PREVIEW | Lions set to host Defiance in HCAC matchup

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Who: Defiance College (0-4, 0-1 HCAC)
Where: Cincinnati, Ohio (Schueler Field)
When: Saturday, October 8^th | 1:30 PM
 
How we got here:
The Mount St. Joseph University football team continued to ride a dominant offense in a 55-20 win on the road at Manchester last Saturday to open Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play. Offensively the Lions put up a season-high 55 points while gaining a season-best 644 yards of total offense.
In the win the Lions star-studded backfield of Josh Taylor and Cornell Beachem Jr. continued to show why they should be one of the most feared duos in the nation.  Beachem Jr. was the star of the Manchester game, he carried the ball 13 times for 144 yards and 4 touchdowns, all of which came in the first half. He added 3 catches for 75 yards, totaling 16 touches for 219 yards, averaging nearly 14 yards per touch. Taylor continued to be extremely efficient, going 15-of-18 passing for 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns. All told 11 different Lions caught passes in the game, led by Austin Brock who caught 5 balls for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively the Lions where led by Evan Schlensker who had 8 total tackles (2 solo). Defensive tackle Jack Tucker continued his outstanding play with 7 total tackles (3 solo). The Lions also forced a pair of Manchester interceptions, DeShawn Starks and Austin Price each picked up one.
Defiance put up a valiant effort against Hanover, going into halftime tied with the Panthers 14-14, before eventually falling 37-20. Offensively the Yellow Jackets played a pair of quarterbacks who each had their moments, Seth Pearson and Jordan Ambrose combined to go 24-of-41 passing for 208 yards and three scores. Ambrose was also the team's leading rusher carrying the ball 8 times for 34 yards. Cooper Sloan was second on the team with 10 carries for 34 yards. Similar to the Lions they boast a bevy of pass catchers, with 10 Yellow Jackets catching passes in the game. Tawann Rome led the way with 2 catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. Defensively Justin Caballero led the way with 13 tackles and Richard Pope IV had a pair of sacks.

When the Lions have the ball:
Coach Caleb Corrill and the Lions offense will continue to rely on Beachem Jr. and Taylor to lead the way. Taylor comes into the game 11^th in the nation in passing efficiency and atop the HCAC in almost every passing category. He leads the league in yardage (1155), touchdowns (11) and efficieny (181.5). In the running game Beachem Jr. will continue to be the feature back, he also is atop the HCAC in nearly every category. He leads the league in yards (471), yards per attempt (7.4), and touchdowns (6). Joey Newton leads the talented group of wideouts, currently ranking third in the HCAC in yardage (323) and is tied atop the league with four touchdowns.

Defiance returns a ton of experience and talent on the defensive side of the ball. The linebacking corps is led by Caballero and Thomas Coltrain. The defensive line is led by Pope IV who currently leads the HCAC in sacks (4) and Rigo Villa. Despite the Lions high-powered offense, they will have to be careful in this one as the Yellow Jackets definitely have the talent to wreak havoc.

When the Yellow Jackets have the ball:
The Lions have to be prepared for both Ambrose and Pearson to take snaps under center. Ambrose has taken the most snaps leading the time with 771 yards passing and 7 touchdowns. Tyshaun Freeman leads a stout rushing attack, carrying the ball 56 times for 252 yards and a touchdown so far this season. Rome leads the group of athletic wideouts, he has 319 yards this season on only 16 receptions. He is averaging an outstanding 19.9 yards per reception thus far this season.

The Lions while likely go into the game with putting the onus on stopping the Defiance rushing attack. The linebacking corps of Anthony Wright, Schlensker, Nate Owens and Nick Stephenson will be vital in doing so. They come into the game with the HCAC's second best scoring defense to go along with that potent offense.

Up Next:
The Lions will again hit the road next Saturday, heading to Anderson to take on the Ravens (0-4, 0-1 HCAC), the game will kickoff at 1:30 PM