Cincinnati, Ohio—After many months of grueling practices, Covid protocols along with the normal ups and downs of a football season, the Mount St. Joseph University Football program is preparing for their final game of the season. Entering this game the Lions will carry a four game win streak to Indiana to take on the Spartans of Manchester University. Manchester will play their first game in over two weeks, and enter this game at the bottom of the Heartland Conference with an (0-6) record.
HISTORY:
The Mount enters this matchup against Manchester the all time series leader at 11 wins to just 2 losses, looking to extend their win streak over Manchester to five in a row. The last time that these two schools met was during the 2019 season, where the Lions were victorious 47-14.
THE OFFENSE:
Throughout this season the Lions offense has been very effective in their rushing attack, averaging 223 yards per game on the ground. On the other hand Manchester has showcased a conference worst defense this season, allowing opponents to score 42 points per game on average while surrendering 247 yards rushing. This will once again see the Lions looking to lean on Quarterback Josh Taylor to lead the offense, Taylor has seen success on the run this season as he leads DIII in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. Additionally this will be a great opportunity for Senior Running-back Trevor Thome to showcase his talents for one final time, coming off of one of his most impressive college performances against Anderson last week. We should all anticipate a high scoring offensive performance in the Lions final game.
THE DEFENSE:
This season the Mount defense has made major improvements even with the loss of several key players throughout the season. The Lions have been holding teams to just 24 points per ball game, which is good for the 2nd best defense in the conference. For Manchester, they have struggled to move the ball this season, after changing their scheme from a power run to an air raid offense. Currently the Spartans are averaging 11 points scored per game, which puts them at the bottom of the conference. One stat that stands out is the turnover ratio as Manchester has thrown 20 interceptions to just 6 touchdowns this season, Troy Speakman and the Lions secondary look to capitalize off of this turnover hungry offense. Additionally the Lions Defensive Line is primed for a great game when they face an offensive line that has surrendered 23 sacks in just 6 games.
GAME INFORMATION
This game is set to take place at Manchester University on Saturday, April 17 with the game kicking off at 4PM. For continued coverage of this ball game and all other MSJ athletics continue to follow msjlions.com
