Cincinnati, Ohio—On the campus of Mount St. Joseph University the Football program is preparing for a road battle, as they are set to travel to Defiance College on Saturday, October 23. This game will see the Lions who are currently tied for first place in the HCAC standings play, last place Defiance College.
Records
The Yellow Jackets are currently (0-6) overall and (0-3) in HCAC play. Throughout their first six games, Defiance and the Mount share two common opponents, Albion and Manchester. Defiance dropped both games, being shut out by Manchester two weeks ago.
On the other hand, the Lions have been able to find much more success this season. Currently holding a (4-2) overall record and (3-0) in conference play, the Lions look to get rolling on all cylinders this weekend and extend their win streak to four in a row.
The Offense
Currently, the Mount St. Joseph Offense ranks fourth in scoring in the HCAC, posting a scoring average of 29.6 points per contest. This balanced offensive attack has been able to register over 2,200 total yards of offense. A lot of this production can be attributed to Senior Wide-out Austin Brock who is continuing to put the conference on notice, pulling in his eighth touchdown catch, good to tie him for tenth in all of Division Three play and first in the HCAC.
Defiance has faced their struggles this season, only averaging 8 points per contest. Currently, the Yellow Jackets offense averages only 200 yards per game. Despite their struggles, there have been times in which this offense has been explosive, posting a 28 point performance, in a loss to Alfred State. The highlight of the Defiance offense this season has been running back Tyshaun Freeman, who leads the team in rushing with 284 yards, a number that ranks him eighth in the HCAC in rushing yards.
The Defense
Per usual, the Lion's defense will continue to be the strength of this team. Currently, the Lions defense is on a tear not allowing points in their last six quarters of play, dating back to the start of the second half against Franklin College. This streak of scoreless play by the defense has allowed them to hold opposing offenses to an average of 20 points per game. The plan for this game will be to continue forcing turnovers, as the Mount defense has 12 interceptions to go along with 3 forced fumbles. Defensive Back, Devon Donawerth will look to continue his impressive first season with the Lions. Currently, Donnaworth has pulled in a conference-high three interceptions and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Additionally Lions Defensive End, Decklan Brophy will look to duplicate his efforts that earned him HCAC Defensive player of the week, last week.
The Defiance defense has also faced their struggles this season, allowing opponents to score an average of 43 points per game. However, this defense has still been disruptive this season, totaling four sacks against Hanover last week. Additionally, this defense has created a few turnovers, including four interceptions overall on the season. Thomas Coltrain has been a force for the Yellow Jacket's defense, ranking first in the conference in total tackles with 57 while also adding 3.5 sacks on the season.
This game is scheduled for a 1:30 PM Kickoff on Saturday, October 23. This game will be played on the campus of Defiance College. For continued coverage of this game and all other MSJ athletics continue to follow msjlions.com
