By: Andrew Weeks
Cincinnati, Ohio—On Saturday, November 6, the Mount St. Joseph University Football program will host their final home game of the 2021 Football season. This game against the Hanover Panthers will serve as Senior Day for the Mount. Entering the contest, both the Lions and Panthers are currently tied for second in the HCAC standings. Both teams also carry a (5-3) overall record and are (4-1) in the HCAC.
On Saturday the Lions Defense will face off with one of the best offenses in the conference. Hanover is scoring an average of 33 points per contest this season. This scoring production comes from one of the more balanced offensive attacks in the conference, totaling 1,970 yards passing 1,891 yards on the ground. The backfield of Hanover displays a three-headed monster that includes first place rushing leader in the conference, Shawn Coane and third place rusher, Walt Ballinger. Additionally, Hanover Quarterback Matthew Weimer ranks in the top ten in rushing yards and is currently the second-ranked Quarterback in passing yards, racking up over 1,800 air yards this season.
However, the defense of the Lions is also elite, holding opposing offenses to 19.3 points per contest. The Lions will look to the linebacking core of Jonathan Finn, Julius Fisher, and Anthony Wright to slow the rushing attack of the Panthers. All three have been very good for the Lion's defense in preventing the run this season, all ranking in the top 15 in the HCAC in tackling, with Finn currently ranked fourth.
With a huge matchup on the defensive side of the ball for the Lions, the offense will also meet one of the best defenses in the conference. The Hanover defense has held offenses to 16.9 points per contest. Hanover is the owner of one of the best front sevens in the HCAC, including linebacker, Kyle Treber and Devonte Hardiman. Treber has registered 66 tackles this season, good for third in the HCAC rankings, while Hardiman is second in the conference in sacks, with 8.5 at this point in the season. However, this strong Hanover defense will be met with a rushing attack that is coming off of their best performance of the season, in a game in which they rushing for 230 yards, with a committee of ball carriers.
This game is shaping up to be one of the more exciting battles in the 2021 season for the Lions. This game is scheduled for Saturday, November 6 with a 1:30PM kickoff. Additionally, the Senior Day ceremonies are set to begin at 1:05 PM. For continued coverage of this game and all other MSJ Sports continue to follow msjlions.com
