Cincinnati, Ohio—After the first two weeks of Heartland Conference play, the Lions sit atop the conference standings, tied with two other teams. One of those teams is the next Lions opponent, Manchester University, who so far has been a surprise to the rest of the conference after being picked to finish last in the HCAC in the pre-season coaches poll. Manchester enters this game with a (2-3) record and (2-0) in the Heartland Conference action, with wins over Franklin College and Defiance to begin their conference slate.
This game appears to be a battle of defenses, pitting the two best secondaries in the HCAC against each other. While Manchester's defense has allowed opposing offenses to score 36 points per game they are holding opponents to 178 yards passing each contest and have forced three turnovers. On the other hand, the Lions secondary has been the class of the HCAC holding opponent offenses to 134 yards passing and have forced 10 interceptions. The success of the Lions secondary can be attributed to the pair of Devon Donawerth and DeShawn Starks, who are currently tied for a league lead in interceptions with three each.
On the other hand, the offensive production for both teams is far apart. The Spartans offense has struggled to score throughout the season, averaging 18.6 points per contest. In comparison the Lions offense has been explosive, currently ranking second in the HCAC in scoring at 31 points per game. With a balanced in their offensive attack for the Lions, they have been able to average 150 yards on the ground per game and 249 through the air. Coming off of great individual performances against Franklin, the pair of wide-outs Austin Brock and Joey Newton will look to continue their success. Currently Brock leads the conference with seven receiving touchdowns, while Newton is tied for third with four touchdowns of his own. Additionally Freshman Quarterback, Tyler Prather looks to build off of his first career start and win, as he led the Lions offense with three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. This performance by Prather saw him receive HCAC Offensive player of the week honors.
This game is set to be played on Saturday, October 16 at Schueler Field, with kickoff scheduled for 1:30PM. Additionally this game will serve as the 2021 Mount St. Joseph University homecoming game! For additional coverage of this game and all other Mount St. Joseph University Athletics continue to follow msjlions.com
