Game Notes       Coach Doup Radio Show - Week 5

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Rivalry Week. Not much more will need to be said as the Otterbein University football team heads across town Saturday afternoon to take on conference foe Capital University at 1:30 p.m.

Separated by just 14 miles, both schools will enter this contest at 2-2 overall and 2-1 within Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play. The Crusaders fell 62-7 at No. 2-ranked Mount Union last week while Otterbein is regrouping after a disappointing 49-31 loss at Heidelberg, a game in which it led almost the entire first half.

"We had two big mistakes on special teams, giving up a kickoff return and then mishandling a punt," Cardinal head coach Tim Doup said. "I still thought we were fine in the second half when it was 39-31, but it got to a point where we just couldn't respond and things got away from us. Keeping leads is something we still need to continue working on."

Otterbein hopes to get back on track Capital, resuming a rivalry that has a long-standing history across many sports. The two schools first played football back in 1894, a 60-0 win for the Cardinals, and the all-time series now stands completely deadlocked at 43-43-3. Otterbein has taken the past three meetings, including a 50-28 home win last year after scoring 23-straight points to open the second half.

"We have kept everything the same," Doup said of his team's preparation. "Saturday is when it really hits that you're about to play an Otterbein/Capital game. We haven't changed anything or done anything special throughout the week. It's just about preparing our guys for what they will see on the field."

Capital, now in its third season under head coach Craig Candeto, runs the triple-option offense that Candeto spearheaded as a quarterback at Navy in the early 2000's. The Crusaders get more than 80 percent of their offense on the ground, currently averaging 321.5 rushing yards per game. B-Back Brent Walton leads the OAC with 150 yards per outing and is just 23 shy of becoming the school's all-time leading rusher.

"It's a tough offense to play against, especially because we only see it once a year," Doup said of the triple-option. "There is a lot of quick cutting involved and you need to play assignment football.  Making correct reads and tackling will be critical. It's definitely a challenge when you have less than week to prepare."

Otterbein will look to counter with another good offensive showing after posting exactly 31 points in each of its past three games. Quarterback Kevan Green tossed for 362 yards at Heidelberg, the highest total for a Cardinal signal-caller since 2007. Wide receiver Julian Lowe leads the league at 113.5 yards per game and ranks second with six touchdowns. Cole Benner and Logan Stepp also add to the aerial attack, with Benner having already scored rushing, receiving and passing this year.

"We threw the ball well at Heidelberg but we still need to protect better," Doup said. "Kevan is getting better and better with checks and reads. I still wish we could run the ball more efficiently, but our skill guys our making plays. We don't want defenses being able to just pin their ears back and come. Kevan took some shots last week so we can't always be one dimensional."

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