Game Notes
Coach Doup Radio Show -- Week 10

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University football team will conclude its 2015 season Saturday afternoon on the road, traveling to play Ohio Northern University at 1:30 p.m. in Ada.

The Cardinals, 4-5 overall and 4-4 within the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), look to earn a win that would give the team a third-straight .500 season after an 8-2 record in 2012. Ohio Northern has enjoyed a very solid fall campaign, currently sitting at 7-2 on the year and 6-2 against the conference. The Polar Bears received a handful of votes in the latest D3football.com national poll.

Otterbein is coming off a 42-13 loss to nationally-ranked John Carroll, a game in which the Cardinals led 13-0 in the second quarter before losing control.

"We were moving the football and outgained John Carroll in the first half, despite leaving seven points on the field," head coach Tim Doup said. "They moved the ball on us as well, but our defense didn't break and managed to get off the field during those opening possessions. We were ultimately hurt by field position and just lost momentum."

Otterbein now transitions to play the Polar Bears, a team that features the league's leading rusher, leading receiver and, until he got hurt, the leading passer.
Running back Justin Magazine, a two-time All-OAC selection, currently sits atop the OAC in rushes (200), yards (1,117), yards per game (124.1) and rushing touchdowns (16), while receiver Devon Price ranks first with 954 yards (106/gm) and 70 catches out wide.
 
Freshman Will Freed was leading all quarterbacks with 264 yards per game through the air before going down with an injury. The unit has proved just as capable with sophomore Ricardo Johnson at the reigns, as he has thrown for 652 yards, 8 TD's and no interceptions in the last three games. He has rushed for 246 yards and another 4 TD's in that same span, accumulating 898 yards of total offense.
 
"Ohio Northern will present a lot of challenges," Doup said. "Their backup quarterback could have very well been their starter all season. He is another dual-threat guy that has a ton of weapons at his disposal. They are monsters on the offensive line and can put defenses in bad situations."

Otterbein will look to keep pace with an offense led by senior quarterback Kevan Green, missed the game at Mount Union with a wrist injury but was able to return last week against JCU. He needs 309 yards at Ohio Northern to become just the third Otterbein quarterback in the last 15 years to throw for 2,000 in a season.

Fans will see two of the best receivers in the conference on display in Price and Otterbein's Julian Lowe, who leads the OAC with 12 receiving touchdowns and is tied with Price at 70 catches. He sits second in the league with 822 yards.

Otterbein has continued to deal with its fair share of injuries this season, forcing the team to fight through adversity and battle through all situations.

"Honestly, it's been a difficult journey with us losing 20 or more guys to season-ending injuries and other issues," Doup explained. "But, I think our guys have stepped up and played to the best of their ability each week, when it seemed like there was always a reshuffle somewhere on the field. We have continued to fight every game and I'm really proud of them for that."

Senior linebacker Drew Ervin, a three-time OAC 'Defensive Player of the Week' this season, will most likely become the first Otterbein player to lead the conference in tackling since Kieran Johnson made 117 back in 2005. Ervin, currently with 111, is 17 tackles clear of anyone else entering Saturday.

"It's been great to witness his transition to defense and for me to be his position coach this year," Doup said of Ervin. "We have become very close from a coach-to-player standpoint, sitting beside one another in every meeting and talking quite a bit. I think he still feels that he is a running back in his heart, but I also think he is glad that he made the move. I hope he is proud of his senior season."

Ohio Northern features a very good linebacker of its own in Zach Schmerge, who has 90 total tackles (52 solo) to his credit on the season. The Polar Bears have won four of the past seven matchups in what has generally been a close and competitive series, but have taken the last two by a combined score of 76-34.

Fans can follow the game through live stats, live audio and live video.