GAMES NOTES

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein football team resumes play with a challenging road test Saturday afternoon, embarking to square off against host Ohio Northern University at 1:30 p.m. from Dial-Roberson Stadium.

The Cardinals, standing 3-0 on the young season and 2-0 within Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play, are coming off a 56-28 Homecoming victory over Wilmington College in which the offense continued to roll.

Now, sixth-year head coach Tim Doup and his team will be looking to snap a four-game losing skid in the series with Ohio Northern. The Polar Bears escaped Westerville last season by winning a 16-10 slugfest in which Otterbein had the ball across the 50 during all four possessions in the fourth quarter. One of those was a late 28-yard touchdown that was overturned due to offensive pass interference.

"This is a big challenge for us," Doup said. "Going up to Ada is not easy and they will surely want to prove something after getting beat by Heidelberg. I'm expecting a physical, get after it type of game."

Otterbein quarterback Logan Stepp had a hand in four more touchdowns last time out, giving him a combined 14 on the season (10 passing, four rushing). He currently ranks second nationally in points responsible for (84), fourth in passing efficiency (213.6), ninth in total offense per game (381.3) and 15th in passing yards (936).

Running backs Christian Johnson, Isaiah Richmond and Dakota "Boobie" Smith all tallied second-half TD's on the ground against Wilmington, and the aerial group continued its steady productivity. Senior tight end Josh Plieninger caught his first-career touchdown while the duo of Julian Lowe and Hunter Joseph has combined for 40 catches and seven scores.

The Cardinal defense came up with two more interceptions last week, bringing the season total to seven and already surpassing last year's mark of six. Freshman Brandon Paschal snagged his third in as many games while fellow DB Prince Franklin housed a 26-yard pick, marking Otterbein's first defensive touchdown since early in the 2015 campaign.

Otterbein led 35-0 in the third quarter against Wilmington but, similar to the week prior, the opposition managed multiple scores late. The Quakers found the end zone on four of their final five possessions.

"There is a fine line when you have a big lead in the second half," Doup explained. "If I don't take my starters out and someone gets hurt, then I'm the dumbest coach in America. On the flip side, teams have scored late on our second unit, or a mix of players, so those guys have to figure out a way to limit points. We want them to learn what it's like to play on Saturday's and the importance of stopping people in the fourth quarter. It's a learning process that will hopefully help us down the road, whether that be this year or in future years."

Ohio Northern (1-1, 0-1 OAC) will stay at home for the second week in a row after dropping a 40-21 contest to Heidelberg last weekend. The Polar Bears allowed 655 yards of total offense in that matchup but are certainly motivated to bounce back on what will be their Homecoming.

"Northern is very athletic with dangerous players, and will try to run it down your throat if they can," Doup said. "(Christiaan) Williams is a great tailback and runs with really nice vision. Their offensive balance keeps you on your toes so we can't get caught out of position."
 
 
Three-year starter Will Freed, a California native, handles the signals at quarterback and entered this season already in the top-10 at ONU for career passing yards and completions. Williams, a 5'11" and 210-pound sophomore, had a streak of 11-straight 100-yard rushing games to begin his career before it was snapped last week. He still managed over 100 all-purpose yards.

Freed has plenty of options in the passing game, most notably junior Chad Rex and his 12 receptions for 245 yards and four TD's through just two games. Wide Receiver Caleb Saalfeld has two touchdowns on just three catches so far.

Defensively, the Polar Bears are paced by 2x first team All-OAC linebacker Zach Schmerge. A three-year captain, he has 214 tackles over the past two seasons and was a Preseason All-America pick.

This week begins a month-long stretch of three road games and a bye for Otterbein, but Doup reiterated the team is focused solely on ONU. The Cards have not won in Ada since the 2008 playoff season.

"We haven't talked about anything but trying to beat Ohio Northern," Doup said emphatically. "We aren't looking at Capital, talking about the bye week or anything else mixed in. Our job is to be 1-0 after every Saturday and this is the current game."

Fans can follow the action through live stats, live audio (WOBN 97.5) and live video. Access the schedule page HERE for all links.