October 26

Defiance Set for HCAC Clash with No. 16 Mount St. Joseph

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College football team will take the field on Saturday for its biggest game of the 2006 season to date. The Yellow Jackets will put a six-game win streak and unblemished 4-0 mark in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference on the line when they host 16th-ranked and unbeaten Mt. St. Joseph (7-0, 5-0 HCAC).

The Yellow Jackets are 8-6 all-time against the College of Mount Saint Joseph and will be looking for their first seven-game winning streak since getting off to a 7-0 start in the 2001 season.

The game will be broadcast live by Tom Jeffery and Greg Pscodna on WZOM 105.7 FM and can also be heard via the internet by clicking this link and typing in the word Defiance.

The Series History - Today marks the 15th all-time meeting between Defiance and Mount St. Joseph on the gridiron. The Yellow Jackets hold an 8-6 edge in the series, despite the last four contests ending in the Lions’ favor. In last year’s meeting, MSJ piled up 33 first-half points on its home turf en route to snapping DC’s four-game winning streak by a 40-19 margin. Chris Tietje had a big game on defense with eight tackles and a pair of sacks for negative 26 yards. On offense, Scooter Curtis ripped off 80 yards and a score on the ground while Luke Dillon went for 100 yards on two catches and one 79-yard touchdown reception.

Scouting Defiance - The Yellow Jackets have won eight of 10 games since their last meeting with MSJ and enter this matchup having won six-straight contests. Much like its opponent this afternoon, DC leans heavily on its highly touted defensive unit. Keith Snyder leads the way with 51 tackles while Mike Haydon has six sacks and 10.5 tackles for lost yardage.

Scouting Mt. St. Joseph - The Lions were tabbed as the team to beat heading into this season and have done absolutely nothing to hurt that claim, rolling to seven-straight wins to open the year. MSJ has climbed as high as No. 16 in some polls and are led by the All-American candidate, Mike Lovell, out of the backfield. Lovell has rushed for 12 touchdowns and 881 yards this season and is averaging 125.9 yards a game, good for the 10th-best average in the nation.

Defense, Defense, Defense - When Defiance and MSJ take the field on Saturday afternoon, a low scoring tilt should be a safe bet. The teams rank first and second in the league in nearly every defensive stat and are both ranked top-20 in the nation in total defense, rushing defense, scoring defense and pass efficiency defense.

Turn Back the Clock - When taking a look at DC’s accomplishments on the football field during the 2006 season, one has to be reminded of 2001. Defiance is currently off to a 6-1 start and has won six straight, its best start and longest winning streak since opening the year at a 7-0 clip in ‘01. DC’s last win over MSJ also came on Sep. 29, 2001 via a 36-13 victory in front of nearly 3,900 fans at Coressel Stadium. If the Yellow Jackets can repeat that performance this afternoon, they may also accomplish one more thing that has not been done by a DC squad since the 2001 campaign - winning an HCAC Championship.

HCAC Player of the Week - Nic Cass became the sixth member of the Purple & Gold to be selected as an HCAC Player of the Week during the 2006 season after picking off a trio of Hanover passes in the fourth quarter of last week’s 20-10 win over the Panthers. Cass sealed the win by returning the final pick for six with just over one minute left on the clock.

Rewriting the Record Books - Dan Brown, Nic Cass and Luke Dillon have all etched their names in the Defiance records with their performances this season. Brown has drilled eight field goals to tie the single-season mark, while Cass and Dillon tied single-game records with their special trifectas. Cass joined Scott Heighland as the only players to record three interceptions in a game, while Dillon became the fourth Yellow Jacket to catch three touchdowns in one game when he accomplished the feat in DC’s 45-13 win over Anderson.

The Taylor Watch - Head Coach Robert Taylor has piled up 17 career victories at the helm of the DC program. That mark puts Taylor in a tie for eighth all time with Lance Tigyer (1971-73) in the Defiance record books and just one victory short of tying Kirk Mee (1964-66) for seventh.

Around the HCAC - All eyes will be on today’s action inside Coressel Stadium as the two unbeatens clash with an inside track at the HCAC Championship up for grabs. In other action, Franklin will play at Manchester, Hanover goes to Bluffton and Rose-Hulman plays host to Anderson.

What’s On Tap? - Things do not get any easier for Defiance next week as a high-powered Franklin squad rolls into town for DC’s final home contest of the season. The Jackets will then close their regular season with a visit to arch-rival Bluffton on Nov. 4.