Week 4       
OAC Commissioner Tim Gleason Interview

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Cardinal football team, sporting a 2-0 record in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play, heads to Heidelberg University Saturday afternoon to once again battle for the Rhine River Cup. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. as part of Homecoming and Hall of Fame Day for the Berg'.

Otterbein and Heidelberg took part in the first-ever collegiate football game played in Germany during the 1992 season, which ended in a 7-7 tie. The two schools have been battling for the Rhine River Cup ever since, with the Cards holding a 13-9-1 lead.

Heidelberg, entering the 2015 season with a 33-8 record the past four years, has gotten off to an uncharacteristic 0-3 start after playing No. 22 Cortland State, No. 11 John Carroll and, most recently, a tough Ohio Northern squad. Cortland won with a hail mary on the final play of the game, John Carroll scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3:39 remaining, and ONU rallied with 24-unanswered points to win last Saturday.

"I would say they are the best 0-3 team in the country, probably in quite some time," Otterbein head coach Tim Doup said. "They would be sitting with a winning record right now if it weren't for a couple plays. It's still your typical Heidelberg team; big, strong, fast, very athletic and disciplined. I'm shocked they haven't won yet."

Otterbein defeated Heidleberg four-consecutive years from 2007-10, but the Student Princes have returned the favor by taking the past four matchups, outscoring the Cards 142-65 during the span. Otterbein built a 28-14 advantage near the end of the first half last year in Westerville, only to see the Berg' rattle off 31-straight and eventually leave with a 45-28 triumph.

"They scored right before halftime last year and then took advantage of our mistakes in the fourth quarter," Doup said. "We turned the ball over, gave them great field position and just weren't able to finish. We have to learn from that and finish games."

The Cardinals have battled through multiple injuries and positional shuffles in wins over Marietta and Wilmington, trying to remain as healthy as possible with each passing day.

"Our guys look around and see that we are beat up a little bit," Doup explained. "I think they understand that it's next-man up and somebody needs to fill the void if another guy goes down. We have been dealing with some of that lately but just need to keep going about our business."

Sophomore wide receiver Julian Lowe continued handling his business in the win over Wilmington, catching five passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns. He currently leads the OAC with 108.3 yards per game.

Senior quarterback Kevan Green helped the run game out last week, scampering 13 times for 103 yards and a score to become the first Cardinal QB over 100 on the ground since Jack Rafferty back in 2007. However, the Cards are still only averaging 104 yards per game rushing, 71.6 if you take Green's recent performance out of the equation. Heidelberg has allowed just 129.3/game to opponents this season.

"We have to figure out a way to run the football and take some pressure off our pass game," Doup stressed. "Finding a way to get run production and then also stopping Heidelberg's running game will be critical. They always do a nice job running behind a good offensive line, so we'll need to find a way to slow them down."

Senior Bryan Lacey leads the Heidelberg rushing attack with 112 yards per game and a 4.7 average, while quarterback Jon Sandwisch has also contributed two rushing scores. Sandwisch and Green each have three passing touchdowns and three interceptions on the year.

Heidelberg wideout Nick Delisa, 11 catches for 140 yards, has turned in two solid games after missing the opener against Cortland, while Demetrius Magee and Tony Morris also serve as nice weapons for a Heidelberg offense averaging 385 yards per game and converting 38 percent of third downs.

Otterbein's defense will look to hold its ground in a game that could see rain and wind. Senior linebacker Drew Ervin leads the way so far with 32 tackles while safety Steven Carpenter, team-high nine tackles against Wilmington, currently sits with 22 stops.

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