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DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College football team will open its 2006 season on Saturday inside Coressel Stadium when it hosts Otterbein College. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m.
The Yellow Jackets are 2-4 all-time against Otterbein and will be looking to avenge a 14-0 loss to the Cardinals in last season's opener.
WEEK 1 GAME NOTES
Otterbein vs. Defiance
Sep. 2 – 1:30 pm – Coressel Stadium
THIS WEEK'S GAME - The 2006 season and home opener for Defiance will pit the Yellow Jackets against Otterbein College. DC will be looking to avenge a 14-0 loss to the Cardinals from one year ago.
SCOUTING DEFIANCE - The Yellow Jackets will return all but two starters from 2005 and will try to use that experience to ride the wave of momentum from the largest single-season turnaround in school history. DC bounced back from a 1-9 mark in 2004 to go 6-4 in 2005 and could make a bid at a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference title in 2006.
SCOUTING OTTERBEIN - Much like DC, the Cardinals will rely on experience in 2006 as Otterbein returns nearly 60 players from last season and 18 starters. Otterbein posted a 7-3 mark in 2005 and is attempting to post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1981-82. The Cardinals boast a dangerous air attack as receivers Kyle Wolfe and Josh Bope combined for 92 catches and nearly 1,300 yards en route to leading OC to 254.2 passing yards a game in 2005.
PICKING UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF - After failing to get on the board in its first two games of 2005, DC rallied to end the year with a 6-2 mark over its final eight games. During that span the Jackets averaged 28.8 points per game while holding the opposition to just 21.1 per contest.
FAMILY FEUD - The Gendron family could have some mixed emotions watching today's game as DC's senior running back Jason Gendron will be going up against his brother, and Otterbein's freshman running back, Dan Gendron for the first time at the collegiate level.
JACKETS VS THE 2006 SCHEDULE - Defiance has posted a 140-125-1 record all-time against the 10 opponents on its 2006 slate. The Jackets have winning records against Adrian, Anderson, Bluffton, Franklin, Manchester and Mount St. Joseph, while Hanover and Otterbein hold the series edge over DC. Two new foes will join the fray this season as the Jackets are set to take on Rose-Hulman and Tri-State for the first time ever.
TOP-RANKED FOES - Defiance could face a pair of nationally ranked opponents in 2006 as HCAC rival Mount St. Joseph is ranked No. 36 and Adrian is No. 39 in The Football Gazette's Preseason Poll.
BATTLE OF THE MINDS - This afternoon's game pits a pair of highly respected head coaches against each other. DC's Robert Taylor took home HCAC Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2005 while Otterbein's Joe Loth was named the top coach in the Ohio Athletic Conference in 2005.
FAMILIAR FACES - If the 2006 version of the Purple & Gold looks familiar, that is because Coach Taylor's Yellow Jackets have returned 49 letter winners from one year ago, including all but two starters from the 2005 squad. The large group of returners boasts a 25-man senior class.
AROUND THE HCAC - The conference will have a full slate on its opening weekend with Defiance, Anderson, Franklin, Mount St. Joseph and Rose-Hulman playing at home, while Bluffton, Hanover and Manchester take to the road for non-conference affairs.
WHAT'S ON TAP? - The Jackets will cross the border into Michigan next Saturday to take on Adrian College in AC's season opener. The game will also be the first in Adrian's newly renovated stadium.
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